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219 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abeyance
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temporary suspension of activity, cessation
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abstemious
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eating or drinking in moderation
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acaulescent
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having no stem
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ad hominem
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using personal considerations rather than logical
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ad nauseam
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sickening or disgusting extent
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aerophobia
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terrible fear of fresh air or drafts
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aesthetics, esthetics
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conception of what is very artistic; branch of philosophy dealing with beauty
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aiguillette
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cord worn on the shoulder of a high-ranking offier; strip of food
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alienation
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separate from normal function; isolation
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altocumulus
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high, fluffy cloud formation having shady portions
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amentaceous
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producing catkins on a tree, such as a willow or a birch; resembling a flower
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androgynous
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having both staminate and pistillate flowers in the same cluster
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anomaly
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irregularity
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apparatchik
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person devoted to his organization; secret agent
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Aristophanes
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Greek playwright, onidered the greatest satire author of ancient times
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au courant
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fully informed and up-to-date
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australopithecine
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pertaining to apes that are very similar to humans
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Bahaism
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religious movement in Iran that accentuates the idealistic unity of man
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ballottement
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medical procedure for diagnosing a floating kidney or a pregnancy
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bathypelagic
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relating to existence in ocean depths usually between 2,000 and 10,000 feet
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bdellium
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fragrant resin similar to myrrh, produced by certain Asian and African races
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Beauvoir
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French existentialist and feminist writer
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Bellerophon
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Corinthian hero from Greek mythology
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belles-lettres
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light entertaining literature
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bibliomancy
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divination by the interpretation of a randomly chosen book
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bicephalous
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possessing two heads
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biometeorology
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tudy involving the relation between weather and living organisms
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bodhisattva
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enlightened being in the Buddhist religion
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booboisie
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class of persons considered to be stupid or naive
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bossism
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domination by top officials
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Buchenwald
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town in central Germany that was the site of a Nazi concentration camp
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Caddo
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nation of Indians that inhabited areas around the Red River
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canaille
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rabble, riffraff; criminal people who loiter on the streets
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catastasis
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complication that immediately precedes the climax of a dramatic play
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ceilidh
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Scottish or Irish gathering with traditional music, dancing and storytelling
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centaur
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mythical Greek creature that is half man and half horse
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centripetal
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moving towards an axis; unifying
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Cezanne
(backwards accent over the first e) |
French artit of the postimpressionist period
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chanoyu
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Japanese tea ceremony
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chersonese
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peninsula
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chiaroscuro
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colorless pictorial representation using only light and dark shades
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chthonic
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suggestive of the underworld
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cismontane
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situated on the same side of the Alps or mountains
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clinquant
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glittery or ornate
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codicillary
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belonging to a written adjunct to a will
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cognitive
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based on factual knowledge, characterized by relating to knowledge
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collocation
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act of arranging in order, state of being arranged in order; arrangement
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Comanche
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Indian tribe that roamed the southern Great Plains
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comedogenic
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causing acne
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commutative
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characterized by interchange or lack of specific order
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complaisant
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obligin, characterized by an inclination to be agreeable
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compos mentis
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sane, having a sound mind or memory
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Corcovado
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mountain in Brazil overlooking Rio de Janeiro
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couscous
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North African pasta made of semolina
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cumulonimbus
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high, fluffy cloud formation often spreading in an anvil shape
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de trop
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superfluous, unneeded, too much
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debauched
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corrupted morally, debased
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defeasance
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rendering null and void; overthrow; defeat
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definiens
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word or term that describes the meaning of another term
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deltiology
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hobby of collecting postcards
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derailleur
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bicycle gear mechanism
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desquamate
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diatomaceous
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dicephalous
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possessing two heads
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discommoded
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inconvenienced, put to extra trouble
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donnee
(backwards accent on the first e) |
set of principles as basis for creative work or act
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doppelganger
(optional umlaut over the a) |
apparition of a living person
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doxology
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short hymn of thanks during church service
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dragee
(backwards accent on the first e) |
candy with medicine in the center
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drupaceous
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pertaining to or containing an indehiscent fruit that has one seed
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dura mater
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outer membrane of the three that cover the brain and spinal cord
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ecce homo
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representation of Christ with a crown of thorns
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ecorche
(backwards accent on both e's) |
representation of the body of a part of it without skin to show musculature
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effendi
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title of respect for Turkish men
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ekistics
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science of human communities, including city planning
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eminent domain
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government's right to take private property for public use
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encomiast
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person who praises; eulogist
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enouncement
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formal declaration; clear pronounciation
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entablature
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arhitrave, frieze and cornice spanning across the capitals of columns
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epicycloid
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curve made as a point on a circumference of a circle rolls onto another circle
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epigrammatic
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relating to a witty form of writing with a satirical and concise end
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estoppel
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bar preventing someone from contradicting a previous statement of the truth
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ethereal
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relating to heavenly regions; spiritual
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etui
(backwards accent mark on the e) |
small ornamental container
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ex nihilo
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from nothing
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ex officio
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by virtue of one's office
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Excalibur
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King Arthur's sword
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exegesis
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critical interpretation of a portion of Scripture
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exempli gratia
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as an example
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extemporaneous
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impromptu
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farouche
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lacking social graces
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farraginous
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formed of various disorderly materials
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Fasciti
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members of controlling political group in Italy under Mussolini
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feme covert
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woman who is married
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femme fatale
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irresistible or seductive woman
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fianchetto
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position in chess making room for a bishop
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Franciscan
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relating to an order of monks
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frondescent
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featuring or resembling an abundance of leaves
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galantine
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cold dish of stuffed meat or fish
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garrulous
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talkative, loquacious
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gegenschein
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faint nebulous light on the ecliptic opposite the sun
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Gehenna
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place or condition of great suffering, dwelling of condemned souls
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glabella
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smooth part of the forehead between the eyebrows
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glaucous
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having a pale yellow-green color or waxy coating; pale yellow-green
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gnomon
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object casting a shadow that is used as an indicator
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Goidelic
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group of Celtic languages that includes Gaelic; relating to these languages
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gouache
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style of watercolor using opaque pigments
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guillemot
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auk of northern seas having a narrow bill
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habergeon
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short coat of chain mail; tunic of chain mail
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halophile
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living thing that requires a salty environment to thrive
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Hamite
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one of the peoples of northern Africa
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hapax legomenon
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word that is found only a single time in all records of a language
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haplology
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shortening of a word by omitting a syllable in pronunciation
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Havasupai
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Native American tribe southeast of Grand canyon; member of this tribe; language
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hecatomb
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large quantity of people or animals offered as a sacrifice
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helminthology
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study of parasitic worms
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hemialgia
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pain experienced in one half of the body
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hemophobia
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irrational fear of blood
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hypothalamus
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part of brain responsible for body temperature and other autonomic processes
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iatrogenic
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caused by a doctor during treatment, usually unintentionally
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ichneumon
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mongoose; small black and brown mammal the size of a ferret; insect
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impetigos
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contagious skin infections
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impudicity
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state of being shameless or without modesty
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in absentia
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while not present
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in medias res
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in the midst of a story or plot
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incapacitant
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substance or device, as tear gas, that temporarily disables others
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incommodious
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uncomfortable, usually due to lack of space
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inferential
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deducible by inductive reasoning
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infundibuliform
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having the shape of a funnel
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Interlingua
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artificial language developed to be international in scope
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interminable
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endless, long and wearisome
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ipecac
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dried roots used to induce vomiting
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irascible
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easily angered, testy, cranky, hot-tempered
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Javanese
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relating to a particular Indonesian island or its inhabitants
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kakemono
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picture or writing on silk or paper that is appropriate for hanging
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keratectomy
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removal of portion of the cornea
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farraginous
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formed of various disorderly materials
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Fasciti
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members of controlling political group in Italy under Mussolini
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feme covert
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woman who is married
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femme fatale
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irresistible or seductive woman
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fianchetto
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position in chess making room for a bishop
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Franciscan
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relating to an order of monks
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frondescent
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featuring or resembling an abundance of leaves
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galantine
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cold dish of stuffed meat or fish
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garrulous
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talkative, loquacious
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gegenschein
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faint nebulous light on the ecliptic opposite the sun
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Gehenna
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place or condition of great suffering, dwelling of condemned souls
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glabella
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smooth part of the forehead between the eyebrows
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glaucous
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having a pale yellow-green color or waxy coating; pale yellow-green
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gnomon
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object casting a shadow that is used as an indicator
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Goidelic
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group of Celtic languages that includes Gaelic; relating to these languages
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kinesthesia
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muscle sense, sensation of movement of muscles, tendons and joints
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kyphosis
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abnormal backward curvature of the spine
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labiodental
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voiced using one's lower lip and upper teeth
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lagniappe
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something given as a bonus
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langlauf
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cross-country ski race
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latosol
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soil that is rich in iron, aluminum or silica
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leachate
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product that results from percolating a liquid, especially contaminants in soil
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lederhosen
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German leather shorts with decorative suspenders
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leishmaniasis
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infection spread to humans by sand flies; disease caused by certain protozoans
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levorotatory
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turning the plane of light polarization left; related to a chemical solution
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lexicography
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process of compiling a dictionary
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Liechtenstein
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small principality located between Austria and Switzerland
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limacine
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relating to a slug, resembling a slug
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limicolous
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inhabiting muddy regions
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lingua franca
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means of communicating between different languages
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lobectomy
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surgical removal of a lobe
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lobscouse
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sailor's stew
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loggerhead
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turtle; tool with long handle and bulged end; post on a whaleboat; idiot; large
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logician
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one dealing with the science of formal principles of reasoning
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lorgnette
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pair of opera glasses with handle
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Lupercalia
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ancient Roman festival for fertility
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lycanthropy
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alteration of a person into a wolf by supernatural means
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machicolate
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build a gallery on top of a castle wall with a row of arches
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malapropos
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inopportunely, in an inappropriate manner
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maquiladora
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plant on the Mexican border that assembles goods from the United States
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massasauga
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small rattlesnake
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meno mosso
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musical direction to perform at a slower speed
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Mescalero
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Apache tribe of New Mexico
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mesopelagic
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having to do with living 600 to 3000 feet deep in the ocean
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metagnathous
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having a crossbill, as a bird
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minacious
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having a threatening character
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mirabile dictu
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delightful to tell
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mirepoix
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seasoning made from chopped sauteed vegetables and sometimes meat
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misfeasance
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wrong action
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misology
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dislike of reasoning
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monochasium
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flat-topped flower with a single bloom on each axis
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morphogenesis
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formation, growth and differentiation of tissues and organs
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moulage
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making of molds for evidence in criminal investigation
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mucilage
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sticky solution used as glue
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mutatis mutandis
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necessary changes having been handled, having established a new set of terms
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myrmecology
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scientific study of ants
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narcoanalysis
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psychotherapy under hypnosis
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nephrectomy
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removal of a kidney by surgery
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nicotinism
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effect of the use of tobacco in excessive amounts
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nidifugous
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leaving the nest shortly after hatching
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nihil obstat
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approval recognized as official
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nomothetic
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relating to the making of laws, legislative
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nucleophile
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chemical compound attracted to a cell's core and often sharing electrons
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numismatist
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collector of coins
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nutation
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plant movement related to growth; act of nodding one's head, involuntarily nodding
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nystagmus
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rapid movement of eyeballs
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obfuscation
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state of being confused, state of being unclear or clouded
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objurgate
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rebuke harshly; bring a lawsuit
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obloquy
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abusive language, calumny
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obstreporous
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unmanageable, marked by unruly noisiness, loud
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ochlocracy
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mob rule; government led by the mob or the lowest group of people
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omniscience
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state of knowing all things, having infinite knowledge
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omphalos
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focal point; navel
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orthoscopic
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having undistorted vision or giving image free of distortion
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osteopathy
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medical practice dealing with disease of the bone
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paillard
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French beef that is often hammered and cooked
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palinode
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palpable
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panacean
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having qualities of a universal cure-all
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Panglossian
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very optomistic and upbeat; pertaining to the belief that all is for the best
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paranoiac
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person afflicted with extreme distrust of others
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paronychia
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inflammation of tissue around a fingernail
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parsimonious
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excessively frugal to the point of stinginess; having poor quality
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parthenocarpy
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growing fruit without fertilization
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passacaglia
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instrumental musical composition consisting of variations on ground bass
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