abbreviate
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v. make shorter; reduce to shorter form intended to represent full form, as for word or phrase
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abnegation
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n. repudiation; self-sacrifice; renouncing your own interests in favor of interests of others
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aggrandize
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v. increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation
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allegory
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n. symbolic representation of abstract ideas or principles in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form
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altar
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n. elevated place or structure before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or upon which sacrifices may be offered
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antecedents
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n. preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background
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anticlimax
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n. letdown in thought or emotion; decline viewed in disappointing contrast with previous rise
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apologist
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n. person who argues in defense or justification of something, such as doctrine, policy, or institution
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apprenticeship
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n. term during which one learns a trade from skilled worker; service or legal condition of an apprentice
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arena
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n. an enclosed area, often outdoor, for the presentation of sporting events or other spectacular events
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atavism
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n. resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations
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attrition
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n. gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment
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auroral
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a. characteristic of dawn; dawning, eastern, like new beginning; relating to the atmospheric phenomenon auroras
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aviation
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n. art or act of flying; specifically, the science or art of directing and controlling flying-machines
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