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876 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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buccal
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cheeks, mouth
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insouciance
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sans souci
carefreeness |
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lamina
|
blade of leaf
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demur
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to object
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ebullient
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ecstatic
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bilk
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thwart, cheat, avoid payment
to chisel = to swindle |
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stilted
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artificially formal, contrived,
bombastic, stiffly pompous long & thin heron-legs |
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restive
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edgy, impatient, tense
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cavil
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quibble, raise trivial objections
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asperity
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harsh, rough surface; something hard to endure
sharpness (of temper) aspersion = slanderous remark |
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splenetic
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bristly, irritable
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gambol
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play, frolic
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hidebound
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conservative, narrow-minded
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repudiate
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renounce, refuse, reject or deny
(abjure) |
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high-handed
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cavalier, given to haughty disregard
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pusillanimous (false friend)
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cowardly
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encomium
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praise poem, tribute, eulogy
encomiastic |
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turpitude
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depravity, baseness
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entomology
|
study of insects
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auger
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to soothesay; augury = omen or portent
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temerity (false friend)
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audacity, recklessness
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whimper
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wail, cry softly or weakly
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philistine
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boor, churl
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last (shoe)
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cobbler's block to approximate human foot
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hortatory
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encouraging, giving exhortations
exhortive |
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pertinacious
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stubborn, obstinant
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felicitous
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agreeable in style/manner; lucky
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to brook
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to tolerate something unpleasant
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apprise
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advise, inform; appreciate in value
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compendium
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concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge; including summaries
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auger, awl
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augur: wood-boring screw-shaped device; transports grain
awl: pointed tool for making holes in leather, wood or inscribing |
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diffidence
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shyness, modesty
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dissolution
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termination, breaking into parts, profligancy
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divest
|
strip or deprive; dispose of an investment
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fatuous
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foolishly smug, silly
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gainsay
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to challenge
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intransigence
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stubbornness; unwilling to compromise
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lassitude
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lethargy, languor
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irresolute
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uncertain how to proceed
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morose
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dark, brooding ill-humor
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obdurate
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unrepentant, merciless
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officious
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meddling, intrusive busybody
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propitiate
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to appease, reconcile with
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recalcitrant
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fractious, stubbornly resisting authority
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recondite
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abtruse or hidden
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obtuse
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blunt
dense, slow to learn |
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tenuous
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flimsy, thin, insubstantial
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supposition
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guess, assumption
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truculent
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eager to fight; defiantly aggressive
pugnacious |
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welter
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to toss, roll, wallow, be immersed in
a cluttered multitude of things |
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abjure
|
renounce on oath; disavow
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abnegation
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renunciation, self-sacrifice
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abrogate
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abolish
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abscission
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cutting off
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abstemious
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sparing in eating; temperate
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actuate
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to motivate
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adjunct
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nonessential or inferior item that is attached
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adjutant
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assistant to commander
ancillary, auxiliary capacity |
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adjuration
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solemn urging
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abstruse
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profound, obscure, hard to understand
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adventitious
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accidental, casual
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advert
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to refer to
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affidavit
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written statement under oath
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agog
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intensely curious, excited
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alloy
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to mix, make less pure (adulterate); moderate
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alluvial
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of soil deposits left by river
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amenable
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open to being led; legally accountable
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amok/amuck
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ragefully
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animadversion
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critical remark
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animus
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hostile feeling; animosity
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anneal
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heating and cooling to reduce brittlenes
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annuity
|
yearly allowance
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anodyne
|
analgesic, opiate
pain reliever |
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anthropoid
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man-like
having human qualities -- anthropomorphic |
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antic
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very, very odd
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antiseptic
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preventing infection
SYN aseptic |
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aphasia
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loss of speech
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apiary
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where bees live
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aplomb
|
poise, assurance
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apogee
|
highest, farthest point
ANT: perigee = lowest, closest point of moon |
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apostate
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religious,political turncoat
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apothegm
|
pithy aphorism
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apposite
|
appropriate, fitting
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apropos
|
regarding
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arable
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fit for crop-growing
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archipelago
|
group of islands
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arraign
|
indict, formal accusation; to call before a court to inform of charges
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array
|
to cloth; adorn
to draw up or marshall |
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arrears
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debt
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arroyo
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gully, water-carved channel, sometimes dry
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askance
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sideways, indirect look
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assay
|
analyze, evaluate, examine
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astigmatism
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eye defect prevents focusing
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astringent
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binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe quality
lemon |
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atavism
|
reversion, throwback
resemblance to remote ancestors |
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aver
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to assert or declare confidently
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avocation
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second or minor occupation
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avuncular
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like an uncle
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awry
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distorted, crooked
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axiom
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self-evident truth; requires no proof
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badinage
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teasing conversation
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baleful
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sinister, foreboding
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balk
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to stop short and refuse to continue
to thwart or foil |
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bandy
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to discuss lightly, glibly
to exchange words heatedly |
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baneful
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destructive, ruinous
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bantering
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good-natured ridicule
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bate
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to restrain, to ebb or abate
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beatify
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to bless, sanctify, make a saint
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bedizen
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to dress with vulgar finery
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bedraggled
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thoroughly wet
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belie
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contradict
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beleaguer
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besiege or harass
to beset -- to trouble |
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bemused
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lost in thought; confused or preoccupied
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benison
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blessing
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betoken
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to indicate, signify
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biennial
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once every two years
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bilious
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peevish, liver
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blandish
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to coax with blandishments, flattery
to cajole |
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blase
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bored
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blowhard
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loud boaster
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bluff
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rough yet good-natured
a pretense, deception high cliff |
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bluster
|
blowhard; bully; threaten emptily
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bouillon
|
clear beef soup
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bowdlerize
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expurgate
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brindled
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tawny (tan) or gray with streaks/spots
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browbeat
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to bully, intimidate
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buccaneer
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pirate
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bucolic
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pastoral
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bugaboo
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bugbear, an unfounded terror
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cabal
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small group secretly united in promoting own interests
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cadge
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to panhandle, beg
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callow
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young, inexperienced, immature
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calorific
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heat-producing
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canard
|
false story; fabricated report;
yarn/tall tale |
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canker
|
ulcerous sore or evil
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canny
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shrewd, thrifty
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cantata
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story set to music; performed by chorus
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cant
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insincere piety, talk
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captious
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harping, faultfinding
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carapace
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shell
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carillon
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set of bells
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carousal
|
carousing
bacchanal drunken revelry |
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catechism
|
book of religious instruction via Q&A
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catholic
|
universal, liberal
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caulk
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to make watertight by plugging seams
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cauterize
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to burn with hot iron (to prevent infection)
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cavalcade
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parade, procession
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censorious
|
censuring, critical
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centrifugal/centripetal
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radiating, tending toward the center
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cerebration
|
thought
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cession
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ceding, yielding
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chagrin
|
mortification, disappointment
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chaffing
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joking, bantering
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chassis
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framework and working parts of an auto
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chase
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to indent metal for decoration
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chasten
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to scold, restrain
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chauvinist
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nationalistic zealot
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checkered
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marked by changes in fortune
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choleric
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hot-tempered
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ciliated
|
having small hairs
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cipher
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nonentity, worthless person/thing
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circumvent
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to baffle, outwit
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cistern
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reservoir, water tank
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clangor
|
loud, clanging noise
clapper -- the striker, tongue of a bell |
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coagulate
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thicken, congeal, clot
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codicil
|
addendum to a will
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coeval
|
contemporary to; living at same time
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collation
|
light meal
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collate
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to arrange in order; examine for authenticity and completeness before binding
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collateral
|
security in exchange for a loan, hostage
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colloquy
|
informal discussion
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comestible
|
edible
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comity
|
courtesy and civility
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commandeer
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to draft, or appropriate for public use
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conclave
|
private meeting
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concomitant
|
accompanying thing
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condign
|
appropriate, deserved (punishment); apposite
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connivance
|
assistance or permission
pretense of ignorance of wrong doing |
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connubial
|
...bliss
pertaining to marriage |
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consanguinity
|
kinship
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consign
|
to entrust or deliver officially to...
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consonance
|
harmony, agreement
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consort
|
associate or spouse
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consummate
|
complete, utter; flawless example of
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continence
|
chastity
ANT incontinence |
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contravene
|
oppose, contradict
transgress |
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contumacious
|
disobedient
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contusion
|
bruise
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cordon
|
line of men or things to prevent access
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cornice
|
protruding molding on building, above columns
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corroborate
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confirm, support
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corrugated
|
wrinkled, ridged
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countermand
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to revoke, cancel
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countenance
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to tolerate, approve of
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cow
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to terrorize, intimidate
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coy
|
shy, coquettish, modest
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cozen
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to swindle, hoodwink
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crabbed
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sour, peevish
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credulity
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gullibility
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crotchety
|
eccentric
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culvert
|
artificial channel for water
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cynosure
|
object of general attention
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dais
|
raised platform for guest of honor
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damp
|
to dampen, mute, diminish
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dapper
|
neat and trim
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deadpan
|
wooden, impassive expression
poker face |
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debacle
|
epic fail
complete, sudden disaster |
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decant
|
pour off gently
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default
|
failure to act
i.e. on a debt |
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defray
|
to help pay for
|
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defrock
|
to strip priest of church authority
SYN unfrock |
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demotic
|
of the people
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demure
|
grave, serious, coy
...of a girl |
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deposition
|
testimony under oath
..like a written affidavit |
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depredation
|
plundering
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derivative
|
unoriginal, from another source
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descry
|
to catch sight of
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desperado
|
reckless outlaw
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despoil
|
pillage, rob, etc.
take the spoils |
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desuetude
|
state of disuse
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detraction
|
slander, aspersions
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devolve
|
to worsen
to transfer or delegate to another |
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diadem
|
crown
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dialectical
|
pertaining to debate
mutual/reciprocal |
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die
|
a mold for stamping, impressing
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dinghy
|
small boat
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dint
|
"by dint of"
means, effort |
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disaffected
|
disloyal
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disclaim
|
renounce claim to
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discomfit
|
defeat, rout
disconcert |
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discursive
|
digressive, rambling
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disport
|
to amuse
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disquietude
|
uneasiness
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disquisition
|
formal, systematic inquiry
an explanation of the results |
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dissimulate
|
to feign, conceal
|
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distrait
|
distracted, distraught
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docket
|
program for trial
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doctrinaire
|
dogmatic, unyielding
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doff
|
take off (as in a hat)
|
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doggerel
|
poor verse
|
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dormer
|
window from roof
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dotage
|
senility
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dowdy
|
untidy, slovenly
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drone
|
idle man, male bee
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dross
|
waste matter; impurities
chaff |
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earthy
|
unrefined, coarse
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edify
|
to instruct, correct morally
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effete
|
lacking vigor, sterile, worn
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effluvium
|
noxious smell
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elegy
|
poem of lamentation
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emend
|
to correct a text
emendations = corrections, improvement |
|
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emetic
|
vomit-inducing substance
|
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emollient
|
soothing, softening remedy
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emolument
|
salary
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endemic
|
prevailing among a group, area
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endue
|
to endow
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enjoin
|
to order to forbid
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epigram
|
witty saying, think Ben
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equable
|
tranquil, uniform, steady
|
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equipoise
|
balancing force, equilibrium
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equivocal
|
ambiguous, misleading
|
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eschew
|
to avoid
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ethnology
|
study of humankind
|
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evince
|
to clearly show
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exceptionable
|
objectionable
|
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excise
|
to cut away, cut out
|
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execrable
|
horribly bad
execrate = to curse, abhor |
|
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exegesis
|
explanation
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exiguous
|
minute, small
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expatiate
|
to talk at length
|
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expiate
|
...a sin
to atone, make amends for |
|
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expostulation
|
a protest, remonstrance
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expropriate
|
to appropriate
|
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expurgate
|
to clean, remove of offensive parts
SIM to expunge, or delete |
|
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extirpate
|
to uptroot
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extenuate
|
to mitigate, weaken
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extort
|
to blackmail for money
vs. exhort - to urge |
|
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extrinsic
|
not essential, extraneous and external
|
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factotum
|
handyman
|
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fallow
|
uncultivated, plowed but unsown
|
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fancier
|
breeder or dealer of animals
|
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fastidious
|
picky, squeamish, hard to please
|
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febrile
|
feverish
|
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fell
|
deadly, cruel
|
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fervid
|
fervent
ardent fervor = ardor |
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fiat
|
a command, authorization
|
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filigree
|
delicate, lacelike metalwork
|
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flaccid
|
flabby
|
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ferment
|
agitation, commotion
foment a ferment |
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flippant
|
glib, lacking seriousness
|
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florid
|
ruddy, reddish
|
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glib
|
superficial, artfully persuasive in speech
|
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foible
|
slight fault, weakness
|
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foist
|
to palm off, insert improperly
|
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foray
|
a raid
|
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fracas
|
melee, brawl
|
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franchise
|
right to vote; or other right granted by authority
|
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frieze
|
ornamental band on wall
|
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froward
|
obstinately disobedient
intractable |
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fulsome
|
disgustingly excessive
|
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fusillade
|
simultaneous outburst or firing
|
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gadfly
|
fly that bites animals
annoying person |
|
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gall
|
to annoy, chafe
|
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gambit
|
opening in chess where player is sacrificed
|
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garish
|
gaudy, bright
|
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germinal
|
creative, spawning new ideas
|
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gestate
|
to evolve, prenatal growth
|
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geniality
|
sympathy, cheerfulness
|
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gentry
|
people of standing just below nobility
|
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gibe
|
to mock
|
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glean
|
to gather the leavings
|
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glutinous
|
sticky, viscous
|
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gossamer
|
sheer, diaphonous
|
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facile
|
glib, slick, fluent
|
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graduated
|
arranged by degrees
|
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grouse
|
to complain, fuss
|
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gull
|
to trick, hoodwink
|
|
|
guy
|
a wire the steadies or holds something in place
|
|
|
gyroscope
|
device used to maintain balance, find out direction
|
|
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hackles
|
hair on back and neck
|
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harry
|
to harrass, raid, torment
|
|
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hatch
|
a deck opening
|
|
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hermetic
|
airtight to maintain sterility
mysterious, occult |
|
|
heterodox
|
unconventional
ANT orthodox |
|
|
hibernal
|
wintry
|
|
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hoary
|
white with age
|
|
|
holocaust
|
destruction by fire
|
|
|
homily
|
sermon, serious warning
|
|
|
homeostasis
|
tendency for system to maintain stability
|
|
|
hummock
|
small hill
|
|
|
humus
|
decaying vegetable matter
|
|
|
hurtle
|
to crash, rush toward
|
|
|
husbandry
|
frugality, thrift
agriculture |
|
|
hydrophobia
|
fear of water, rabies
|
|
|
ignominy
|
disgrace, dishonor, shame
to become ignoble |
|
|
immolate
|
to offer as sacrifice
|
|
|
immure
|
to imprison, confine
|
|
|
impecunious
|
penniless
|
|
|
impenitent
|
unrepenting
|
|
|
impertinent
|
rude, insolent
|
|
|
impious
|
irreverent
|
|
|
impolitic
|
unwise
|
|
|
imponderable
|
weightless
|
|
|
importunate
|
importuning, begging, demanding, urging persistently
|
|
|
imprecation
|
a curse
|
|
|
improvidence
|
thriftless, spending foolishly
|
|
|
impute
|
to attribute, ascribe
|
|
|
inalienable
|
that which cannot be taken away
|
|
|
impugn
|
to challenge, dispute
gainsay |
|
|
incendiary
|
an arsonist
|
|
|
incidental
|
minor, not essential
|
|
|
incipient
|
nascent, in development
|
|
|
incommodious
|
inconvenient
not spacious |
|
|
incorporeal
|
insubstantial
not corporeal |
|
|
incredulous
|
skeptical, having incredulity
|
|
|
incubus
|
a burden, mental care, nightmare
|
|
|
indemnify
|
to make secure against/compensate for loss
|
|
|
indite
|
to write, compose
|
|
|
inductive
|
induction = to reason from specific to general
|
|
|
ineluctable
|
inescapable, irresistible
|
|
|
inerrancy
|
infallibility
|
|
|
inexorable
|
relentless, implacable
|
|
|
inimitable
|
peerless, matchless
not imitatible |
|
|
iniquitous
|
wicked, immoral
|
|
|
inordinate
|
excessive, unrestrained
|
|
|
insensate
|
without feeling
vs. insensible -- without emotion, unresponsive, unconscious |
|
|
internecine
|
mutually destructive
|
|
|
interpolate
|
to insert between
|
|
|
inveigh
|
to denounce, censure
|
|
|
inveigle
|
to lead astray, to wheedle into
|
|
|
wheedle
|
to urge gently, palaver
|
|
|
invidious
|
sowing dischord
designed to create ill-will or envy |
|
|
invocation
|
prayer for help
|
|
|
irrevocable
|
irreversible
unalterable |
|
|
jaundiced
|
prejudiced -- envious, resentful, hostile
|
|
|
jibe
|
to agree with, be in harmony with
|
|
|
jocular
|
done in jest
jocose -- given to joking jocund -- merry |
|
|
junket
|
trip
esp on taken by public official at public expense |
|
|
junta
|
cabal, group of people in a political intrigue
|
|
|
jurisprudence
|
science of law
|
|
|
ken
|
range, scope of knowledge
|
|
|
kismet
|
fate
|
|
|
kinetic
|
producing motion
|
|
|
labile
|
unstable
|
|
|
laggard
|
one who lags
slow, sluggish |
|
|
laity
|
laypeople
non-clergy |
|
|
lampoon
|
lambaste
|
|
|
lancet
|
surgical tool for incisions
|
|
|
languor
|
lassitude, depression, weariness
|
|
|
lateral
|
coming from the side
|
|
|
leaven
|
cause to rise
enliven |
|
|
lectern
|
reading desk
|
|
|
levee
|
embankment to prevent flooding
|
|
|
libertine
|
libidinous person
roue, lascivious, licentious |
|
|
lien
|
legal claim to a property
|
|
|
limber
|
flexible
|
|
|
ligneous
|
woody
|
|
|
limpid
|
clear
|
|
|
limn
|
outline, describe
draw, delineate |
|
|
lineaments
|
features (esp of the face)
|
|
|
lionize
|
treat as a celebrity
|
|
|
litany
|
supplicatory prayer
|
|
|
litotes
|
understatement
|
|
|
livid
|
enraged
ashen, lead-colored black and blue |
|
|
lode
|
metal-bearing vein
|
|
|
lope
|
gallop slowly
|
|
|
lout
|
clumsy person
|
|
|
low
|
to moo
|
|
|
lucre
|
money
|
|
|
lumen
|
unit of light energy
|
|
|
macerate
|
soften by soaking
waste away |
|
|
maculated
|
spotted or stained
|
|
|
madrigal
|
pastoral song
|
|
|
magisterial
|
imperious, authoritative
|
|
|
magniloquent
|
boastful, pompous
|
|
|
malefactor
|
evildoer
|
|
|
malfeasance
|
wrongdoing
|
|
|
manacle
|
to restrain, handcuff
|
|
|
mangy
|
shabby, wretched
|
|
|
manumit
|
to free from bondage
|
|
|
matrix
|
point of origin
|
|
|
mayhem
|
damage to body
|
|
|
mealymouthed
|
indirect, hypocritical, evasive
|
|
|
meretricious
|
flashy, tawdry, gilded, falsely pleasing
|
|
|
mettle
|
courage, spirit
|
|
|
militate
|
to work against
|
|
|
minatory
|
menacing
|
|
|
mincing
|
affectedly dainty
|
|
|
misadventure
|
mischance
ill luck |
|
|
misogamy
|
hatred of marriage
|
|
|
misogynist
|
hatred of women
|
|
|
missive
|
letter
|
|
|
modulate
|
regulate, go down in intensity
to change keys |
|
|
mordant
|
biting, sarcastic
|
|
|
mores
|
conventions, customs
|
|
|
moribund
|
dying
|
|
|
morose
|
sullen
melancholy |
|
|
motility
|
mobility
ability to move spontaneously |
|
|
mounteback
|
charlatan
|
|
|
mulct
|
to defraud someone of something
|
|
|
multifarious
|
diverse
|
|
|
munificent
|
extremely generous
|
|
|
mutinous
|
rebellious
given to mutiny |
|
|
myopic
|
short-sighted
lacking foresight |
|
|
natty
|
dapper
neatly, smartly dressed |
|
|
nexus
|
connection
|
|
|
nicety
|
precision
minute distinction |
|
|
niggle
|
to carp
spend time on small details |
|
|
noisome
|
foul-smelling
unwholesome |
|
|
nomenclature
|
system of names
terminology |
|
|
nostrum
|
questionable meds
|
|
|
nugatory
|
futile, worthless
|
|
|
numismatist
|
coin-collector
|
|
|
obfuscate
|
to confuse
make needlessly complex |
|
|
obloquy
|
opprobrium
slander disgrace, infamy |
|
|
obsequy
|
funeral
|
|
|
obsidian
|
black igneous, volcanic rock
|
|
|
obstreperous
|
boisterous
noisy |
|
|
obtrude
|
to intrude or extrude
butt in, stick out |
|
|
odium
|
opprobrium
hate, disrepute ...expressed towards something odious odious = hateful, vile |
|
|
officious
|
pushy in offering services
meddlesome |
|
|
opalescent
|
iridescent
lustrous |
|
|
optician
|
maker and seller of glasses
vs. optometrist -- person who fits glasses to remedy visual defects oculist -- eye doctor |
|
|
oracular
|
prophetic
|
|
|
oratio
|
dramatic poem set to music
|
|
|
ordination
|
ceremony conferring holy orders
|
|
|
orthography
|
spelling
|
|
|
osseous
|
bony, made of bone
ossify -- to turn into bone |
|
|
ovation
|
enthusiastic applause
|
|
|
overweening
|
presumptuous, arrogant, prideful
supercilious |
|
|
ovoid
|
egg-shaped
|
|
|
pachyderm
|
thick-skinned animal
e.g. elephant |
|
|
paean
|
song of praise, joy
|
|
|
paleontology
|
study of prehistoric life
|
|
|
palimpsest
|
reused parchment after original writing erased
|
|
|
pall
|
to grow tiresome, tedious
|
|
|
pan
|
to criticize harshly
|
|
|
pandemic
|
widespread
|
|
|
panegyric
|
formal praise
|
|
|
paramour
|
illicit lover
|
|
|
parley
|
a conference
|
|
|
parochial
|
provincial, narrow-minded
of the parishes |
|
|
parquet
|
mosaic-wood floor
|
|
|
parry
|
to ward off, deflect a blow
|
|
|
patent
|
obvious
|
|
|
pastiche
|
imitation of another's style
(in music or writing) |
|
|
pathological
|
relating to disease
|
|
|
patina
|
green crust on bronze
|
|
|
patois
|
local dialect
|
|
|
pecuniary
|
pertaining to money
..."pecuniary expenses" |
|
|
pellucid
|
limpid, transparent
easy to understand |
|
|
penumbra
|
partial shadow
|
|
|
penury
|
poverty
penurious -- poor |
|
|
peon
|
landless agricultural bond servant
|
|
|
peregrination
|
journey
|
|
|
peremptory
|
demanding, leaving no choice
|
|
|
peroration
|
conclusion of oration
|
|
|
perquisite
|
gain about normal salary
|
|
|
perspicacious
|
insightful, penetrating, astute
perspicuity: clear, unambiguous perspicuous: plainly expressed |
|
|
pert
|
impertinent
forward |
|
|
pastiche
|
imitation of another's style
(in music or writing) |
|
|
pathological
|
relating to disease
|
|
|
patina
|
green crust on bronze
SYN verdigris |
|
|
patois
|
local dialect
|
|
|
pecuniary
|
pertaining to money
..."pecuniary expenses" |
|
|
pellucid
|
limpid, transparent
easy to understand |
|
|
penumbra
|
partial shadow
|
|
|
penury
|
poverty
penurious -- poor |
|
|
peon
|
landless agricultural bond servant
|
|
|
peregrination
|
journey
|
|
|
peremptory
|
demanding, leaving no choice
|
|
|
peroration
|
conclusion of oration
|
|
|
perquisite
|
gain about normal salary
|
|
|
perspicacious
|
insightful, penetrating, astute
perspicuity: clear, unambiguous perspicuous: plainly expressed |
|
|
pert
|
impertinent
forward |
|
|
perfidious
|
treacherous
|
|
|
perfunctory
|
automatic, superficial
lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm |
|
|
pharisaical
|
conservative, traditional
self-righteous, hypocritical sanctimonious |
|
|
philanderer
|
faithless lover, flirt
|
|
|
phylum
|
major classification of flora,fauna
right after kingdom |
|
|
physiognomy
|
face
|
|
|
piebald
|
mottled, spotted
pied (multicolored, variegated) |
|
|
physiological
|
of the study of the functions of living organisms
|
|
|
pillory
|
to punish by putting in stocks, wooden frame
to subject to shame, criticism |
|
|
pinion
|
to restrain
|
|
|
pique
|
irritation, resentment
to annoy, provoke |
|
|
piscatorial
|
of fish
|
|
|
plenary
|
complete, full
hence, plenitude |
|
|
plumb
|
to examine critically
to measure depth by sounding vertical, upright |
|
|
polemic
|
a controversy
a political argument polemical -- disputatious, verbally aggressive |
|
|
politic
|
prudent, expedient
(practical means to an end) |
|
|
pontifical
|
of a bishop
pompous, pretentious |
|
|
postulate
|
self-evident truth (axiom?)
|
|
|
potentate
|
monarch
|
|
|
prate
|
to boast idly, speak foolishly
|
|
|
precis
|
concise summary
|
|
|
prefatory
|
introductory
|
|
|
prehensile
|
capable of grasping, holding
|
|
|
prelate
|
church dignitary
|
|
|
prerogative
|
privilege, right
|
|
|
presage
|
to foretell, foreshadow
*having prescience |
|
|
primogeniture
|
seniority by birth
|
|
|
progenitor
|
ancestor
person with progeny |
|
|
promontory
|
headland
|
|
|
promulgate
|
to officially proclaim
..as in a law |
|
|
propitiate
|
to palliate, appease
|
|
|
prophylactic
|
used to prevent disease
|
|
|
propinquity
|
nearness
kinship |
|
|
propellant
|
something that propels
|
|
|
propound
|
put forth for examination
...e.g. propound a question |
|
|
proscenium
|
part of stage before the curtain
|
|
|
proscribe
|
to outlaw, banish
ostracize |
|
|
prosody
|
art of versification
|
|
|
provenance
|
the origin
|
|
|
provender
|
dry food, animal fodder
|
|
|
provident
|
thrifty, prepared for emergencies
|
|
|
punctilious
|
minutely attentive
stressing niceties of form, conduct |
|
|
purport
|
intention, meaning
purported = alleged, reputed = putative |
|
|
pylon
|
marking post for aviators
steel tower for cables, lines |
|
|
quail
|
to cower, lost heart
|
|
|
querulous
|
fretful, whiny
|
|
|
quip
|
to taunt
|
|
|
quisling
|
traitor who aids invaders
|
|
|
quizzical
|
teasing, mocking, curious
|
|
|
rakish
|
modish, stylish, sporty
|
|
|
ramification
|
subdivision, branching out
ramify = to divide into branches |
|
|
rampart
|
defensive mound of earth
|
|
|
ravel
|
to unravel, entangle
|
|
|
rebus
|
puzzle where pictures represent words
|
|
|
recrimination
|
countercharge
response to a charge |
|
|
recumbent
|
reclining
|
|
|
redolent
|
fragrant, suggestive of an odor
|
|
|
refectory
|
dining hall
|
|
|
refulgent
|
gleaming
|
|
|
remission
|
temporary ebbing of disease
pardon of a debt, forgiveness |
|
|
refractory
|
stubborn, unmanageable
|
|
|
ratiocinate
|
to think
|
|
|
renege
|
to go back on
to deny ...like a renegade |
|
|
repine
|
to fret, complain
|
|
|
reprise
|
a musical repetition, recurrent action
reprisal = retaliation |
|
|
repudiate
|
to abjure, to disavow, disown
|
|
|
reprobate
|
person hardened in sin;
one who is reproved (rebuked, censured) or subject to reprobation (severe disapproval) |
|
|
requite
|
to reciprocate, to revenge
(think love) |
|
|
rescind
|
to cancel
|
|
|
restitution
|
redress, reparation
|
|
|
restive
|
impatient, restless
|
|
|
retiring
|
modest, shy, diffident
|
|
|
retrench
|
to cut down, economize
|
|
|
retrograde
|
to degenerate
devolve |
|
|
ribald
|
wanton, profane
|
|
|
revile
|
to vilify, verbally abuse
|
|
|
rider
|
clause or amendment added to a bill
|
|
|
roil
|
to disturb
to make liquid murky by stirring |
|
|
roseate
|
optimistic, rosy
|
|
|
rostrum
|
a pulpit
|
|
|
rote
|
repetition
|
|
|
rubric
|
a title, heading
protocol directions for religious ceremony |
|
|
runic
|
mysterious
of an ancient alphabet |
|
|
rusticate
|
to banish to/dwell in the country
|
|
|
sacrosanct
|
most holy
inviolable |
|
|
salacious
|
lascivious, lustful
|
|
|
sallow
|
jaundiced, sickly in color
|
|
|
salutary
|
beneficial, wholesome
|
|
|
sanctimonious
|
showing ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness
|
|
|
sanguinary
|
bloody
sanguine = optimistic |
|
|
sartorial
|
pertaining to tailors
|
|
|
scad
|
a big quantity
|
|
|
scotch
|
to thwart, hinder
to stamp out |
|
|
scurrilous
|
obscene, indecent
seamy = sordid, unwholesome |
|
|
scurvy
|
contemptible
|
|
|
scuttle
|
to sink
|
|
|
sedition
|
insubordination
resisting authority |
|
|
sedulous
|
diligent
|
|
|
seine
|
net for fish
|
|
|
sententious
(faux ami) |
concise, aphoristic
|
|
|
sere
|
parched, dry
|
|
|
sextant
|
navigational tool to find ship's coordinates
|
|
|
sheaf
|
bundle of grain stalks
any tied bundle |
|
|
shrew
|
scolding woman
|
|
|
shyster
|
questionable lawyer
|
|
|
shunt
|
to divert, sidetrack
...as in a train |
|
|
sibylline
|
prophetic
oracular |
|
|
simper
|
to smirk
smile affectedly |
|
|
skiff
|
small sailboat
|
|
|
skinflint
|
miser
|
|
|
skittish
|
frisky
|
|
|
skulduggery
|
dishonest behavior
|
|
|
skulk
|
to move furtively
|
|
|
slag
|
dross
residue from melting metal, smelting different ores |
|
|
solder
|
to repair, make whole using a metal alloy
|
|
|
solstice
|
when sun is farthest from the equator
|
|
|
somatic
|
of the body, physical
|
|
|
somnolent
|
half asleep
|
|
|
sophist
|
philosophy teacher
of sophistry = fallacious/specious logic, quibbler |
|
|
spate
|
sudden flood
|
|
|
spectral
|
ghostly
|
|
|
splice
|
to unite
|
|
|
spoonerism
|
transposition of sounds
|
|
|
sportive
|
playful
|
|
|
statutory
|
created by statue, or legislative action
|
|
|
stentorian
|
very loud
|
|
|
stint
|
to be thrifty
a stint = an alloted amount |
|
|
stipple
|
to draw, paint with dots
|
|
|
stockade
|
wooden pen
fixed line of posts as defensive barrier |
|
|
stolid
|
dull, phlegmatic
|
|
|
stricture
|
severely critical comments
|
|
|
strut
|
pompous walk
supporting bar |
|
|
stultify
|
to cause or make stupid
to hinder |
|
|
stygian
|
gloomy, saturnine
deathly -- the River Styx |
|
|
subaltern
|
subordinate
|
|
|
sublimate
|
to purify
|
|
|
suborn
|
to persuade to commit perjury, act unlawfully
|
|
|
supercilious
|
condescending, arrogant
|
|
|
supererogatory
|
superfluous
supernumerary = an extra person, thing |
|
|
supine
|
lying on back, prone
offering no resistance |
|
|
supplicate
|
to humbly petition
a suppliant -- one who entreats, beseeches |
|
|
supposititious
|
assumed -- of a supposition
counterfeit |
|
|
swarthy
|
dark, dusky
|
|
|
suture
|
medical stitches
|
|
|
swill
|
to quaff, drink greedily
|
|
|
sybarite
|
lover of luxury
|
|
|
symbiosis
|
symbiotic relationship
mutually interdependent |
|
|
tawdry
|
cheap and gaudy
|
|
|
taxonomist
|
a classifier
|
|
|
temporize
|
to avoid commitment, act evasively to buy time
|
|
|
tendentious
|
biased
|
|
|
tensile
|
stretchable
|
|
|
terminus
|
last stop of a RR
|
|
|
tesselated
|
mosaic
|
|
|
testator
|
maker of a will
|
|
|
tipple
|
to drink alcohol frequently
|
|
|
titter
|
nervous laugh
|
|
|
tonsure
|
shaved head
|
|
|
touchstone
|
a standard for comparison
a benchmark stone used to measure gold alloys |
|
|
traduce
|
to slander, badmouth
|
|
|
transcribe
|
to copy
|
|
|
travail
|
drudgery, torment
|
|
|
travesty
|
parody, debased likeness
|
|
|
troth
|
a pledge of faith
|
|
|
tumid
|
swollen, turgid
pompous |
|
|
turbid
|
muddy, of turbidity
|
|
|
tyro
|
novice
|
|
|
tutelary
|
protective, guardian-like
to be under someone's tutelage |
|
|
unconscionable
|
unscrupulous, excessive
without a conscience |
|
|
uncouth
|
boorish, clumsy
|
|
|
unexceptionable
|
acceptable
|
|
|
unfledged
|
immature
|
|
|
unguent
|
ointment
unction -- act of annointing with oil |
|
|
unprepossessing
|
unattractive
|
|
|
untoward
|
unfortunate, unlucky, unexpected
|
|
|
untrammeled
|
unrestrained, unlimited
|
|
|
unwonted
|
unaccustomed
|
|
|
upshot
|
outcome
|
|
|
urchin
|
mischievous kid
|
|
|
ursine
|
bearlike
|
|
|
uxorious
|
overly devoted to wife
|
|
|
vagary
|
caprice, whim
|
|
|
valedictory
|
pertaining to farewell
|
|
|
vantage
|
giving advantage
--vantage point |
|
|
vegetate
|
live in a quiet, monotonous way
|
|
|
venal
|
greedy, capable of being bribed
|
|
|
venial
|
forgivable, trivial
|
|
|
ventral
|
abdominal
|
|
|
verbiage
|
pompous array of words
|
|
|
vertex
|
summit
|
|
|
viand
|
victuals, food
|
|
|
vicissitude
|
change of fortune
|
|
|
vindicate
|
to exculpate, exonerate
to justify, support |
|
|
vintner
|
winemaker and seller
|
|
|
viscid
|
viscous, sticky
|
|
|
vitiate
|
to void, render inoperative
|
|
|
vitriolic
|
vituperative, abusive, scolding
|
|
|
vouchsafe
|
to guarantee
|
|
|
vulpine
|
crafty
foxlike |
|
|
waggish
|
mischievous, humorous
|
|
|
wangle
|
to finagle, fudge, falsify
achieve by devious trickery |
|
|
wastrel
|
a profligate
|
|
|
warren
|
rabbit tunnel home
crowded conditions |
|
|
welter
|
a turmoil, jumble
to wallow |
|
|
winnow
|
to sift, separate
|
|
|
wrangle
|
to quarrel, herd cattle
|
|
|
writ
|
written command of a court
|
|
|
wry
|
twisted, humorous
|
|
|
yen
|
a longing
|
|
|
yeoman
|
middle-class, land-owning farer
|
|
|
yokel
|
country bumpkin
|
|
|
adit
|
entrance (often to a mine, hill)
|
|
|
cataclysm
|
huge, destructive event
cata = down |
|
|
macrobiotic
|
prolonging life
|
|
|
viceroy
|
vice king -- governor acting in place of a king
|
|
|
declamation
|
a speech, an elocution
|
|
|
ergatocracy
|
rule of workers
plutocracy = rule of the rich |
|
|
stenography
|
shorthand
|
|
|
bagatelle
|
trifle
light piano piece |
|
|
brigand
|
bandit, armed thief
a band |
|
|
bulwark
|
defense, safeguard
rampart, breakwater |
|
|
canard
|
a yarn, fabrication
|
|
|
eschew
|
to shun, avoid
|
|
|
eventuate
|
to end in
|
|
|
evince
|
to express
|
|
|
impresario
|
showman, producer of theatre/music
|
|
|
termagant
|
a shrew
|
|
|
underwrite
|
to agree to finance
|
|
|
dour
|
stubborn
grim, forbidding saturnine, sour |
|
|
asseverate
|
to state categorically
|
|
|
fuselage
|
the body part of an aircraft
|
|
|
signal
|
unusual, out of the ordinary
|
|
|
etiology
|
branch of medicine concerned with causes of disease
|
|
|
cephalic
|
skull, head
cephalopod -- head, foot |
|
|
piston
|
sliding shaft in engine cylinder that creates pressure
|
|
|
dereliction
|
neglect, not poverty
|
|
|
arcanum
|
secret only known by certain group
|
|
|
purblind
|
nearsighted, myopic
obtuse |
|
|
canting
|
to set at an angle;
cantilever - projecting beam, structure that is supported at one end |
|
|
shibboleth
|
a longstanding custom, belief, etc indicative of a group of people
a catchphrase of such origins to identify members of a group cultural touchstones, jargon |
|
|
epos
|
epic
|
|
|
vicar
|
a type of cleric
|
|
|
votary
|
religious adherent
|
|
|
refectory
|
cafeteria, dining hall
|
|
|
ineluctable
|
inevitable, unavoidable
|
|
|
modality
|
related to structure rather than substance
physical therapy |
|
|
sacristy
|
room, vestry where sacred communion items stored
|
|
|
humidor
|
storeroom or box that maintains constant humidity
|
|
|
hector
|
to boss, strongarm
|
|
|
flay
|
to skin
|
|
|
jejune
|
young. immature
insubstantial insipid |
|
|
epiphyte
|
commensalistic organism; plant that growns on other plant, not parasitic
|
|
|
countenance
|
to permit
|
|
|
discrete
|
distinct, separate, disconnected
vs. discreet = prudent, tactful |
|
|
spartan
|
sever, uncompromising, ascetic
resolute in face of pain |
|
|
esurient
|
hungry, greedy
|
|
|
consonant
|
consistent with
|
|
|
stricture
|
that which restrains, restricts
|
|
|
peruse
|
to study, read carefully
|
|
|
scurrilous
|
vulgar, coarse
|
|
|
etymology
|
study of word origins
not to be confused with entomology (think Ents in lotr) |
|
|
surmise
|
to suppose, conjecture
|
|
|
scrabrous
|
rough, gritty, scaly
salacious or indecent |
|
|
doughty
|
fearless, resolute
|
|
|
bluster
|
bravado, braggadocio, swagger
turbulence, noisy confusion |
|
|
transmogrify
|
to morph, transform
metamorphise |
|
|
abiding
|
unceasing, perpetual
|
|
|
supererogatory
|
excessive
|
|
|
senescent
|
aging, overmature, dying, deteriorating
|
|
|
bequest
|
legacy, gift left by a will
|
|
|
odium
|
abhorrene, hate + disgust
state of disgrace |
|
|
cooper
|
craftsman who makes and repairs barrels, tubs, etc
|
|
|
sublimation
|
where water changes directly from solid to gas
the modification of an impulse/instinct to a socially acceptable one |
|
|
chagrin
|
humiliation
embarrassment |
|
|
ochlocracy
|
mobocracy
|
|
|
alight
|
to land on, dismount
|
|
|
metastasis
|
spread of cancer cells from original site
|
|
|
refute
|
to rebut
to prove false |
|
|
arrogate
|
to claim, to seize control of something
|
|
|
embroidered
|
exaggerated, embellished
ANT streamlined (clarified) |
|
|
rearguard
|
forces left behind by retreating force to delay the enemy
|
|
|
continuance
|
the duration, period of time
delay or postponement of a court hearing |
|
|
lissome
|
lithe, limber
bending and moving with ease |
|
|
categorical
|
absolute
without reservations, exceptions |
|
|
strop
|
strap used to sharpen razors
|
|
|
anenometer
|
device that measures wind speed
|
|
|
ponderous
|
slow, laborious
heavy, unwieldy, weighty dull (ref. speech) |
|
|
nix
|
to reject
nothing |
|
|
bosky
|
covered with bushes, thickets
|
|
|
inapposite
|
inappropriate
|
|
|
deliquesce
|
to melt away
|
|
|
rugose
|
rough, wrinkled, ridged
of leaves |
|
|
demulcent
|
soothing agent on inflamed mucous membranes
|
|
|
stenosis
|
narrowing or constriction of a blood vessel
|
|
|
hegira
|
exodus, flight to escape
|
|
|
trope
|
figure of speech
|
|
|
louche
|
not respectable
of questionable morals or taste |
|
|
friable
|
fragile, easily borken
|
|
|
conterminous
|
connected by a common boundary
abutting |
|
|
caudal
|
posterior end of body
pertaining to the tail |
|
|
amanuensis
|
assistant
scribe, secretary |
|
|
poltroon
|
abject coward
|
|
|
hector
|
to bully
|
|
|
ablate
|
to remove by vaporization or erosion using lasers
|
|
|
refulgence
|
radiance, lambency
|
|
|
gibbous
|
swollen, rounded
more than half, less than full moon |
|
|
cachinnate
|
to laugh loudly & uncontrollably
|
|
|
dash
|
flamboyance in style, spirit
dashing |
|
|
rustle
|
to steal cattle
|
|
|
moraine
|
rocks and soil carried by a glacier
|
|
|
demurral
|
a formal objection
|
|
|
maven
|
trusted, skilled expert in a field
|
|
|
discomfiture
|
anxious embarrassment
|
|
|
hellion
|
mischievous person
|
|
|
rake
|
dissolute person
a profligate |
|
|
wag
|
witty person
|
|
|
cad
|
an immoral person
|
|
|
palpate
|
to examine by pressing hand to body
|
|
|
minacious
|
baleful, ominous, menacing
|
|
|
brash
|
offensively bold, nervy
|
|
|
cupola
|
dome, tower on top of a roof
|
|
|
stanchion
|
vertical supporting beam
|
|
|
strut
|
proud, pompous gait
brace used to resist compression |
|
|
truss
|
to tie down or secure
structural framework of triangular beams that holds up a bridge, roof |
|
|
incommunicado
|
situation not allowing communication
|
|
|
expectorate
|
to discharge phlegm from the lungs
|
|
|
solecism
|
a minor grammatical error
a blunder, breach of etiquette |
|
|
periphrasis
|
circumlocution
indirect, verbose expression |
|
|
lout
|
clumsy, stupid, awkward person
|
|
|
kine
|
cattle
|
|
|
objuragate
|
to condemn, chastise
|
|
|
facetious
|
cleverly amusing, tongue-in-cheek
|
|
|
morass
|
mire
|
|
|
oppugn
|
to question, to challenge
|
|
|
hedge
|
to minimize loss or risk
to avoid giving a clear, absolute response |
|
|
Luddite
|
techno-phobe
|
|
|
millinery
|
the craft of making hats
a hat shop different types of headwear |
|
|
centurion
|
Roman officer
|
|
|
boggle
|
to hesitate
to be startled |
|
|
inveterate
|
chronic, long-standing
|
|
|
tribulate
|
to greatly trouble, oppress
eg. to give tribulations |
|
|
mettlesome
|
game, willing to face danger
proud spirited |
|
|
miscible
|
mixable
|
|
|
epicure
|
gourmet
one given to sensuous enjoyment |
|
|
amortize
|
to pay off a loan with periodic payments
|
|
|
jamb
|
vertical framing sides of a doorway, window, etc
|
|
|
stockade
|
prison camp
fenced fortification |
|
|
garrison
|
military fort where troops are stationed
|
|
|
extenuate
|
to mitigate, less the seriousness or extent of something
extenuating -- partially excusing or justifying |
|
|
distill
|
to purify and increase the concentration by condensing
|
|
|
lumber
|
to move heavily or clumsily
|
|
|
reagent
|
chemical agent used in reactions
|
|
|
summarily
|
without delay
|
|
|
nave
|
central space of a church, cathedral
|
|
|
corpuscle
|
a blood cell
a tiny piece, an atom |
|
|
feckless
|
incompetent, ineffective
|
|
|
foolhardy
|
defiant disregard for consequences, danger
|
|
|
scurvy
|
contemptible, low
|
|
|
anodize
|
to coat a metal with oxide to prevent corrosion
|
|
|
univocal
|
unequivocal
|
|
|
assay
|
to appraise or analyze
to try |
