avuncular

a. in manner of uncle, pertaining to uncle; kind, genial, benevolent or tolerant
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axiom

n. self-evident truth requiring no proof
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azure

a. sky blue; light purplish-blue
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bacchanalian

a. drunken; relating to reveling and drunkenness
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badinage

n. teasing conversation; good-humored, playful conversation
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bailiff

n. legal officer to whom some degree of authority
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baleful

a. portending evil; harmful in intent or effect.
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bang

n. sudden loud noise, as of an explosion; sudden loud blow or bump; sudden burst of action
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barbarous

a. being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rude
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batter

v. hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows
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bead

n. small, often round piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing or threading
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beamline

n. line traveled by a particle beam in an accelerator
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beatific

a. completely happy and contented; showing or producing exalted joy
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beatitude

n. blessedness; state of extreme happiness
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bedeck

v. adorn or ornament in a showy fashion
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beforehand

ad. in advance; early; at an earlier or preceding time
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beget

v. produce; give rise to
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beguile

v. mislead; delude; deceive by guile
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behemoth

n. something enormous in size or power
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beleaguer

v. besiege or attack; harass; surround with troops
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bellicose

a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having impulse to be combative
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benediction

n. blessing; invocation of divine blessing; expression of good wishes
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besiege

v. surround with hostile forces; crowd around; cause to feel distressed or worried
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bevy

n. large group; a group of animals or birds, especially larks or quail
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bilious

a. suffering from indigestion; appearing as if affected by disorder; sickly
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bitumen

n. any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons
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blare

n. loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light
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blaze

n. brilliant burst of fire; flame
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bleak

a. depressing, sombre, cold
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blench

v. draw back, from lack of courage or resolution; turn pale, as if in fear
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blindside

v. to take by surprise
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blithe

a. gay; joyous; carefree and lighthearted
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boisterous

a. rough and stormy; loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or discipline
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bolster

v. support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion
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bombastic

a. pompous; using inflated language; high-sounding but with little meaning
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bonny

a. handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and graceful
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booth

n. small enclosed compartment with a window, used to separate the occupant from others; small stall for the display and sale of goods
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boson

n. any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle
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botnet

n. a collection of compromised computers that is slowly built up then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam
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bounteous

a. liberal in charity; disposed to give freely; generously liberal; beneficent; free in bestowing gifts
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bounty

n. liberality in giving; something that is given liberally; goodness, kindness
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bovine

a. dull, slow-moving, and stolid, like an ox; placid and dull
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breach

n. an opening or tear; breaking of waves; a gap or rift
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bridle

n. headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins
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brimful

a. full to the brim; completely full; ready to overflow
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brindled

a. of brownish, tawny colour, with streaks, spots, or patterns
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broil

v. cook by direct exposure to heat over fire; subject to great heat; be subjected to the action of heat; be greatly heated
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brood

n. children in one family; young of certain animals
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bucolic

a. rustic; pastoral; agricultural; relating to country affairs, or to shepherd's life and occupation
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bulwark

n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
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burgeon

v. to develop or grow rapidly
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burnish

v. make shiny by rubbing; polish
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bursary

n. treasury, especially of a public institution or religious order; scholarship granted to a university student in need
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buttress

v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
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buxom

a. healthily plump and ample of figure; full-bosomed; vigorous; jolly
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bygone

a. past; gone by
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cactus

n. any of various succulent, spiny, usually leafless plants native mostly to arid regions
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cadaverous

a. like corpse; pale; Having appearance or color of dead human body
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cajole

v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering
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callow

a. youthful; immature; inexperienced; without feathers
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calumny

n. false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander
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canister

n. small box or case for tea, coffee, etc
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canker

n. corroding or sloughing ulcer; anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroy; disease incident to trees, causing the bark to rot and fall off
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cannibalize

v. remove parts of machine for use in other similar machines; consume another of one's own type or kind
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cantankerous

a. ill humored; irritable; marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition; ugly; malicious
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cantata

n. story or poem set to music that can be sung by chorus
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capacious

a. capable of containing a large quantity; spacious or roomy
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caper

n. crime, especially theft, or a narrative about such a crime
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capitalize

v. to use something to one's benefit for advantage
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capitulate

v. surrender; end all resistance; give up; go along with or comply
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capsize

v. overturn or cause to overturn; turn over or upset
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captious

a. intended to confuse in an argument
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captivate

v. charm; enthrall; seize by force, as an enemy in war, or anything belonging to enemy
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captivity

n. state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved
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carapace

n. hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
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cardiovascular

a. of, relating to, or involving the heart and the blood vessels
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careen

v. lean to one side, as a ship under press of sail; sway from side to side
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caribou

n. large reindeer native to northern North America
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carnage

n. massive slaughter, as in war; massacre; corpses, especially of those killed in battle
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cartel

n. a combination of independent business organizations formed to regulate production, pricing, and marketing of goods by the members
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cartographer

n. one who makes maps or charts
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castigate

v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication
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cataclysm

n. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; deluge or overflowing of water
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catapult

v. increase the status of something rapidly; shoot forth or launch
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cataract

n. disease of the eye causing its opacity and, unless treated, leading to blindness
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categorical

a. absolute; having no exception; of using category or categories
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caulk

v. make watertight by filling in cracks
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cavil

v. criticise for petty or frivolous reasons; raise trivial objections
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cede

v. yield or formally resign and surrender to another
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celerity

n. swiftness of action or motion; speed
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censorious

a. critical; addicted to censure; severe in making remarks on others, or on their writings or manners; implying or expressing censure
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centrifugal

a. radiating; departing from the center
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centripetal

a. tending toward center; moving or directed toward center or axis
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cerebral

a. intellectual rather than emotional
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cerebration

n. act of cerebrating; thinking, mental activity
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cession

n. yielding to another; ceding or surrendering
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chagrin

n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment
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chary

a. cautious; sparing or restrained about giving
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chasten

v. rid of excess; refine or purify; correct by punishment or reproof
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chastise

v. punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebuke
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chicanery

n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry
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chide

v. scold mildly so as to correct or improve; express disapproval
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chimerical

a. fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative
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choleric

a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing anger
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chortle

v. chuckle with delight; joyful laugh or chuckle; laugh quietly or with restraint
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christening

n. a Christian ceremony involving baptizing and naming an infant
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chug

v. dull explosive sound, usually short and repeated, made by or as if by a laboring engine
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churlish

a. difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable
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circa

ad. approximately, about; commonly abbreviated ca. -- used especially before dates and numerical measures.
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circuitous

a. being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course; going round in a circuit; not direct
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circumlocution

n. indirect or roundabout expression; evasion in speech or writing
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circumscribe

v. limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encircle
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circumspect

a. carefully aware of all circumstances; cautious
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cistern

n. reservoir or water tank; vessel to hold water for household uses
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clamorous

a. speaking and repeating loud words; full of clamor; calling or demanding loudly or urgently; vociferous; noisy; bawling; loud
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clamour

a. loud outcry; loud sustained noise
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clan

n. a large group of relatives, friends, or associates; a traditional social unit, consisting of a number of families claiming a common ancestor
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cloister

n. place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion; secluded, quiet place
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cloying

a. distasteful because excessive; excessively sweet or sentimental
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coagulate

v. cause transformation of liquid into or as if into soft, semisolid, or solid mass
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coalesce

v. combine; fuse; grow together; come together so as to form one whole; unite
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coffer

n. casket, chest, or trunk, especially, one used for keeping money or other valuables
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cogency

n. power of proving or of producing belief; quality of being highly probable or convincing; force; credibility
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cogent

a. reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
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cogitate

v. think earnestly or studiously; meditate; ponder; think deeply
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cognate

a. related by blood; having common ancestor; related or analogous in nature, character, or function
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colander

n. bowl-shaped strainer, used to wash or drain foods
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collate

v. to assemble something in a logical sequence
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collateral

n. guarantee, usually in the form of an asset, for the repayment of a loan if one cannot procure enough funds to repay
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commentariat

n. all commentators of the news media collectively
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commodious

a. spacious and comfortable; fit; proper; convenient
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complaisant

a. trying to please; showing cheerful willingness to do favors for others
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compunction

n. feeling of deep regret; strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt
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computation

n. calculation
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concave

a. hollow; curved like inner surface of sphere
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conceit

n. overly high self-esteem; feelings of excessive pride
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concoct

v. prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking; devise, using skill and intelligence
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concomitant

a. in conjunction with; accompanying; associated with
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concubine

n. in certain societies, such as imperial China, a woman contracted to a man as a secondary wife, often having few legal rights and low social status
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concurrent

a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same time
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condescension

n. act of condescending; voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in intercourse with an inferior; courtesy toward inferiors
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condole

v. grieve; express sympathy; speak sympathetically to one in pain, grief, or misfortune
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conduit

n. pipe or channel for conveying fluids; tube for enclosing electric wires or cable
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confetti

n. small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
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conflagration

n. large destructive fire
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congregate

v. assemble; convene; gather
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congruent

a. possessing congruity; suitable; agreeing; corresponding
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congruity

n. relation or agreement between things; fitness; harmony; correspondence; consistency.
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conifer

n. any gymnospermous tree or shrub bearing cones
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conscientious

a. thorough, careful, or vigilant; implies a desire to do a task well; characterized by extreme care and great effort
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