vocab 11 12

Battery

A beating or pounding, especially an unlawful beating, as in assault and battery // guns or heavy artillery // a group of similar things used together

Battlement

A defense wall with alternating high and low sections

Abate

To reduce in quantity or intensity; to subside; to diminish

Bellicose

Warlike; eager to fight

Belligerent

A country or persons engaged in warfare or hostile action / behaving in a hostile or aggressive manner; engaged in combat

daunt

to intimidate; to discourage or disheartenin

indomitable

unconquerable

Forte

a person’s strong point; the thing in which a person excels // in music, loudly; forcefully

fortitude

courage in enduring pain or trouble

carte blanche

unrestricted power to act at one’s discretion; unconditional permission or authority

cartel

An organization of firms in the same industry for the purpose of regulating production, pricing, and marketin of goods and decreasing competition by members // a coalition of political or special-interest groups to achieve a common cause; a bloc

cartographer

a maker of maps or charts

pugilist

a fistfighter, especially a professional boxer

pugnacious

quarrelsome; eager for a fight

impugn

to oppose or attack as false; to seek to discredit

cadence

a rhythmic flow of sound, as in poetry or oratory, or of movement, as in marching or dancing

casuistry

the use of moral principles to reason out what is right or wrong in everyday situations (usually associated with a morality that emphasizes adherence to established laws) // subtle but misleading or false application of reasoning; a quibbling or evasive way of making difficult decisions

decadent

declining or decaying (applied to a condition, thing, or people) // a person who is decaying mentally or morally // (usually capitalized) a member of a group of ninettenth-century French and English artists who were inspired by artificial and morbid things

Occident

(capitalized) The parts of the world that lie west of Asia, especially the countries of Europe and the western hemisphere

Recidivism

A relapse into a former habit, especially criminal or antisocial behavior

Cede

to yield or surrender rights or possessions, usually officially

accede

to consent; to agree (used with to) // to take office; to become a ruler (used with to)

Concession

The act of granting or yielding // permission by authority for special use, especially the privilege of setting up a business in a certain place, or the place itself

Intercede

To act on another’s behalf // To mediate in a dispute; to seek to reconcile differences

Predatory

Preying on other animals // plundering; exploiting or victimizing others

depredation

destruction; plunder

punctilious

precise; scrupulous; attentive to details, especially of etiquette

pungent

having a strong, biting taste or smell

compunction

uneasiness caused by guilt; remorse; scruples

expunge

to omit; to delete; to obliterate