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273 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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aver
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delcare to be true, affirm
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avarice
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greed
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august
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dignified, awe-inspiring, venerable
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augury
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prophecy, prediction of events
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attenuate
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make thin or slender; weaken
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atrophy
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to waste away; wither from disuse
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atone
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to make amends for a wrong
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asunder
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into different parts
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astringent
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harsh, severe, stern
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astral
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exalted, elevated in position; relating to the stars
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assonance
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resemblance in sound, especially in vowel sounds; partial rhyme
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assignation
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appointment for lovers' meeting; assignment
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arcane
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secret, obscure, known only to a few
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arable
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suitable for cultivation
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askew
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crooked, tilted
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aspersion
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false rumor, damaging report, slander
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askance
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scornfully
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asinine
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lacking intelligence or sound judgment
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ascetic
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self-denying, abstinent, austere
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ascendency
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state of rising, ascending; power or control
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artless
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open and honest
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aphasia
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inability to speak or use words
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aphelion
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point in a planet's orbit that is farthest from the sun
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anthropomorphic
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attributing human qualities to nonhumans
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antepenultimate
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third from last
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amortize
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to diminish by installment payments
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amulet
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ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits
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anachronism
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something chronologically inappropriate
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anodyne
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something that calms or soothes pain
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anathema
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ban, curse; something shunned or disliked
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analgesia
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a lessening of pain
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aggrieve
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to afflict, distress
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ambivalence
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attitude of uncertainty; conflicting emotions
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amalgam
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mixture, combination, alloy
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affront
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personal offense, insult
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aerodynamic
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relating to objects moving through the air
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adage
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old saying or proverb
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acuity
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sharpness
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acumen
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sharpness of insight
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admonish
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to caution or reprimand
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adulation
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high praise
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abut
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to touch, to be in contact with
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abstruse
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difficult to comprehend
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abnegate
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to deny, renounce
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abeyance
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temporary suppression or suspension
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abash
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to embarrass
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bacchanalian
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drunkenly festive
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baleful
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harmful, with evil intentions
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balk
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to refuse, shirk; prevent
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banal
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trite and overly common
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bane
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something causing ruin, death, or destruction
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base
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being of low value or position
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bastion
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fortification, stronghold
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bay
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to bark, especially in a deep, prolonged way
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becalm
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to make calm or still; keep motionless by lack of wind
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becloud
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to confuse; darken with clouds
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beguile
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to deceive, mislead; charm
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behemoth
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huge creature
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belabor
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to insist repeatedly or harp on
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beleaguer
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to harass, plague
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belfry
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bell tower, room in which a bell is hung
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belie
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to misrepresent; expose as false
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belittle
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to represent as unimportant, make light of
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bellicose
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warlike, aggressive
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bellow
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to roar, shout
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bemuse
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to confuse, stupefy; plunge deep into thought
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benchmark
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standard of measure
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benefactor
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someone giving aid or $
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beneficial
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advantageous
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benighted
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unenlightened
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benign
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kindly, gentle or harmless
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benison
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blessing
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bent
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a natural inclination toward something
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bequeath
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to give or leave through a will; to hand down
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berate
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to scold harshly
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bereaved
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suffering the death of a loved one
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beseech
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to beg, please, implore
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besmear
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to smear
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bespatter
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to spatter
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bestial
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beastly, animal-like
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bestow
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to give as a gift
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betoken
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to indicate, signify, give evidence of
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bevy
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group
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bibliophile
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book lover
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bifurcate
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divide into two parts
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bilious
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bad-natured
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bilk
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to cheat, defraud
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billet
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board and lodging for troops
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biped
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two-footed animal
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blanch
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to pale; take color out of
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blight
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to afflict, destroy
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blithe
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joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
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bludgeon
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to hit as w/ a short heavy club
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bluster
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to boast or make threats loudly
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bombastic
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using high-sounding but meaningless language
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bonanza
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extremely lg amount; something profitable
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bonhomie
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good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
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boon
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blessing, something to be thankful for
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boor
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crude person, one lacking manners or taste
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botanist
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scientist who studies plants
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bouquet
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a bunch of cut flowers
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bovine
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relating to cows
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brazen
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bold, shameless, impudent; of or like brass
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brevity
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the quality of being brief in time
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brigand
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bandit, outlaw
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bromide
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a dull, commonplace person or idea
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brusque
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rough and abrupt in manner
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bulwark
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defense wall; anything serving as defense
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burgeon
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to sprout or flourish
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burly
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brawny, husky
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burnish
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to polish, make smooth and bright
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bursar
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treasurer
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butt
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person or thing that is object of ridicule
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byway
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back road
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cabal
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a secret group seeking to overturn something
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cadence
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rhythmic flow of poetry; marching beat
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cajole
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to flatter, coax, persuade
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calamitous
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disastrous, catastrophic
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callow
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immature, lacking sophistication
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calumny
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false and malicious accusation, misrepresentation, slander
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canard
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a lie
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candid
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frank or fair
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candor
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honesty of expression
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canny
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smart; founded on common sense
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canonize
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to declare a person a saint; raise to highest honors
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canvass
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to examine thoroughly; conduct a poll
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capacious
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large, roomy; extensive
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careen
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to lead to one side
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carom
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to strike and rebound
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carp
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to find fault, complain constantly
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cataclysmic
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disastrous
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catharsis
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purification, cleansing
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caulk
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to make watertight
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cavalcade
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a procession
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cavalier
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carefree, happy; w/ loudly disdain
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cavil
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to raise trivial objections
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cavort
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to frolic, frisk
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celebrity
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fame, widespread acclaim
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celerity
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quick moving or acting
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censorious
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severely critical
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certitude
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assurance, certainty
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cessation
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temporary or complete halt
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cession
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act of surrendering something
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chagrin
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shame, embarrassment, humiliation
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champ
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chew noisily
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champion
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to defend or support
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charlatan
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quack, fake
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chastise
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to punish, discipline, scold
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chattel
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piece of personal property
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chauvinist
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someone prejudiced in the belief of their kind's superiority
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cheeky
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lacking prudence or discretion
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cherubic
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sweet, innocent, resembling a cherub angel
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chide
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to scold, express disapproval
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chimerical
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fanciful, imaginary, visionary; impossible
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choice
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specially selected, preferred
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choleric
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easily angered, short-tempered
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chortle
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to chuckle
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chromatic
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relating to color
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chronicler
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one who keeps records of historical events
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churlish
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rude
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circumlocution
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roundabout, lengthy way of saying something
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circumspect
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cautious, wary
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cistern
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tank for rainwater
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civility
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courtesy, politeness
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clamor
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noisy outcry
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clandestine
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secretive, concealed for a darker purpose
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clarity
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clearness; clear understanding
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cleave
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to split or separate; to stick, cling, adhere
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cloister
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to confine, seclude
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cloying
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indulging to excess
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coagulate
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to clot or change from a liquid to a solid
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coddle
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to baby, treat indulgently
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coffer
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strongbox, large chest for money
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cogent
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logically forceful, compelling, convincing
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cognate
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related, similar, akin
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cognition
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mental process by which knowledge is acquired
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cognomen
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family name; any name, especially a nickname
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cohabit
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to live together
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collate
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to arrange in an order
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colloquial
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characteristic of informal speech
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comeliness
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physical grace and beauty
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commodious
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roomy, spacious
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compendious
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summarizing completely and briefly
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complaisant
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agreeable, friendly
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compunctions
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feeling guilty or having misgivings
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concatenate
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linked together
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concomitant
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accompanying something
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conduit
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tube, pipe, or similar passage
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confection
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something sweet to eat
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conflagration
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big, destructive fire
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confluence
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meeting place; meeting of two streams
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congeal
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to become thick or solid, as liquid freezing
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congenial
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similar in tastes and habits
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congenital
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existing since birth
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conglomerate
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collected group of varied things
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consanguineous
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of the same origin; related by blood
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consign
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to commit, entrust
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consummate
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accomplished, complete, perfect
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continence
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self-control
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contrite
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deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
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contumacious
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rebellious
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convex
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curved outward
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convivial
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sociable, fond of eating, drinking, and people
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coquette
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woman who flirts
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corporeal
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having to do w/ the body; tangible, material
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corpulence
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association, mutual relation of two or more things
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cosset
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to pamper, treat w/ great care
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coterie
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group of people with a common interest or purpose
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countenance
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to favor, support
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countermand
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to annul, cancel, make a contrary order
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coven
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group of witches
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cower
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cringe in fear
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crescendo
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gradual increase in volume of sound
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culmination
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climax, final stage
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cupidity
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greed
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curmudgeon
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cranky person
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cygnet
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young swan
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decadence
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decline or delay, deterioration
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decamp
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to leave suddenly
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declivity
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downward slope
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decry
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belittle
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deft
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skillful
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delectable
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delicious, appetizing
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deleterious
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harmful, destructive
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delta
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tidal deposit at the mouth of a river
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deluge
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flood
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demarcation
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borderline; act of defining or marking a boundary or distinction
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demean
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to degrade, humiliate, humble
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demur
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to express doubts
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depravity
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sinfulness, moral corruption
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descry
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to discover or reveal
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diabolical
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fiendish; wicked
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diaphanous
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allowing light to show through; delicate
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dilapidated
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in disrepair, run-down, neglected
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diluvial
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relating to a flood
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discomfit
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to cause perplexity and embarrassment
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distend
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to swell, inflate, bloat
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diurnal
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daily
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dolt
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idiot
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dotage
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senile condition
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doughty
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courageous
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dour
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sullen and gloomy
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drivel
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stupid talk
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droll
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amusing in a wry, subtle way
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dross
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waste produced during metal smelting
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dudgeon
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angry indignation
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dulcet
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pleasant sounding, soothing to the ear
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dyspeptic
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indigestion
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earthy
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crude
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eddy
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air or wind current
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edict
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law, command, official public order
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edify
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to instruct morally and spiritually
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efface
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to erase or make illegible
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effigy
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stuffed doll; likeness of a person
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effluvia
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outpouring of gases or vapors
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effulgent
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brilliantly shining
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egress
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exit
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encipher
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to translate a message into code
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encomium
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warm praise
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enmity
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hostility, antagonism, ill-will
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ensconce
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to settle comfortably into a place
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entomologist
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scientist who studies insects
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eon
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indefinitely long period of time
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equine
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relating to horses
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ersatz
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fake
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esurient
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hungry, greedy
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eurythmics
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art of harmonious bodily movement
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evince
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to show clearly, display, signify
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excoriate
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to denounce
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execrable
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utterly detestable
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expatiate
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to wander; to discuss or describe at length
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expiate
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to atone for, make amends for
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extol
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to praise
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