abjure

v. formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
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abrogate

v. revoke formally, repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement)
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abstemious

a. sparing in consumption of especially food and drink, marked by temperance in indulgence
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acumen

n. shrewdness shown by keen insight, a tapering point
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antebellum

a. belonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War
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auspicious

a. auguring favorable circumstances and good luck
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belie

v. represent falsely, be in contradiction with
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bellicose

a. having or showing a ready disposition to fight
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bowdlerize

v. edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
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chicanery

n. the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
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chromosome

n. a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order
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churlish

a. having a bad disposition, rude in a mean-spirited and surly way
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circumlocution

n. a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things, an indirect way of expressing something
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circumnavigate

v. travel around either by plane or ship, go around or avoid (an obstacle)
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deciduous

a. shedding foliage at the end of the growing season, being shed at the end of a period of growth
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deleterious

a. harmful to living things, causing harm or damage
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diffident

a. showing modest reserve, lacking self-confidence
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enervate

v. weaken mentally or morally, disturb the composure of
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enfranchise

v. grant freedom to; as from slavery or servitude, grant voting rights
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epiphany

n. a divine manifestation, twelve days after Christmas
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equinox

n. either of two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator and day and night are of equal length
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evanescent

a. tending to vanish like vapor, soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing
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expurgate

v. edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
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fatuous

a. devoid of intelligence, silly and pointless
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feckless

a. generally incompetent and ineffectual, not fit to assume responsibility
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fiduciary

a. involving trust, referring to paper currency depending on securities for its value
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filibuster

n. a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches
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gamete

n. a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes
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gauche

a. lacking social polish, lacking ease or grace
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gerrymander

v. divide unfairly and to one's advantage, of voting districts
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hegemony

n. the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others
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hemoglobin

n. function primarily to transport oxygen from the lungs to the body tissues
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homogeneous

a. all of the same or similar kind or nature
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hubris

n. overbearing pride or presumption, excessive pride or self-confidence
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hypotenuse

n. the side of a right triangle opposite the right angle
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impeach

v. challenge the honesty or veracity of, bring an accusation against; level a charge against
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incognito

a. with your identity concealed
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incontrovertible

a. necessarily or demonstrably true, impossible to deny or disprove
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inculcate

v. teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
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infrastructure

n. the basic structure or features of a system or organization
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interpolate

v. estimate the value of, insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
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irony

n. a trope that involves incongruity between what is expected and what occurs
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jejune

a. lacking in nutritive value, displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
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kinetic

a. relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces associated therewith
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kowtow

v. try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
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laissezfaire

n. unwillingness to get involved in or influence other people's activities
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lexicon

n. a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words with information about them
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loquacious

a. full of trivial conversation, tending to talk a great deal; talkative
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lugubrious

a. excessively mournful, looking or sounding sad and dismal
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metamorphosis

n. a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft
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mitosis

n. type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having same number and kind of chromosomes as parent nucleus
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moiety

n. one of two basic subdivisions of a tribe, one of two (approximately) equal parts
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nanotechnology

n. the branch of engineering that deals with things smaller than 100 nanometers (especially with the manipulation of individual molecules)
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nihilism

n. rejection of all religious and moral principles
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nomenclature

n. a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
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nonsectarian

a. not involving or relating to different religious sects or political groups
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notarize

v. authenticate as a notary, acknowledge or attest as a notary public
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obsequious

a. attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
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oligarchy

n. a political system governed by a few people
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omnipotent

a. having unlimited power, having virtually unlimited authority or influence
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orthography

n. a part of language study that deals with letters and spelling
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paradigm

n. the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time
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parameter

n. any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance
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pecuniary

a. relating to or involving money, consisting of or measured in money
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photosynthesis

n. synthesis of compounds with the aid of radiant energy (especially in plants)
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plagiarize

v. take without referencing from someone else's writing or speech; of intellectual property
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plasma

n. the colorless watery fluid of the blood and lymph that contains no cells, but in which the blood cells are suspended
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polymer

n. a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers
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precipitous

a. done with very great haste and without due deliberation, extremely steep
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quasar

n. massive and extremely remote celestial object
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quotidian

a. found in the ordinary course of events, occurring every day
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recapitulate

v. repeat an earlier theme of a composition, repeat stages of evolutionary development during the embryonic phase of life
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reciprocal

a. of or relating to the multiplicative inverse of a quantity or function
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reparation

n. compensation exacted from a defeated nation by the victors, compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury
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respiration

n. the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation, the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide
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sanguine

n. a blood-red color, confidently optimistic and cheerful
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soliloquy

n. a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections, speech you make to yourself
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subjugate

v. put down by force or intimidation, make subservient, force to submit or subdue
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suffragist

n. an advocate of the extension of voting rights (especially to women)
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supercilious

a. having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy, expressive of contempt
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tautology

n. (logic) a statement that is necessarily true, useless repetition
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taxonomy

n. practice of classifying plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships
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tectonic

a. pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust ,of or pertaining to construction or architecture
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tempestuous

a. (of the elements) as if showing violent anger, characterized by violent emotions or behavior
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thermodynamics

n. the branch of physics concerned with the conversion of different forms of energy
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totalitarian

a. characterized by a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control
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unctuous

a. unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
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vehement

a. marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently
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fervid

a. characterized by great force or energy, intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree
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vortex

n. a powerful circular current of water, the shape of something rotating rapidly
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winnow

v. blow away or off with a current of air, separate the chaff from by using air currents
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wrought

a. shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
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xenophobe

n. person having dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries
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yeoman

n. officer in the (ceremonial) bodyguard of the British monarch
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ziggurat

n. a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound erected by the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians
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