Vocab #4

abrasive

harsh, causing irritation, rough; anything that grates or irritates — physically or metaphorically.

appease

to pacify, to be conciliatory in a manner that sacrifices principles.

bewail

to deplore, to express deep sorrow; regret strongly.

cleft

a space or opening made by cleavage, a split; a long narrow opening.

countermand

to revoke, to cancel, or to reverse; cancel officially.

defraud

to deal with deceptively; deprive of by deceit.

disavowal

Denial of any connection with or knowledge of.

eclipse

to cast a shadow upon; to darken; to make dim or obscure by comparison.

ellipsis

omission of words necessary for complete construction.

fussbudget

One who worries about unimportant things; thinks about unfortunate things that might happen.

idolatry

worship of idols, excessive devotion; the worship of images that are not God.

malicious

motivated by hate or deliberate intent to harm.

mote

a particle or speck of dust; a tiny piece of anything.

optimum

most favorable, best or greatest degree attainable; best condition or highest extent of something.

personification

attribution of personal qualities; a person who represents an abstract quality.

pertinacity

stubborn persistence or act of refusing to yield on an opinion or belief.

prate

to talk idly or foolishly at great length; speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly.

precept

a rule guiding conduct or imposing a standard.

repulse

to repel or to rebuff (usually with rudeness); force or drive back.

scribe

a journalist, a public secretary or clerk; someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts.

sophistry

practice of intentionally misleading arguments that seem to be plausible.

supplication

begging, humbly asking for a favor.

traducer

one who slanders or speaks falsely about someone.

venturesome

being bold and taking risks.

waylay

to ambush or to attack unexpectedly; wait in hiding to attack.