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124 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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a fortiori
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even more so; if one can lift a 100lb object then a fortiori one can lift a 50lb object; if it is forbidden to ride a bike with an extra passenger, then a fortiori it is forbidden to ride a bike with two extra passengers
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abase
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to behave in a way so as to belittle or degrade (yourself, someone)
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abdicate
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to renounce one's throne; to fail to fufill or undertake a responsibility or duty
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aberrant
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departing from the accepted standard
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abeyance
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a state of temporary disuse or suspension
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abjure
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to renounce, repudiate, or retract with formal solemnity; to recant
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abominable
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causing extreme moral revulsion
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abraded
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worn down
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abrogate
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to annul by an authoratative act; to abolish by formal or official means; to repeal
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abscission
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shedding of a body part; when a plant drops a fruit or an animal sheds its skin
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abscond
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leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action
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absquatulate
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to leave abruptly
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abstemious
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not self-indulgent, esp. when eating and drinking
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abstruse
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difficult to understand; obscure
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accolade
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an expression of praise or admiration; an award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgement of merit; touching a person's shoulders with a sword upon knighthood
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accoutrement
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an accessory item of equipment or dress; trappings
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accretion
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the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of layers or matter
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acephalous
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not having a head
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acerbic
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sharp and forthright
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acidulous
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sharp tasting and sour
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acquisitive
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excessively interested in acquiring money or material things; greedy
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actuary
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a person who compiles and analyzes statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums
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acumen
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the ability to make good judgements and quick decisions
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ad hominem
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attacking an opponent's character instead of his argument; appealing to feelings instead of intellect
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addle
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to make unable to think clearly; to confuse;
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adduce
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to cite as evidence
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adept
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a highly skilled or well-trained individual; one having attained a specific high level of aptitude
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adipose
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fatty
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admonish
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to warn or reprimand someone firmly; to urge firmly
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adulation
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obsequious flattery; excessive admiration or praise
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adumbrate
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to be the shadow of; to foreshadow; (to be faintly reminiscent of); to outline something
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aegis
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shield; defense
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aesthete
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a person who is highly sensitive to beauty
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aesthetic
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concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty
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affected
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artifical, pretentious, and designed to impress
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afferent
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conducted inward or towards something; opposite of efferent
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afflatus
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a divine creative impulse or inspiration
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affray
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an instance of group fighting in a public place that disturbs others
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aggrandize
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increase or enhance power, wealth, status, or reputation
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agnostic
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one who is not commited to believing in the existence or nonexistence of God or a god; ultimate reality is unknown and probably unknowable; a person unwilling to commit to an opinion on something
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aide de camp
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a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state
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ail
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to feel sick
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alacrity
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brisk and cheerful readiness
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alloy
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a mixture; an unpure and perhaps inferior kind; to mix metals or to debase
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amanuensis
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a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; a secretary
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ambit
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the scope, extent, or bounds of something
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ambivalance
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having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone;
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ambulatory
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able to walk
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amenable
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open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled; susceptible
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amortize
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gradually write off the initial cost of an asset
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amulet
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an ornament or small piece of jewelry thought to give protection against evil, danger, or disease
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analgesia
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the inability to feel pain; analgesic = a pain-killer
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anathema
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something or someone that one vehemently dislikes
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anatomize
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to examine and analyze in detail
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ancillary
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subordinate, subsidiary; assisting
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andirons
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a metal support; usually those holding wood in a fireplace
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anesthetic
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causing physical insensibility or unconsciousness
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anfractuous
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sinuous or circuitous
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anodyne
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not likely to provoke dissent; deliberately unoffensive sounding
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anomaly
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an aberrant case deviating from the norm
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antediluvian
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ridiculously old-fashioned; of or belonging to the time before the biblical flood
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antipathy
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a deep seated feeling of dislike or aversion
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antithetical
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mutually incompatible; completely opposite
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apagogical
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proving the absurdity or impossibility of a statement by taking it to its logical extreme; apagogical argument being "you say everyone here owns a gun, but does that mean even all babies own guns?"
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apathy
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lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
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aphasia
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loss of speech due to injury
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aphorism
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a pithy observation that contains a general truth: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"
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apiary
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place where bees are kept
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aplomb
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self-confidence or assurance, especially in a difficult situation; equanimity
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apocryphal
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of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
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apogee
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the highest point or climax
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apologue
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a moral fable, especially one with animals as characters
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apoplectic
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overcome with anger, extremely indignant; speechlessness caused by extreme anger
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apostate
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a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
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apothegm
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a concise saying or maxim; an aphorism
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apotheosis
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the highest point in the development of something; the culmination of something; divine status
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appanage
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a necessary accompaniment
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appetitive
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an instictive physical desire, especially one for food or drink; a strong wish or urge
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appose
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to place something in proximity or juxtaposition to something else
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apposite
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appropriate, germane, relevant
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apprise
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to inform or tell someone; NOT appraise
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approbation
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approval or praise
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appropriative
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of or relating to money set aside by formal action for specific use
apropos of concerning; with reference to |
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aquiline
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hooked or curved like an eagle's beak; of a person's nose
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arabesque
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an ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines (originally of Arab or Moorish decoration)
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arbitrate
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help reach an authoritative judgement or settlement
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arboreal
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of or relating to trees; living in trees
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arcane
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mysterious or secret; understood by few
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archly
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deliberately or affectedly playful or teasing
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arduous
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involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring
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armistice
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a truce
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arrant
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complete; utter
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arrest
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to stop or check; to attract the attention of someone--his attention was arrested by a strange sound; a cardiac arrest
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arrogate
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to take claim for oneself without justification
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artifice
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a clever or cunning device or trick
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artless
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without guile or deception; without skill or finesse; without effort and pretentiousness; natural and simple
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ascetic
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practicing severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence, especially for religious reasons
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ascribe
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to attribute to a source or cause
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asperity
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harshness of tone or manner; roughness
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aspersion
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an attack on the reputation or integrity of something or someone
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assail a
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concerted or violent attack
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assay
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the testing of a metal or ore to determine its ingredients and quality
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asseverate
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to solemnly or emphatically declare something
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assiduous
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showing great care and perseverence
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assuage
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to make an unpleasant feeling less intense; to alleviate; to satisfy a desire
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astral sidereal
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of the stars
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astringent
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sharp, severe, or bitter
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atelier
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a workshop or studio; especially one used by an artist
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athwart
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across from or opposite to
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atrabilious
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melancholy or ill-tempered
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attenuate
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reduce the force, effect, or value of; reduce the thickness of
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audacious
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showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; showing an impudent lack of respect
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augury
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an omen; the interpretation of an omen
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august
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majestic; venerable
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auscultation
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the act of listening to sounds of the body as part of a medical diagnosis (usually with a stethoscope)
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auspice
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a gift; "under the auspices of" = with the support or protection of
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auspicious
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favorable; indicating future success
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austere
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ascetic, unadorned; severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance
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autochthon
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an original or indigenous inhabitant of a place; an aborigine
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avarice
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extreme greed for wealth or material gain
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avatar
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an incarnation, manifestation, or embodiment of a person or an idea
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aver
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to assert
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avuncular
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kind or friendly toward a younger or less experienced person; uncle-like
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axiom
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a statement regarded as self-evident, established, or accepted
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