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aver
uh-vur
To assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive or peremptory manner.
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tenebrous
ten-uh-bruhs
dark; gloomy; obscure
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baleful
beyl-fuhl
- 1. Full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious
- 2. Obs. wretched; miserable/
- Syn: harmful, malign, injurious, detrimental; evil, wicked; deadly.
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immemorial
im-uh-mawr-ee-uhl
Extending back beyond memory, record, or knowledge: from time _______.
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surreptitious
sur-uhp-tish-uhs
- 1. obtained, done, made, etc. by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: a ______ glance.2. acting in a stealthy way.
- 3. obtained by subreption; subreptitious (fallacious representation; concealment of pertinent facts)
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morass
muh-ras
- 1. a tract of low, soft, wet ground.
- 2. a marsh or bog.
- 3. marshy ground.
- 4. any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free oneself; entanglement; mire.
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languor
lang-ger
- 1. lack of energy or vitality; sluggishness.
- 2. lack of spirit or interest; listlessness; stagnation.
- 3. physical weakness or faintness.
- 4. emotional softness or tenderness.
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eucharist
yoo-kuh-rist
- 1. the sacrament of Holy Communion; the sacrifice of the Mass; the Lord's Supper.
- 2. the consecrated elements of the Holy Communion, especially the bread.

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sophist
sof-ist
- 1. Gk. Hist. any of a class of professional teachers in ancient Greece who gave instruction in various fields, as in general culture, rhetoric, politics, or disputation. // a person belonging to this class at a later period who, while professing to teach skill in reasoning, concerned himself with ingenuity and specious effectiveness rather than soundness of argument.
- 2. a person who reasons adroitly and speciously rather than soundly.
- 3. a philosopher.
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specious
spee-shus
- 1. apparently good or right though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible:
- _______ arguments.
- 2. pleasing to the eye but deceptive.
- 3. Obs. pleasing to the eye; fair.
- Syn: plausible... false, misleading.
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leviathan
li-vahy-uh-thun
- 1. Bible. a sea monster.
- 2. any huge marine animal, as the whale.
- 3. anything of immense size and power, as a huge, oceangoing ship.

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ruminate
roo-muh-neyt
- 1. to chew the cud.
- 2. to mediate or muse; ponder.
- 3. to chew again or over and over.
- 4. to meditate on; ponder.
- Syn: thinnk, reflect.
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epicurean
ep-i-kyoo-ree-uhn / kyoor-ee-uhn
- 1. fond of or adapted to luxury or indulgence in sensual pleasures; having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.
- 2. fit for an epicure:
- _______ delicacies.
- 3. (noun) an epicure.
- Syn: gourmet, luxury, lavish, deluxe, rich. Ant: austere, simple, plain, modest, frugal.
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genuflect
jen-yoo-flekt
- 1. to bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor in reverence or worship.
- 2. to express a servile attitude.
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eugenics
yoo-jen-iks
the study or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics).
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inanition
in-uh-nish-uhn
- 1. exhaustion from lack of nourishment; starvation.
- 2. lack of vigor; lethargy.
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offal
aw-fuhl
- 1. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; carrion.
- 2. the parts of a butchered animal removed in dressing; viscera.
- 3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.
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malefactor
mal-uh-fak-ter
- 1. a person who violates the law; criminal.
- 2. a person who does harm or evil, especially toward another.
- Syn: felon, culprit. Ant: benefactor
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somnolent
som-nuh-luhnt
- 1. sleepy; drowsy.
- 2. tending to cause sleep.
- Syn: slumberous... somniferous, soporific.
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vigilant
vij-uh-luhnt
- 1. keenly watchful to detect danger; wary:
- a _______ sentry.
- 2. ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
- Syn: wide-awake, sleepless, alert. Ant: careless.
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cloister
kloi-ster
- (noun)
- 1. a covered walk, especially in a religious institution, having an open arcade or colonnade usually opening onto a courtyard.
- 2. a courtyard, especially in a religious institution, bordered with such walks.
- 3. a place of religious seclusion, as a monastery or convent.
- 4. any quiet, secluded place.
- 5. life in a monastery or convent.
- (verb)
- 6. to confine in a monastery or convent.
- 7. to confine in retirement; seclude.
- 8. to furnish with a _______ or covered walk.
- 9. to convert into a monastery or convent.
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execrate
ek-si-kreyt
- 1. to detest utterly; abhor; abonimate.
- 2. to curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce:
- He _______ed all who opposed him.
- 3. to utter curses.
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strait
streyt
- a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.

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brackish
brack-ish
- 1. slightly salty; having a salty or briny flavor.
- 2. distatesful; unpleasant.
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subterfuge
suhb-ter-fyooj
- an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.
- Syn: deception, scheme, trick, dodge, ruse
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palpable
pal-puh-buhl
- 1. readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc.; obvious:
- a _______ lie; _______ absurdity.
- 2. capable of being touched or felt; tangible.
- Syn: manifest, plain... material, corporeal. Ant: obscure.
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commiserate
kuh-miz-uh-reyt
- 1. to feel or express sorrow or sympathy for; empathize with; pity.
- 2. to sympathize (usually followed by with):
- They _______ed with him over the loss of his job.
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augury
aw-gyuh-ree
- 1. the art or practice of an __(noun form)__; divination.
- 2. the rite or ceremony of an __(noun form)__.
- 3. an omen, token, or indication.
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augur
aw-ger
- (noun)1. one of a group of ancient Roman officials charged with observing and interpreting omens for guidance in public affairs.
- 2. soothsayer; prophet.
- (verb)
- 3. to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate.
- 4. to serve as an omen or promise of; foreshadow; betoken:
- Mounting sales _______ a profitable year.
- 5. to conjecture from signs or omens; predict.
- 6. to be a sign; bode:
- The movement of troops _______s ill for the peace of the area.
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proscribe
pro-skrahyb
- 1. to denounce or condemn (a thing) as dangerous or harmful; prohibit.
- 2. to put outside the protection of the law; outlaw.
- 3. to banish or exile.
- 4. to announce the name of (a person) as condemned to death and subject to confiscation of property.
- Syn: censure, disapprove, repudiate.
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tribune
trib-yoon
- 1. a person who upholds or defends the rights of the people.
- 2. Roman Hist. any of various administrative officers, especially one of 10 officers elected to protect the interests and rights of the plebeians from the patricians; any of the six officers of a legion who rotated in commanding the legion during the year.
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majistrate
maj-uh-streyt
- 1. a civil officer charged with the administration of the law.
- 2. a minor judicial officer, as a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court, having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes.
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gibbet
jib-it
- (noun)
- 1. a gallows with a projecting arm at the top, from which the bodies of criminals were formerly hung in chains and left suspended after exectution.
- (verb)
- 2. to hang on a _______.
- 3. to put to death by hanging on a _______.
- 4. to hold up to public scorn.
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torpid
tawr-pid
- 1. inactive or sluggish.
- 2. slow; dull; apathetic; lethargic.
- 3. dormant, as a hibernating or estivating animal.
- Syn: indolent
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rictus
rik-tuhs
- 1. the gape of the mouth of a bird.
- 2. the gaping or opening of the mouth.
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tabernacle
tab-er-nak-uhl
- 1. any place or house of worship, especially one designed for a large congregation.
- 2. the portable sanctuary in use by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon.
- 3. Eccles. an ornamental receptacle for the reserved Eucharist, now generally found on the alter.
- 4. a canopied niche or recess, as for an image or icon.
- 5. a temporary dwelling or shelter, as a tent or hut.
- 6. a dwelling place.
- 7. the human body as the temporary abode of the soul.
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contrite
kuhn-trahyt
- 1. caused by or showing sincere remorse.
- 2. filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent:
- a _______ sinner.
- Syn:
rueful, remorseful, repentant
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exalt
ig-zawlt
- 1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate:
- He was _______ed to the position of president.
- 2. to praise; extol:
- to _______ someone to the skies.
- 3. to stimulate, as the imagination:
- the lrics of Shakespeare _______ed the audience.
- 4. to intensify, as a color:
- complementary colors _______ each other.
- 5. Obs. to elate, as with pride or joy.
- Syn: promote, dignify, raise, ennoble, elevate... glorify. Ant: humble... depreciate.
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garrulous
gar-uh-luhs
- 1. excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters.
- Syn: prating, babbling.
- 2. wordy or diffuse.
- Syn: verbose, prolix.
- a _______ and boring speach.
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genteel
jen-teel
- 1. belonging or suited to polite society.
- 2. well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
- 3. affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate, etc.
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Cyclopean
sahy-klop-ee-uhn
- 1. of or characteristic of the Cyclops.
- 2. gigantic; vast.
- 3. Archit. formed with or containing large, undressed stones fitted closely together without the use of mortar:
- a _______ wall.

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Polyphemus
pol-uh-fee-muhs
- Class. Myth. a Cyclops who was blinded by Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.

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monolith
mon-uh-lith
- 1. an obelisk, column, large statue, etc., formed of a single block of stone.
- 2. a single block or piece of stone of considerable size, especially when used in architecture or sculpture.
- 3. something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality of character.

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polyp
pol-ip
- 1. Zool. a dedementary type of animal form characterized by a more or less fixed base, columnar body, and free end with mouth and tentacles, especially as applied to coelenterates. // an individual zooid of a compound or colonial organism.
- 2. Pathol. a projecting growth from a mucous surface, as of the nose, being either a tumor or a hypertrophy of the mucous membrane.

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circumflex
sur-kuhm-fleks
- (adj.)1. consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the mark ^, ~, etc. placed over a vowel symbol in some languages to show tha the vowel or the syllable containing it is pronounced in a certain way.
- 2. Pronounced with or characterized bythe quality, quantity, stress, or pitch indicated by such a mark.
- 3. bending or winding around.
- (noun)4. a _______ mark or accent.
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connotation
kon-uh-tey-shuhn
- 1. an act or instance of __(verb form)__ing.
- 2. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning:
- A possible _______ of "home" is "a place of warmth, comfort, and affection."3. Logic. the set of attributes constituting the meaning of a term and thus determining the range of objects to which that term may be applied; comprehension; intension.
- Syn: undertone, implication, import.
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denotation
dee-noh-tey-shuhn
- 1. the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by it; the assosication or set of associations that a word usually elicits for most speakers of a language, as distinguished from those elicited for any individual speaker because of personal experience.
- 2. a word that names or signifies something specific:
- "Wind" is the _______ for air in natural motion. "Poodle" is the _______ for a certain breed of dog.3. the act or fact of __(verb form)__ing.
- 4. something that __(verb form)__s; mark; symbol.
- 5. Logic. the class of particulars to which a term is applicable // that which is represented by a sign.
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ardent
ahr-dnt
- 1. having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent:
- an _______ vow; _______ love.2. intensely devoted, eager, or enthusiastic; zealous:
- an _______ theatergoer; an _______ student of French history.
- 3. vehement; fierce:
- They were frightened by his _______, burning eyes.4. burning, fiery, or hot:
- the _______ core of a star.
- Syn:
fervid, eager, impassioned... avid.
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willful / wilful
wil-fuhl
- 1. deliberate, voluntary, or intentional:
- The coroner ruled the death _______ murder.2. unreasonably stubborn or headstrong; self-willed.
- Syn: volitional... intransigent; contrary, refractory, pigheaded, inflexible, obdurate, adament, headstrong... a stubborn persistecnce in doing what one wishes, especially in opposition to those whose wishes or commands ought to be respected or obeyed:
- that _______ child who disregarded his parents' advice.
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