Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), a·based, a·bas·ing.
1.
to reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched: abject poverty.
2.
contemptible; despicable; base-spirited: an abject coward.
3.
shamelessly servile; slavish. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
hard to understand; recondite; esoteric: abstruse theories. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the science of aesthetics.
2.
having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.
3.
pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness: We accepted the invitation with alacrity.
2.
liveliness; briskness. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine: to amalgamate two companies.
2.
Metallurgy . to mix or alloy (a metal) with mercury.
–verb (used without object)
3.
to combine, unite, merge, or coalesce: The three schools decided to amalgamate.
4.
to blend with another metal, as mercury. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), -tized, -tiz·ing.
1.
Finance .
a.
to liquidate or extinguish (a mortgage, debt, or other obligation), especially by periodic payments to the creditor or to a sinking fund.
b.
to write off a cost of (an asset) gradually. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
2.
an error in chronology in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one: To assign Michelangelo to the 14th century is an anachronism. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
subordinate; subsidiary.
2.
auxiliary; assisting. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult: an arduous undertaking.
2.
requiring or using much energy and vigor; strenuous: making an arduous effort.
3.
hard to climb; steep: an arduous path up the hill.
4.
hard to endure; full of hardships; severe: an arduous winter. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
constant; unremitting: assiduous reading.
2.
constant in application or effort; working diligently at a task; persevering; industrious; attentive: an assiduous student. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), -suaged, -suag·ing.
1.
to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate: to assuage one's grief; to assuage one's pain.
2.
to appease; satisfy; allay; relieve: to assuage one's hunger.
3.
to soothe, calm, or mollify: to assuage his fears; to assuage her anger. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic: an august performance of a religious drama.
2.
venerable; eminent: an august personage. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious.
2.
Obsolete . wretched; miserable. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
Fortification . a projecting portion of a rampart or fortification that forms an irregular pentagon attached at the base to the main work.
2.
a fortified place.
3.
anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc.: a bastion of solitude; a bastion of democracy. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedly or more than is necessary: He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed.
2.
to assail persistently, as with scorn or ridicule: a book that belabors the provincialism of his contemporaries.
3.
to beat vigorously; ply with heavy blows.
4.
Obsolete . to labor at. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), -lied, -ly·ing.
1.
to show to be false; contradict: His trembling hands belied his calm voice.
2.
to misrepresent: The newspaper belied the facts.
3.
to act unworthily according to the standards of (a tradition, one's ancestry, one's faith, etc.). |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to coax or influence by gentle flattery; cajole: They blandished the guard into letting them through the gate.
–verb (used without object)
2.
to use flattery or cajolery. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
Plant Pathology .
a.
the rapid and extensive discoloration, wilting, and death of plant tissues.
b.
a disease so characterized.
2.
any cause of impairment, destruction, ruin, or frustration: Extravagance was the blight of the family.
3.
the state or result of being blighted or deteriorated; dilapidation; decay: urban blight.
–verb (used with object)
4.
to cause to wither or decay; blast: Frost blighted the crops.
5.
to destroy; ruin; frustrate: Illness blighted his hopes. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a member of the middle class.
2.
a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability.
3.
a shopkeeper or merchant.
–adjective
4.
belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class.
5.
conventional; middle-class.
6.
dominated or characterized by materialistic pursuits or concerns. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used without object)
1.
to grow or develop quickly; flourish: The town burgeoned into a city. He burgeoned into a fine actor.
2.
to begin to grow, as a bud; put forth buds, shoots, etc., as a plant (often followed by out, forth ).
–verb (used with object)
3.
to put forth, as buds.
–noun
4.
a bud; sprout. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
any external prop or support built to steady a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall.
2.
any prop or support.
3.
a thing shaped like a buttress, as a tree trunk with a widening base.
4.
a bony or horny protuberance, especially on a horse's hoof.
–verb (used with object)
5.
to support by a buttress; prop up.
6.
to give encouragement or support to (a person, plan, etc.). |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
immature or inexperienced: a callow youth.
2.
(of a young bird) featherless; unfledged.
–noun
3.
a recently hatched worker ant. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.
2.
Obsolete . fanciful or witty. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.
2.
universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.
3.
pertaining to the whole Christian body or church. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible: a choleric disposition.
IMPORTANT: irritable and irritating are TWO FRICKEN DIFFERENT THINGS |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), -scribed, -scrib·ing.
1.
to draw a line around; encircle: to circumscribe a city on a map.
2.
to enclose within bounds; limit or confine, especially narrowly: Her social activities are circumscribed by school regulations.
3.
to mark off; define; delimit: to circumscribe the area of a science.
4.
Geometry .
a.
to draw (a figure) around another figure so as to touch as many points as possible.
b.
(of a figure) to enclose (another figure) in this manner. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent: circumspect behavior.
2.
well-considered: circumspect ambition. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun, plural -quies.
1.
a conversational exchange; dialogue.
2.
a conference. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
having the same measure; of equal extent or duration.
2.
corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree: Your paycheck should be commensurate with the amount of time worked.
3.
proportionate; adequate.
4.
having a common measure; commensurable. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
2.
any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun, plural -ties.
1.
the state or quality of being congruous; harmony; appropriateness: a congruity of ideas.
2.
the state or quality of being geometrically congruent.
3.
a point of agreement.
4.
Scholasticism . merit bestowed as a divine gift rather than earned. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
3.
in agreement; agreeable; in accord; consistent (usually followed by to or with ): behavior consonant with his character.
4.
corresponding in sound, as words.
5.
harmonious, as sounds. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
self-restraint or abstinence, especially in regard to sexual activity; temperance; moderation.
2.
Physiology . the ability to voluntarily control urinary and fecal discharge. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
friendly; agreeable: a convivial atmosphere.
2.
fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company; jovial.
3.
of or befitting a feast; festive. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
bulkiness or largeness of body; fatness; portliness. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
cowardly; contemptibly timid; pusillanimous.
–noun
2.
a coward.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to make cowardly.
—Idiom
4.
cry craven, to yield; capitulate; give up. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
belief as to the truth of something: to give credence to a claim.
2.
something giving a claim to belief or confidence: letter of credence. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible.
2.
marked by or arising from credulity: a credulous rumor. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
shedding the leaves annually, as certain trees and shrubs.
2.
falling off or shed at a particular season, stage of growth, etc., as leaves, horns, or teeth.
3.
not permanent; transitory. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
characterized by dignified propriety in conduct, manners, appearance, character, etc. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), -cried, -cry·ing.
1.
to speak disparagingly of; denounce as faulty or worthless; express censure of: She decried the lack of support for the arts in this country.
2.
to condemn or depreciate by proclamation, as foreign or obsolete coins. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
injurious to health: deleterious gases.
2.
harmful; injurious: deleterious influences. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
the act or process of delineating.
2.
a chart or diagram; sketch; rough draft.
3.
a description. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to remove from office or position, especially high office: The people deposed the dictator.
2.
to testify or affirm under oath, especially in a written statement: to depose that it was true.
3.
Law . to take the deposition of; examine under oath: Two lawyers deposed the witness. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
very sheer and light; almost completely transparent or translucent.
2.
delicately hazy. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun, plural -mies.
1.
division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs.
2.
division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups: a dichotomy between thought and action. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry.
2.
inclined to teach or lecture others too much: a boring, didactic speaker.
3.
teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.
4.
didactics, ( used with a singular verb ) the art or science of teaching. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
being at variance; disagreeing; incongruous: discordant opinions.
2.
disagreeable to the ear; dissonant; harsh. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1.
to expand by stretching, as something hollow or elastic: Habitual overeating had distended his stomach.
2.
to spread in all directions; expand; swell: The sea distended about them. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
of or pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
2.
addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
3.
proceeding from God or a god: divine laws.
4.
godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
5.
heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
6.
Informal . extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
forming or expressing division or distribution.
2.
creating dissension or discord. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
sorrowful; mournful; melancholy: a doleful look on her face. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
amusing in an odd way; whimsically humorous; waggish.
–noun
2.
a droll person; jester; wag. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
pleasant to the ear; melodious: the dulcet tones of the cello.
2.
pleasant or agreeable to the eye or the feelings; soothing. |
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Term
|
Definition
| overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, etc. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.
to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually; uplift: religious paintings that edify the viewer. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve: effusive greetings; an effusive person.
2.
pouring out; overflowing. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
the act or an instance of going, especially from an enclosed place.
2.
a means or place of going out; an exit.
3.
the right or permission to go out. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to produce, cause, or give rise to: Hatred engenders violence.
2.
to beget; procreate.
–verb (used without object)
3.
to be produced or caused; come into existence: Conditions for a war were engendering in europe. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun, plural -ties.
a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), -sconced, -sconc·ing.
1.
to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair.
2.
to cover or shelter; hide securely: He ensconced himself in the closet in order to eavesdrop. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
2.
lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
–noun
3.
anything short-lived, as certain insects. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite: poetry full of esoteric allusions.
2.
belonging to the select few.
3.
private; secret; confidential.
4.
(of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group: the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), -pat·ed, -pat·ing.
to clear from a charge of guilt or fault; free from blame; vindicate. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently.
–verb (used without object)
2.
to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing.
2.
requiring a great deal, or more than is reasonable. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances: It is expedient that you go.
2.
conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to right.
3.
acting in accordance with expediency.
–noun
4.
a means to an end: The ladder was a useful expedient for getting to the second floor.
5.
a means devised or employed in an exigency; resource; shift: Use any expedients you think necessary to get over the obstacles in your way. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech.
2.
previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures.
3.
speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation: extemporaneous actors.
4.
made for the occasion, as a shelter. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
(of land) plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; uncultivated.
2.
not in use; inactive: My creative energies have lain fallow this year.
–noun
3.
land that has undergone plowing and harrowing and has been left unseeded for one or more growing seasons. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
foolish or inane, especially in an unconscious, complacent manner; silly.
2.
unreal; illusory. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
producing or capable of producing offspring, fruit, vegetation, etc., in abundance; prolific; fruitful: fecund parents; fecund farmland.
2.
very productive or creative intellectually: the fecund years of the Italian renaissance. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
well-suited for the occasion, as an action, manner, or expression; apt; appropriate: The chairman's felicitous anecdote set everyone at ease.
2.
having a special ability for suitable manner or expression, as a person. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.: a fervid orator.
2.
burning; glowing; intensely hot. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
a chain or shackle placed on the feet.
2.
Usually, fetters. anything that confines or restrains: Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to put fetters upon.
4.
to confine; restrain. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
a minor weakness or failing of character; slight flaw or defect: an all-too-human foible.
2.
the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point ( opposed to forte). |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
the act of forbearing; a refraining from something.
2.
forbearing conduct or quality; patient endurance; self-control.
3.
an abstaining from the enforcement of a right.
4.
a creditor's giving of indulgence after the day originally fixed for payment. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to reject or renounce under oath: to forswear an injurious habit.
2.
to deny vehemently or under oath.
3.
to perjure (oneself). |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
refractory or unruly: a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness.
2.
readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome: an incorrigibly fractious young man. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.
2.
wordy or diffuse: a garrulous and boring speech. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective, glib·ber, glib·best.
1.
readily fluent, often thoughtlessly, superficially, or insincerely so: a glib talker; glib answers.
2.
easy or unconstrained, as actions or manners. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
unlucky; luckless; unfortunate. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
made airtight by fusion or sealing.
2.
not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.
3.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.
4.
( initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
Often, hinterlands. the remote or less developed parts of a country; back country: The hinterlands are usually much more picturesque than the urban areas.
2.
the land lying behind a coastal region.
3.
an area or sphere of influence in the unoccupied interior claimed by the state possessing the coast.
4.
an inland area supplying goods, especially trade goods, to a port. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun Rhetoric .
1.
obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2.
an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.” |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
a breaker or destroyer of images, especially those set up for religious veneration.
2.
a person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc., as being based on error or superstition. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun, plural -sies.
1.
a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
2.
the physical constitution peculiar to an individual.
3.
a peculiarity of the physical or the mental constitution, especially susceptibility toward drugs, food, etc. Compare allergy ( def. 1 ) . |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
family, class, or kind: he and all his ilk.
–adjective
2.
same. |
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object), -bued, -bu·ing.
1.
to impregnate or inspire, as with feelings, opinions, etc.: The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
2.
to saturate or impregnate with moisture, color, etc.
3.
to imbrue. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
not permitting penetration or passage; impenetrable: The coat is impervious to rain.
2.
incapable of being injured or impaired: impervious to wear and tear.
3.
incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected: impervious to reason; impervious to another's suffering. |
|
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Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to challenge as false (another's statements, motives, etc.); cast doubt upon. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
used or adapted for setting property on fire: incendiary bombs.
2.
of or pertaining to the criminal setting on fire of property.
3.
tending to arouse strife, sedition, etc.; inflammatory: incendiary speeches.
4.
tending to inflame the senses: an incendiary extravaganza of music and dance. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
a hostile entrance into or invasion of a place or territory, especially a sudden one; raid: The bandits made brief incursions on the village.
2.
a harmful inroad.
3.
a running in: the incursion of sea water. |
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Term
|
Definition
–adjective
incapable of being tired out; not yielding to fatigue; untiring. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–adjective
1.
having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful: an indolent person.
2.
Pathology . causing little or no pain; inactive or relatively benign: an indolent ulcer that is not painful and is slow to heal. |
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Term
|
Definition
–noun, plural -ties.
1.
gross injustice or wickedness.
2.
a violation of right or duty; wicked act; sin. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
Civil Law . any prohibitory act or decree of a court or an administrative officer. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to place between; cause to intervene: to interpose an opaque body between a light and the eye.
2.
to put (a barrier, obstacle, etc.) between or in the way of.
3.
to put in (a remark, question, etc.) in the midst of a conversation, discourse, or the like.
4.
to bring (influence, action, etc.) to bear between parties, or on behalf of a party or person. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–adjective
using few words; expressing much in few words; concise: a laconic reply. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
–noun
1.
a person or thing that lags; lingerer; loiterer.
–adjective
2.
moving, developing, or responding slowly; sluggish; dilatory; backward. |
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Definition
–noun
1.
weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; lack of energy; listlessness; languor.
2.
a condition of indolent indifference: the pleasant lassitude of the warm summer afternoon. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to treat (a person) as a celebrity: to lionize the visiting poet. |
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Definition
–adjective
1.
lithesome or lithe, especially of body; supple; flexible.
2.
agile, nimble, or active. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic: a mercurial nature.
2.
animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted.
3.
pertaining to, containing, or caused by the metal mercury.
4.
( initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to the god Mercury.
5.
( initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to the planet Mercury. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
extremely liberal in giving; very generous.
2.
characterized by great generosity: a munificent bequest. |
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Term
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Definition
3.
the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair. |
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Definition
3.
the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a beginner or novice: He's a neophyte at chess.
2.
Roman Catholic Church . a novice.
3.
a person newly converted to a belief, as a heathen, heretic, or nonbeliever; proselyte.
4.
Primitive Church . a person newly baptized. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
any plant of the genus Urtica, covered with stinging hairs. Compare nettle family.
2.
any of various allied or similar plants.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to irritate, annoy, or provoke.
4.
to sting as a nettle does. |
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Term
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Definition
3.
diverging from a given straight line or course.
4.
not straight or direct, as a course.
5.
indirectly stated or expressed; not straightforward: oblique remarks about the candidate's honesty.
6.
indirectly aimed at or reached, as ends or results; deviously achieved. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
2.
servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants.
3.
obedient; dutiful. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to close, shut, or stop up (a passage, opening, etc.).
2.
to shut in, out, or off. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
objectionably aggressive in offering one's unrequested and unwanted services, help, or advice; meddlesome: an officious person.
2.
marked by or proceeding from such forwardness: officious interference. |
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Definition
–adjective
1.
burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship: onerous duties.
2.
having or involving obligations or responsibilities, especially legal ones, that outweigh the advantages: an onerous agreement. |
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Definition
–adjective
1.
outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended: an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
2.
apparent, evident, or conspicuous: the ostensible truth of their theories. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others: an ostentatious dresser.
2.
(of actions, manner, qualities exhibited, etc.) intended to attract notice: Lady Bountiful's ostentatious charity. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a cloth, often of velvet, for spreading over a coffin, bier, or tomb.
2.
a coffin.
3.
anything that covers, shrouds, or overspreads, especially with darkness or gloom. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
8.
to cover with or as with a pall. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
equality, as in amount, status, or character.
2.
equivalence; correspondence; similarity; analogy. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a discussion or conference.
2.
an informal conference between enemies under a truce, especially to discuss terms, conditions of surrender, etc.
–verb (used without object)
3.
to hold an informal conference with an enemy under a truce, as between active hostilities.
4.
to speak, talk, or confer. |
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Term
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Definition
pertaining to "parish"es
parish: –noun
1.
an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.
2.
a local church with its field of activity. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to ward off (a thrust, stroke, weapon, etc.), as in fencing; avert.
2.
to turn aside; evade or dodge: to parry an embarrassing question.
–verb (used without object)
3.
to parry a thrust, blow, etc.
–noun
4.
an act or instance of parrying, as in fencing.
5.
a defensive movement in fencing. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness: a country with a paucity of resources.
2.
smallness or insufficiency of number; fewness. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a teacher; schoolteacher.
2.
a person who is pedantic, dogmatic, and formal. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
2.
a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
3.
a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious lie.
2.
deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish.
2.
self-possessed, calm, or composed. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to work with or at diligently; employ busily; use: to ply the needle.
2.
to carry on, practice, or pursue busily or steadily: to ply a trade.
3.
to treat with or apply to (something) repeatedly (often followed by with ): to ply a fire with fresh fuel.
4.
to assail persistently: to ply horses with a whip.
5.
to supply with or offer something pressingly to: to ply a person with drink.
6.
to address (someone) persistently or importunately, as with questions, solicitations, etc.; importune.
7.
to pass over or along (a river, stream, etc.) steadily or on a regular basis: boats that ply the Mississippi.
–verb (used without object)
8.
to run or travel regularly over a fixed course or between certain places, as a boat, bus, etc.
9.
to perform one's work or office busily or steadily: to ply with the oars; to ply at a trade. |
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Term
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Definition
pontiff: –noun
1.
any pontifex.
2.
any high or chief priest. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
8.
headlong: a precipitate fall down the stairs.
9.
rushing headlong or rapidly onward.
10.
proceeding rapidly or with great haste: a precipitate retreat.
11.
exceedingly sudden or abrupt: a precipitate stop; a precipitate decision.
12.
done or made without sufficient deliberation; overhasty; rash: a precipitate marriage. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly: to precipitate an international crisis.
2.
to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.
3.
to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly: He precipitated himself into the struggle. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc.: a prodigious research grant.
2.
wonderful or marvelous: a prodigious feat.
3.
abnormal; monstrous. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.
2.
recklessly prodigal or extravagant. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a person who has changed from one opinion, religious belief, sect, or the like, to another; convert. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable.
2.
changeable in shape or form, as an amoeba.
3.
(of an actor or actress) versatile; able to play many kinds of roles. |
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Definition
–noun
physical beauty; comeliness. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.
2.
a situation from which extrication is very difficult: a quagmire of financial indebtedness.
3.
anything soft or flabby. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
( sometimes initial capital letter ) resembling or befitting Don Quixote.
2.
extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable.
3.
impulsive and often rashly unpredictable. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
daily: a quotidian report.
2.
usual or customary; everyday: quotidian needs.
3.
ordinary; commonplace: paintings of no more than quotidian artistry.
4.
(of a fever, ague, etc.) characterized by paroxysms that recur daily. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun, plural -teurs [-turz; Fr. -tœr] Show IPA.
a person who is skilled in relating stories and anecdotes interestingly. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.
2.
hard to deal with, manage, or operate. |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1.
to reject as having no authority or binding force: to repudiate a claim.
2.
to cast off or disown: to repudiate a son.
3.
to reject with disapproval or condemnation: to repudiate a new doctrine.
4.
to reject with denial: to repudiate a charge as untrue.
5.
to refuse to acknowledge and pay (a debt), as a state, municipality, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy.
2.
refractory; stubborn.
3.
refusing to go forward; balky: a restive horse. |
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Term
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Definition
–verb (used with object)
1.
to cut down, reduce, or diminish; curtail (expenses).
2.
to cut off or remove.
3.
Military . to protect by a retrenchment. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a question or statement so framed as to exercise one's ingenuity in answering it or discovering its meaning; conundrum.
2.
a puzzling question, problem, or matter.
3.
a puzzling thing or person.
4.
any enigmatic or dark saying or speech. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
extremely sacred or inviolable: a sacrosanct chamber in the temple.
2.
not to be entered or trespassed upon: She considered her home office sacrosanct.
3.
above or beyond criticism, change, or interference: a manuscript deemed sacrosanct. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering: a sardonic grin. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
grossly or obscenely abusive: a scurrilous attack on the mayor.
2.
characterized by or using low buffoonery; coarsely jocular or derisive: a scurrilous jest. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
of or pertaining to sectaries or sects.
2.
narrowly confined or devoted to a particular sect.
3.
narrowly confined or limited in interest, purpose, scope, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims: a sententious book.
2.
given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.
3.
given to or using pithy sayings or maxims: a sententious poet.
4.
of the nature of a maxim; pithy. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
sleepy; drowsy.
2.
tending to cause sleep. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
giving out or capable of giving out a sound, especially a deep, resonant sound, as a thing or place: a sonorous cavern.
2.
loud, deep, or resonant, as a sound.
3.
rich and full in sound, as language or verse.
4.
high-flown; grandiloquent: a sonorous speech. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit.
2.
Biology . (of two or more parts, plants, etc.) having a similar appearance but a different structure.
3.
of illegitimate birth; bastard. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as against attack or dispute: a tenable theory.
2.
capable of being occupied, possessed, held, or enjoyed, as under certain conditions: a research grant tenable for two years. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
violent and noisy commotion or disturbance of a crowd or mob; uproar: The tumult reached its height during the premier's speech.
2.
a general outbreak, riot, uprising, or other disorder: The tumult moved toward the embassy.
3.
highly distressing agitation of mind or feeling; turbulent mental or emotional disturbance: His placid facade failed to conceal the tumult of his mind. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent: ubiquitous fog; ubiquitous little ants. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
offense; annoyance; displeasure: to feel umbrage at a social snub; to give umbrage to someone; to take umbrage at someone's rudeness.
2.
the slightest indication or vaguest feeling of suspicion, doubt, hostility, or the like.
3.
leaves that afford shade, as the foliage of trees.
4.
shade or shadows, as cast by trees.
5.
a shadowy appearance or semblance of something. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
1.
having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities: an urbane manner.
2.
reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression: He maintained an urbane tone in his letters. |
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Term
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Definition
–adjective
praised boastfully or excessively: the vaunted beauties of Paris. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability: The play lacked verisimilitude.
2.
something, as an assertion, having merely the appearance of truth. |
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Term
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Definition
–noun
1.
a device for joining together a pair of draft animals, especially oxen, usually consisting of a crosspiece with two bow-shaped pieces, each enclosing the head of an animal. Compare harness ( def. 1 ) . |
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