n. pen name; fictitious name used when someone performs a particular social role
E.g. Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.
n. a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders; based on the theories of Sigmund Freud
E.g. His physician recommended psychoanalysis.
v. beat or pound with fists; hit or strike heavily and repeatedly
E.g. Swinging wildly, Pam tried to pummel her brother around the head and shoulders.
a. stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic
E.g. I'm bracing myself to be met by heat, humidity and what Kerry describes as a pungent odor.
a. decomposed and foul-smelling; rotten; decayed
E.g. The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the putrid smell when the bandages were removed.
n. soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself
E.g. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.
n. dilemma; state of uncertainty or perplexity
E.g. Their solution to this quandary is a one dollar government imposed tax on every mobile phone bill.
v. extinguish; put down forcibly; suppress; pacify or quiet
E.g. Miss Minchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.
v. put out a fire; extinguish; put an end to; destroy
E.g. No matter how much water the hiker drank, she could not quench her thirst.
n. inquiry; doubt in the mind; mental reservation
E.g. In her column "Ask Beth," the columnist invites young readers to send her any query about life and love.
n. minor objection or complaint; petty distinction
E.g. My only quibble is that the courtship and marriage went down a little too quickly.
n. one of the large feathers of a bird's wing, or stock of such a feather; pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the point or nib of a feather
E.g. The duke wrote a letter with a quill pen.
n. sudden sharp turn or twist; strange attitude or habit; peculiarity of behavior
E.g. By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.
v. shake with slight, rapid, tremulous movement
E.g. The bird dog's nose twitches and his whiskers quiver as he strain eagerly against the leash.
n. quality of being radiant, shining, bright or splendid
E.g. I could see clearly a room with a sanded floor; a dresser of walnut, with pewter plates ranged in rows, reflecting the redness and radiance of a glowing peat-fire.
a. having disagreeable odor or taste of decomposing oils or fats
E.g. A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.
v. search thoroughly; search every place or part of
E.g. We might do what we pleased; ransack her desk and her workbox, and turn her drawers inside out; and she was so good-natured, she would give us anything we asked for.
n. state of being transported by a lofty emotion; ecstasy; violent taking and carrying away; seizure; forcible removal
E.g. The mother gazed with rapture at her new born baby.
a. extremely hungry; voracious; eager for prey
E.g. The ravenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.
n. cowhide, or coarse riding whip, made of raw hide twisted.
E.g. As a pup he chewed through at least one large rawhide a day.
a. opposition to progress or liberalism; extremely conservative
E.g. Opposing the use of English in worship services, reactionary forces in the church fought to reinstate the mass in Latin.
n. container; reservoir
E.g. Confused about the multitudes of plug, connector and receptacle combinations?
n. withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity
E.g. The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area.
a. concerning each of two or more persons or things; exchangeable; interacting
E.g. The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.
v. drawback, as with fear or pain ; spring back
E.g. Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent.
n. remedy; compensation; act of correcting error or fault
E.g. Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?
n. quality or state of being redundant; superfluity; superabundance; excess
E.g. She was quite a child, perhaps seven or eight years old, slightly built, with a pale, small-featured face, and a redundancy of hair falling in curls to her waist.
n. result of improving something; process of removing impurities
E.g. The next refinement is to take into account that the luminous screen is typically round: any alpha particles striking outside the round area will not be visible.
a. throwing back images; produced by, or resulting from reflection
E.g. Please notice that reflective mirror; you have no secret in this room.
v. disprove; prove to be false or incorrect
E.g. The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the prosecution's sole witness.
v. renew; repair; return to life
E.g. The snake will regenerate its tail next week.
n. ruling; governing; exercising vicarious authority; one who rules or reigns; governor; ruler
E.g. The regent carried out an advanced system in his country.
n. prescribed diet and habits; a systematic plan for therapy; governmental rule or control
E.g. I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.
v. bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations; fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
E.g. In contrast to Europe, the United States is considering a variety of laws which would regulate spam but essentially allow it unless an individual specifically opts out.
v. restore to proper condition; help to re-adapt, as to former state of health or good repute
E.g. We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.
v. give more force or effectiveness to; strengthen; enhance
E.g. The laws will reinforce authority to turn boats away from Australia and impose prison sentences on the crews of boats which do cross the border.
v. say, state, or perform again or repeatedly
E.g. He will reiterate the warning to make sure everyone understood it.
a. of rejoice; feeling and expression of joy and gladness; procedure expressive of joy; festivity
E.g. The global community has joined together in rejoicing at the rescue of 33 Chilean miners.
v. make young again; restore to youthful vigor or appearance
E.g. The Charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.
v. arouse again
E.g. This message will rekindle hopes.