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stake

a share or a financial involvement in something such as a business:

hold a stake in/of He holds (= owns) a 40 percent stake in/of the company.

patina

a thin surface layer that develops on something because of use, age, or chemical action:

a patina of His tomb was covered with a yellow patina of lichen.

tomb

a large stone structure or underground room where someone, especially an important person, is buried:

oligarchy

government by a small group of very powerful people:

A lot of people in the country were seeing the dangers of oligarchy.

grant

an amount of money given especially by the government to a person or organization for a special purpose:

a student/research grant

relinquish

to give up something such as a responsibility or claim:

He has relinquished his claim to the throne.

assert

to behave in a way that expresses your confidence, importance, or power and earns you respect from others:

I really should assert myself more in meetings.

infraction

an occasion when someone breaks a rule or law:

infraction of Any attempt to influence the judges will be seen as an infraction of the rules.

reference

a mention of something:

Knowing what had happened, I avoided making any reference to (= mentioning) weddings.

spanning

amount of time continued

plausible

seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed:

a plausible explanation/excuse

accrue

(of sums of money or benefits) be received by someone in regular or increasing amounts over time.

"financial benefits will accrue from restructuring"

attribute

a quality or characteristic that someone or something has:

Organizational ability is an essential attribute for a good manager.