I should probably be embarrassed that I didn't know some of these (still don't know 'em all), but I'm not. If you're embarrassed for me, why don't you submit a definition for one of my words.
| The Sum of All Ignorance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Term | Definition | |
| 1 | abject 2005-08-27 |
sunk to or existing in a low state or condition <to lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fallen - John Milton> |
| 2 | abrogate 2005-03-03 |
1: to abolish by authoritative action : annul 2: to treat as nonexistent <abrogating their responsibilities> |
| 3 | academe 2005-08-27 |
2: ACADEMIC; esp.: PEDANT |
| 4 | acolytes 2005-05-16 |
ones who attend or assist |
| 5 | acrid 2005-08-27 |
|
| 6 | acrimonious 2005-08-27 |
caustic, biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner <an acrimonious dispute> |
| 7 | adjuration 2011-01-05 |
|
| 8 | agitprop 2005-01-27 |
PROPAGANDA; esp: political propaganda promulgated chiefly in literature, drama, music, or art |
| 9 | agog 2005-02-08 |
full of intense interest or excitement : EAGER |
| 10 | alacrity 2005-08-27 |
promptness in response : cheerful readiness <accepted the invitation with alacrity> |
| 11 | amanuensis 2005-05-16 |
one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript |
| 12 | anodyne 2011-01-20 |
2: not likely to offend or arouse tensions : INNOCUOUS |
| 13 | antipathy 2005-08-27 |
|
| 14 | aplomb 2005-08-27 |
|
| 15 | apotheosis 2011-01-13 |
1: elevation to divine status : DEIFICATION 2: the perfect example : QUINTESSENCE |
| 16 | apparatchik 2005-09-29 |
1: a member of a Communist apparat 2: a blindly devoted official, follower, or member of an organization. |
| 17 | approbation 2005-08-27 |
|
| 18 | appurtenances 2005-02-02 |
1 : incidental rights (as a right-of-way) attached to a principal property right and passing in possession with it 2 : a subordinate part or adjunct <the ~s of welcome is fashion and ceremony -- Shakespeare> |
| 19 | arcane 2005-08-27 |
known or knowable only to the intitiate: SECRET; broadly: MYSTERIOUS, OBSCURE |
| 20 | argot 2006-02-27 |
an often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group |
| 21 | arrant 2005-08-27 |
|
| 22 | arrogate 2011-01-12 |
to claim or seize without justification |
| 23 | aseity 2005-08-27 |
existence originating from and having no source other than itself |
| 24 | aseptically 2005-08-27 |
|
| 25 | asperity 2005-05-16 |
rigor, severity; roughness of manner or of temper: HARSHNESS |
| 26 | aspersion 2005-08-27 |
|
| 27 | asseveration 2005-03-10 |
the act of affirming or averring positively or earnestly |
| 28 | assiduously 2005-05-16 |
as marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent application <tended her garden> |
| 29 | assize 2005-08-27 |
|
| 30 | austere 2006-07-29 |
1 a: stern and cold in appearance or manner b: SOMBER, GRACE <an ~ critic> 2: morally strict: ASCETIC 3: markedly simple or unadorned <an ~ office> |
| 31 | autarchic 2009-02-28 |
adjective form of autarky - independence and self-sufficiency, esp. relating to national economics; alternative spelling: autarkic |
| 32 | aver 2005-07-11 |
to verify or prove to be true in pleading a cause; to declare positively |
| 33 | école 2005-08-27 |
|
| 34 | Babeuf 2005-08-27 |
|
| 35 | bacchanal 2009-02-26 |
orgy |
| 36 | bailiwick 2005-03-15 |
1 : the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff 2 : a special domain |
| 37 | batrachian 2005-08-27 |
|
| 38 | belles lettres 2005-08-27 |
|
| 39 | bilious 2005-05-16 |
1a: of or relating to bile 2: of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition 3: sickeningly unpleasant |
| 40 | blandishments 2006-07-05 |
something that tends to coax or cajole : ALLUREMENT |
| 41 | bucolic 2006-08-13 |
2 a: relating to or typical of rural life b: idyllic |
| 42 | burin 2011-01-10 |
an engraver's steel cutting tool having the blade ground obliquely to a sharp point |
| 43 | callow 2005-08-27 |
lacking adult sophistication : IMMATURE |
| 44 | calumniate 2005-10-06 |
|
| 45 | canard 2005-08-27 |
1 a : a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated report b : a groundless rumor or belief |
| 46 | candour 2005-08-27 |
|
| 47 | caper 2005-08-27 |
One of a group of prickly shrubs, usually cultivated for their buds. |
| 48 | caravanserai 2007-02-02 |
|
| 49 | caryatide 2005-05-16 |
a draped female figure supporting an entablature |
| 50 | casuistry 2011-08-17 |
specious argument : RATIONALIZATION |
| 51 | cavil 2005-08-27 |
|
| 52 | chintz (n.) 2005-05-16 |
|
| 53 | clement 2005-08-27 |
|
| 54 | clerisy 2006-04-26 |
intellectuals who form a political elite; INTELLIGENTSIA |
| 55 | confab 2005-08-27 |
|
| 56 | contretemps 2005-05-09 |
an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence or situation |
| 57 | contumacy 2005-02-05 |
|
| 58 | copiousness 2005-08-27 |
|
| 59 | copse 2011-03-08 |
a small group of trees |
| 60 | coruscate 2009-02-14 |
to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle |
| 61 | coxcomb 2005-05-16 |
|
| 62 | cri de coeur 2011-03-17 |
a passionate outcry (as of appeal or protest); French: literally, cry from the heart |
| 63 | daimonic 2005-08-27 |
|
| 64 | dais 2006-06-04 |
a raised platform (as in a hall or large room) |
| 65 | demesne 2005-08-27 |
1: legal possession of land as one's own 2: manorial land actually possessed by the lord and not held by tenants |
| 66 | desultory 2005-05-16 |
1 : marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose 2 : not connected with the main subject 3 : disappointing in progress or performance: SLUGGISH |
| 67 | diffident 2005-05-16 |
hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence; reserved, unassertive; shy |
| 68 | diktat 2005-03-02 |
a harsh settlement unilaterally imposed (as on a defeated nation); DECREE, ORDER |
| 69 | dilatory 2005-05-16 |
1 tending or intended to cause delay <~ tactics> 2 characterized by procrastination: TARDY <~ in paying bills> |
| 70 | dirigible 2005-08-28 |
1 : capable of being steered, 2 : AIRSHIP |
| 71 | disputatious 2006-08-13 |
inclined to dispute; fond of arguing; CONTENTIOUS |
| 72 | divan 2005-05-16 |
a large couch usually without back or arms often designed for use as a bed; a council chamber - thanks, Mom |
| 73 | doppelgÀnger 2005-01-27 |
1 : a ghostly counterpart of a living person 2 a: DOUBLE b: ALTER EGO c: a person who has the same name as another |
| 74 | dowager 2005-05-16 |
a widow holding property or a title from her deceased husband; a dignified elderly woman |
| 75 | doyenne 2005-05-16 |
a woman who is a doyen - in other words, a woman who is the senior member of a body or group; a woman considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor |
| 76 | efface 2005-08-27 |
|
| 77 | elision 2007-09-11 |
1 a: the use of a speech form that lacks a final or initial sound which a variant speech form has (as 's instead of is in there's) b: the omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable in a verse to achieve a uniform metrical pattern 2: the act or an instance of omitting something : omission |
| 78 | emendation 2005-08-27 |
an alteration designed to correct or improve |
| 79 | enation (n.) 2005-05-16 |
|
| 80 | ennui 2005-02-04 |
a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction : BOREDOM |
| 81 | enure 2009-04-30 |
variant of inure |
| 82 | epistolary 2005-08-27 |
|
| 83 | erstwhile 2005-08-02 |
in the past: formerly |
| 84 | erudite 2005-08-27 |
|
| 85 | evanescence 2005-08-27 |
|
| 86 | eviscerate 2005-08-27 |
|
| 87 | excoriate 2005-08-27 |
|
| 88 | execrable 2005-05-16 |
|
| 89 | exiguous 2009-05-05 |
excessively scanty : inadequate |
| 90 | expostulating 2005-05-16 |
|
| 91 | expurgated 2005-05-16 |
|
| 92 | extirpate 2009-09-23 |
1 a : to destroy completely : wipe out b : to pull up by the root |
| 93 | fastidious 2005-08-27 |
a: having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please; b: showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care |
| 94 | fatuous 2005-08-27 |
complacently or inanely foolish : silly |
| 95 | felo de se 2005-05-16 |
1: one who deliberately kills himself or who dies from the effects of his commission of an unlawful malicious act 2: an act of deliberate self-destruction: SUICIDE |
| 96 | fen 2009-05-05 |
low land that is covered wholly or partly with water unless artificially drained and that usually has peaty alkaline soil and characteristic flora (as of sedges and reeds) |
| 97 | festoon 2005-08-27 |
|
| 98 | fillip 2005-08-30 |
1 a: a blow or gesture made by the sudden forcible straightening of a finger curled up against the thumb b: a short sharp blow : buffet2: something tending to arouse or excite: as a: stimulus <just the fillip my confidence needed> <lent a fillip of danger to the sport> b: a trivial addition : embellishment <showy fillips of language> c: a significant and often unexpected development : wrinkle <plot twists and fillips> |
| 99 | fisc 2006-02-28 |
|
| 100 | fissiparous 2005-05-13 |
tending to break up into parts: DIVISIVE |
| 101 | florid 2011-02-22 |
very flowery in style: ORNATE |
| 102 | folderol 2005-08-27 |
|
| 103 | fug 2006-02-17 |
the stuffy atmosphere of a poorly ventilated space; also, a stuffy or malodorous emanation |
| 104 | fulsome 2005-08-27 |
|
| 105 | fungible 2005-08-27 |
being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation; INTERCHANGEABLE |
| 106 | fusillade 2005-02-08 |
|
| 107 | hagiology 2006-09-26 |
1 : literature dealing with venerated persons or writings 2 : a list of venerated figures |
| 108 | hansom 2005-09-17 |
|
| 109 | harridan 2009-05-05 |
shrew |
| 110 | heath 2005-07-16 |
|
| 111 | hegemony 2005-08-27 |
preponderant influence or authority over others: DOMINATION |
| 112 | hew (v.) 2005-08-27 |
1 : to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument vi : CONFORM, ADHERE |
| 113 | hortatory 2005-08-27 |
|
| 114 | hythe 2009-05-05 |
a small haven |
| 115 | imbroglio 2005-05-16 |
|
| 116 | imperious 2005-08-27 |
1 : befitting or characteristic of one of eminent rank or attainments b: marked by arrogant assurance : DOMINEERING |
| 117 | inaudlin 2005-08-27 |
|
| 118 | inculcate 2005-08-27 |
|
| 119 | indicia 2011-01-17 |
from Latin for "signs," circumstances which tend to show or indicate that something is probable. It is used in the form of "indicia of title," or "indicia of partnership," particularly when the "signs" are items like letters, certificates, or other things that one would not have unless the facts were as the possessor claimed. (See: circumstantial evidence) -- courtesy Gerald and Kathleen Hill |
| 120 | ingenuous 2005-08-27 |
Obsolete form of 'ingenious' |
| 121 | inimicable 2005-08-27 |
not capable of being imitated : MATCHLESS |
| 122 | inimical 2006-08-11 |
1 : being adverse by reason of hostility or malevolence 2 : having the disposition of an enemy: HOSTILE |
| 123 | intendant 2011-01-28 |
: an administrative official (as a governor) especially under the French, Spanish, or Portuguese monarchies |
| 124 | intrepid 2005-08-27 |
|
| 125 | inure 2009-04-30 |
to accustom to accept something undesirable <children inured to violence> |
| 126 | irrefragable 2009-08-08 |
Impossible to refute or controvert; indisputable. |
| 127 | irruption 2011-07-27 |
vt. to rush in forcibly or violently |
| 128 | koan (n.) 2005-05-16 |
a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment |
| 129 | laconic 2005-08-27 |
using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious. Comes from the Latin laconicus ("Spartan"). The Spartan's had a reputation for terseness of speech. |
| 130 | languid 2005-08-27 |
|
| 131 | lank (adj.) 2005-08-27 |
|
| 132 | lassitude 2009-03-05 |
|
| 133 | legate 2005-05-16 |
a usually official emissary |
| 134 | Leni Riefenstahl 2005-05-16 |
Berta Helene Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (August 22, 1902 - September 8, 2003) was a German actor, director and filmmaker widely noted for her aesthetics and advances in film technique. Her most famous works are documentary propaganda films for the German Nazi Party. -- from Wikipedia.org |
| 135 | litotes 2005-05-16 |
understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (as in "not a bad singer" or "not unhappy") |
| 136 | littoral 2005-05-16 |
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| 137 | Magdeburg 2005-08-27 |
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| 138 | Malthus 2005-08-27 |
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| 139 | Marquis de Sade 2005-08-27 |
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| 140 | mendacious 2005-05-16 |
given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth |
| 141 | milieu 2005-08-26 |
the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops: ENVIRONMENT |
| 142 | mimesis 2005-05-16 |
|
| 143 | minatory 2010-10-09 |
having a menacing quality: threatening |
| 144 | morass 2005-08-27 |
|
| 145 | mordant 2005-05-16 |
biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style: incisive |
| 146 | moribund 2005-08-27 |
|
| 147 | mysogynistic 2005-05-16 |
characterized by a hatred of women |
| 148 | nescient 2007-08-11 |
lacking knowledge or awareness: IGNORANCE |
| 149 | nubile 2005-05-16 |
1. of marriageable condition or age, 2. sexually attractive - used of a young woman |
| 150 | obduracy 2006-08-13 |
1 a: stubborn persistence in wrongdoing b: hardness of feelings 2: resistance to persuasion or softening influences: INFLEXIBILITY |
| 151 | obsequious 2005-08-27 |
|
| 152 | obstreperous 2011-01-03 |
1 marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness : clamorous 2 stubbornly resistant to control : unruly |
| 153 | obviate 2005-03-08 |
|
| 154 | offal 2011-01-10 |
the waste or by-product of a process |
| 155 | opprobius 2005-08-27 |
|
| 156 | ossuary 2005-08-27 |
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| 157 | palliative 2005-05-16 |
serving to palliate; in other words, serving to reduce the violence of (often a disease) |
| 158 | panoply 2005-02-02 |
|
| 159 | parsimony 2005-05-16 |
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| 160 | Parthian 2010-10-09 |
|
| 161 | pasquinade 2005-08-27 |
SATIRE |
| 162 | passel 2005-01-24 |
a large number or amount |
| 163 | pate 2005-08-27 |
1: HEAD 2: the crown of the head 3 (chiefly disparanging): BRAIN |
| 164 | penury 2011-01-28 |
1: a cramping and oppressive lack of resources (as money); especially : severe poverty 2: extreme and often niggardly frugality |
| 165 | perforce 2005-05-16 |
|
| 166 | peroration 2005-08-27 |
the concluding part of a speech, typically intended to inspire enthusiasm in the audience. |
| 167 | petard (sailing term) 2005-08-30 |
|
| 168 | petite patrie (Fr.) 2005-08-27 |
|
| 169 | phantasmagoria 2011-07-22 |
1: an exhibition of optical effects and illusions 2 a : a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined |
| 170 | philippico 2005-05-16 |
a discourse or declamation full of bitter condemnation: TIRADE |
| 171 | philology 2005-01-23 |
1 : the study of literature and of disciplines relevant to literature or to language as used in literature 2 a : LINGUISTICS, esp : historical and comparative linguistics |
| 172 | phonemic 2005-08-27 |
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| 173 | pieua 2005-05-16 |
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| 174 | portmanteau 2010-10-09 |
|
| 175 | predilection 2005-05-16 |
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| 176 | prelate 2005-08-27 |
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| 177 | prevaricator 2005-05-16 |
one who deviates from the truth: equivocator - translation: a liar! |
| 178 | primeval 2005-08-27 |
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| 179 | probity 2005-09-11 |
|
| 180 | prosaic 2005-08-27 |
1a: characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry: FACTUAL b: DULL, UNIMAGINATIVE 2: EVERYDAY, ORDINARY |
| 181 | prosodic 2005-08-27 |
|
| 182 | prosody 2005-05-16 |
1. the study of versification; esp: the systematic study of metrical structure 2. a particular system, theory, or style of versification 3. the rhythmic and intonational aspect of language |
| 183 | puissance 2011-03-19 |
STRENGTH, POWER |
| 184 | pulchritudinous 2005-05-16 |
physical comeliness - woo hoo! |
| 185 | pusillanimous 2009-09-22 |
lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity |
| 186 | Pyrrhonic aesthete 2005-08-27 |
|
| 187 | quay 2011-03-01 |
a concrete, stone, or metal platform lying alongside or projecting into water for loading and unloading ships |
| 188 | quitrent (n.) 2005-05-16 |
|
| 189 | quotidian 2010-01-26 |
|
| 190 | raillery 2005-05-16 |
|
| 191 | rank (adj.) 2005-08-27 |
|
| 192 | rapacious 2005-08-27 |
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| 193 | rapprochement 2005-08-27 |
establishment of or state of having cordial relations |
| 194 | ratiocination 2010-08-12 |
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| 195 | recondite 2005-08-27 |
|
| 196 | refection 2011-01-15 |
1: refreshment of mind, spirit, or body; especially : NOURISHMENT 2 a : the taking of refreshment b : food and drink together : REPAST |
| 197 | regaled 2005-08-27 |
|
| 198 | reify 2005-08-27 |
to regard (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing |
| 199 | remark 2005-02-08 |
to take notice of: OBSERVE |
| 200 | repartee 2005-08-28 |
|
| 201 | revanchist 2006-08-13 |
|
| 202 | reveille 2005-02-08 |
|
| 203 | Robespierre 2005-08-27 |
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre - prominent figure in the French Revolution; oversaw the Reign of Terror as the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety. Believed the "despotism of liberty" -- a "virtuous terror" (paraphrase) -- was required to maintain the Revolution and the Republic. |
| 204 | rouleau 2011-03-02 |
a cylindrical packet of coins |
| 205 | rusticate 2010-10-09 |
|
| 206 | sangfroid 2005-05-16 |
|
| 207 | sartorial 2005-08-27 |
Of, or pertaining to, tailors or their trade. |
| 208 | scopolamine 2005-08-27 |
|
| 209 | scot 2009-03-18 |
money assessed or paid (so scot-free has nothing to do with men in kilts) |
| 210 | scurrilous 2005-08-27 |
|
| 211 | seriatim 2011-02-04 |
taking one subject after another in regular order; point by point : "it is proposed to deal with these matters seriatim." |
| 212 | sibilant 2009-05-03 |
pertaining to the s or sh sound; hissing <a sibilant snake> |
| 213 | sinecure 2005-05-16 |
an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income |
| 214 | skupper 2005-08-27 |
|
| 215 | solicitude 2007-01-13 |
1 a: the state of being solicitous: ANXIETY b: attentive care and protectiveness; 2: a cause of care or concern - usu. used in pl. |
| 216 | solipsism 2011-01-12 |
a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing |
| 217 | soughing 2005-08-27 |
|
| 218 | splay feet 2005-08-27 |
feet abnormally flattened and spread out; FLATFOOT |
| 219 | splenetic 2005-05-16 |
|
| 220 | spurious 2005-08-27 |
2. outwardly similar or corresponding to something without having its genuine qualities: FALSE 3a. of falsified or erroneously attributed origin: FORGED 3b. of a deceitful nature or quality |
| 221 | subsume 2005-05-16 |
|
| 222 | supercilious 2005-08-27 |
coolly and patronizingly haughty; PROUD |
| 223 | supine 2006-07-03 |
1 a : lying on the back or with the face upward 2 : exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity; especially : mentally or morally slack |
| 224 | surreptitious 2005-08-27 |
1 done, made, or acquired by steath: CLANDESTINE 2 acting or doing something clandestinely: STEALTHY |
| 225 | suzerain 2005-05-16 |
|
| 226 | swarthy 2005-08-27 |
|
| 227 | sybaritic 2009-11-09 |
[from the notorious luxury of the Sybarites] : VOLUPTUARY, SENSUALIST |
| 228 | téte-à-téte 2005-05-16 |
1 : a private conversation between two persons 2 : a short piece of furniture (as a sofa) intended to seat two persons esp. facing each other |
| 229 | temporize 2009-09-24 |
1 : to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion |
| 230 | tendentious 2005-02-06 |
marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : BIASED |
| 231 | tenebrous 2005-08-27 |
|
| 232 | tepid 2005-08-27 |
|
| 233 | tergiversate 2011-03-01 |
1 make conflicting or evasive statements; equivocate 2 change one's loyalties; be apostate. |
| 234 | thrall 2005-08-27 |
|
| 235 | tony 2006-07-29 |
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| 236 | trammel 2005-08-27 |
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| 237 | trenchant 2005-08-27 |
1: KEEN, SHARP 2: vigorously effective and articulate <a trenchant analysis>; also : CAUSTIC <trenchant remarks> 3a : sharply perceptive : PENETRATING <a trenchant view of current conditions> 3b : CLEAR-CUT, DISTINCT <the trenchant divisions between right and wrong — Edith Wharton> |
| 238 | tumbril 2011-01-01 |
1 : a farm tipcart 2 : a vehicle carrying condemned persons (as political prisoners during the French Revolution) to a place of execution |
| 239 | unctuous 2005-05-16 |
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| 240 | venal 2005-08-27 |
|
| 241 | verst 2005-05-16 |
a Russian unit of distance equal to 0.6629 mile (1.067 kilometers) |
| 242 | viands 2011-02-27 |
PROVISIONS, FOOD |
| 243 | vicissitudes 2005-05-16 |
fluctuations of state or condition (e.g. ~ of life) |
| 244 | vitriolic 2005-08-27 |
|
| 245 | volubility 2009-04-30 |
|
| 246 | warren 2011-01-01 |
chiefly British a : a place legally authorized for keeping small game (as hare or pheasant) |
Definitions appearing on this page are generally either verbatim or derived from Merriam-Webster's College Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1999