trample
vb. (when intr, usually foll by on, upon, or over).
1) to stamp or walk roughly (on).
2) to encroach (upon) so as to violate or hurt.
;n.3) the action or sound of trampling.
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trough
n.1) a narrow open container, esp one in which food or water for animals is put.
2) a narrow channel, gutter, or gulley.
3) a narrow depression either in the land surface, ocean bed, or between two successive waves.
4) meteorology an elongated area of low pressure, esp an extension of a depression.
5) a single or temporary low point; depression.
6) physics the portion of a wave, such as a light wave, in which the amplitude lies below its average value.
7) economics the lowest point or most depressed stage of the trade cycle.
;vb.8) (intr) informal to eat, consume, or take greedily.
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swathe
vb. (tr).
1) to bandage (a wound, limb, etc.), esp completely.
2) to wrap a band, garment, etc., around, esp so as to cover completely; swaddle.
3) to envelop.
;n.4) a bandage or wrapping.
5) a variant spelling of swath.
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expenditure
n.1) something expended, such as time or money.
2) the act of expending.
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archaic
adj.1) belonging to or characteristic of a much earlier period; ancient.
2) out of date; antiquated.
3) (of idiom, vocabulary, etc.) characteristic of an earlier period of a language and not in ordinary use.
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flub
n.1) an embarrasssing mistake or blunder.
;vb. flubs, flubbing, flubbed.
2) (intr) to blunder or make an embarrasssing mistake.
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souped-up
<No meaning yet.>
marshy
adj. marshier, marshiest.
of, involving, or like a marsh
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volatility
<No meaning yet.>
meteoric
adj.1) of, formed by, or relating to meteors.
2) like a meteor in brilliance, speed, or transience.
3) rare of or relating to the weather; meteorological.
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cyclical
<No meaning yet.>
chug
n.1) a short dull sound, esp one that is rapidly repeated, such as that made by an engine.
;vb. chugs, chugging, chugged.
2) (intr) (of an engine, etc.) to operate while making such sounds.
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exasperate
vb. (tr).
1) to cause great irritation or anger to; infuriate.
2) to cause (an unpleasant feeling, condition, etc.) to worsen; aggravate.
;adj.3) botany having a rough prickly surface because of the presence of hard projecting points.
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pert
<No meaning yet.>
detritus
n.1) a loose mass of stones, silt, etc., worn away from rocks.
2) an accumulation of disintegrated material or debris.
3) the organic debris formed from the decay of organisms.
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filler
n.1) a person or thing that fills.
2) an object or substance used to add weight or size to something or to fill in a gap.
3) a paste, used for filling in cracks, holes, etc., in a surface before painting.
4) architecture a small joist inserted between and supported by two beams.
5).
a) the inner portion of a cigar.
b) the cut tobacco for making cigarettes.
6) journalism articles, photographs, etc., to fill space between more important articles in the layout of a newspaper or magazine.
7) informal something, such as a musical selection, to fill time in a broadcast or stage presentation.
8) a small radio or television transmitter used to fill a gap in coverage.
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slug
informal chiefly US. and Canadian a slow-moving or lazy person or animal.
•
1) an fps unit of mass; the mass that will acquire an acceleration of 1 foot per second per second when acted upon by a force of 1 pound. 1 slug is approximately equal to 32.17 pounds.
2) metallurgy a metal blank from which small forgings are worked.
3) a bullet or pellet larger than a pellet of buckshot.
4) chiefly US and Canadian a metal token for use in slot machines, etc.
5) printing.
a) a thick strip of type metal that is less than type-high and is used for spacing.
b) a similar strip carrying a type-high letter, used as a temporary mark by compositors.
c) a metal strip containing a line of characters as produced by a linecaster.
6) a draught of a drink, esp an alcoholic one.
7) a magnetic core that is screwed into or out of an inductance coil to adjust the tuning of a radio frequency amplifier.
;vb. slugs, slugging, slugged.
1) to hit very hard and solidly, as in boxing.
2) (intr) US and Canadian to plod as if through snow.
3) (tr) Austral and NZ informal to charge (someone) an exorbitant price.
4).
;n.5) an act of slugging; heavy blow.
6) Austral and NZ informal an exorbitant charge or price.
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forthright
adj.1) direct and outspoken.
;adv. also forthrightly.
2) in a direct manner; frankly.
3) at once.
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plump
adj.1) well filled out or rounded; fleshy or chubby.
2) bulging, as with contents; full.
3) (of amounts of money) generous; ample.
;vb.4) (often foll by up or out) to make or become plump.
;vb.1) (often foll by down, into, etc.) to drop or fall suddenly and heavily.
2) (intr; foll by for) to give support (to) or make a choice (of) one out of a group or number.
;n.3) a heavy abrupt fall or the sound of this.
;adv.4) suddenly or heavily.
5) straight down; directly.
;adj., adv.
6) in a blunt, direct, or decisive manner.
;n. archaic or dialect.
a group of people, animals, or things; troop; cluster
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compunction
n.a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret
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untenable
adj.1) (of theories, propositions, etc.) incapable of being maintained, defended, or vindicated.
2) unable to be maintained against attack.
3) rare (of a house, etc.) unfit for occupation.
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quandary
n., pl -ries.
a situation or circumstance that presents problems difficult to solve; predicament; dilemma
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hygienic
adj.promoting health or cleanliness; sanitary
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vouch
vb.1) (intr; usually foll by for) to give personal assurance; guarantee.
2) (when tr, usually takes a clause as object; when intr, usually foll by for) to furnish supporting evidence (for) or function as proof (of).
3) (tr) English legal history to summon (a person who had warranted title to land) to defend that title or give up land of equal value.
4) (tr) archaic to cite (authors, principles, etc.) in support of something.
5) (tr) obsolete to assert.
;n.6) obsolete the act of vouching; assertion or allegation.
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nuisance
n.1).
a) a person or thing that causes annoyance or bother.
b) (as modifier).
;n.uisance calls.
2) law something unauthorized that is obnoxious or injurious to the community at large (public nuisance) or to an individual, esp in relation to his ownership or occupation of property (private nuisance).
3).
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crave
vb.1) (when intr, foll by for or after) to desire intensely; long (for).
2) (tr) to need greatly or urgently.
3) (tr) to beg or plead for.
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portly
adj. -lier, -liest.
1) stout or corpulent.
2) archaic stately; impressive.
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loll
vb.1) (intr) to lie, lean, or lounge in a lazy or relaxed manner.
2) to hang or allow to hang loosely.
;n.3) an act or instance of lolling.
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stringent
adj.1) requiring strict attention to rules, procedure, detail, etc.
2) finance characterized by or causing a shortage of credit, loan capital, etc.
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blight
n.1) any plant disease characterized by withering and shrivelling without rotting.
2) any factor, such as bacterial attack or air pollution, that causes the symptoms of blight in plants.
3) a person or thing that mars or prevents growth, improvement, or prosperity.
4) an ugly urban district.
5) the state or condition of being blighted or spoilt.
;vb.6) to cause or suffer a blight.
7) (tr) to frustrate or disappoint.
8) (tr) to spoil; destroy.
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diesel
n.1) See: diesel engine.
2) a ship, locomotive, lorry, etc., driven by a diesel engine.
3) informal short for diesel oil (or fuel).
4) South African slang any cola drink.
5).
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mince
vb.1) (tr) to chop, grind, or cut into very small pieces.
2) (tr) to soften or moderate, esp for the sake of convention or politeness.
3) (intr) to walk or speak in an affected dainty manner.
;n.4) chiefly Brit minced meat.
5) informal nonsensical rubbish.
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nocturnal
<No meaning yet.>
cinder
n.1) a piece of incombustible material left after the combustion of coal, coke, etc.; clinker.
2) a piece of charred material that burns without flames; ember.
3) Also called: sinter.
4) (plural) fragments of volcanic lava; scoriae.
;vb.5) (tr) rare to burn to cinders.
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slurry
n., pl -ries.
a suspension of solid particles in a liquid, as in a mixture of cement, clay, coal dust, manure, meat, etc. with water
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conical
<No meaning yet.>
eviscerate
vb.1) (tr) to remove the internal organs of; disembowel.
2) (tr) to deprive of meaning or significance.
3) (tr) surgery to remove the contents of (the eyeball or other organ).
4) (intr) surgery (of the viscera) to protrude through a weakened abdominal incision after an operation.
;adj.5) having been disembowelled.
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cull
vb. (tr).
1) to choose or gather the best or required examples.
2) to take out (an animal, esp an inferior one) from a herd.
3) to reduce the size of (a herd or flock) by killing a proportion of its members.
4) to gather (flowers, fruit, etc.).
5) to cease to employ; get rid of.
;n.6) the act or product of culling.
7) an inferior animal taken from a herd or group.
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perturbation
n.1) the act of perturbing or the state of being perturbed.
2) a cause of disturbance or upset.
3) physics a secondary influence on a system that modifies simple behaviour, such as the effect of the other electrons on one electron in an atom.
4) astronomy a small continuous deviation in the inclination and eccentricity of the orbit of a planet or comet, due to the attraction of neighbouring planets.
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deference
n.1) submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc., of another.
2) courteous regard; respect.
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progeny
n., pl -nies.
1) the immediate descendant or descendants of a person, animal, etc.
2) a result or outcome.
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expunge
vb. (tr).
1) to delete or erase; blot out; obliterate.
2) to wipe out or destroy.
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echelon
n.1) a level of command, responsibility, etc. (esp in the phrase the upper echelons).
2) military.
a) a formation in which units follow one another but are offset sufficiently to allow each unit a line of fire ahead.
b) a group formed in this way.
3) physics a type of diffraction grating used in spectroscopy consisting of a series of plates of equal thickness arranged stepwise with a constant offset.
;vb.4) to assemble in echelon.
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showdown
n.1) informal an action that brings matters to a head or acts as a conclusion or point of decision.
2) poker the exposing of the cards in the players' hands on the table at the end of the game.
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hegemon
<No meaning yet.>
hyperbolic
adj.1) of or relating to a hyperbola.
2) rhetoric of or relating to a hyperbole.
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laurel
n.1) Also called: bay, true laurel.
2) any lauraceous plant.
3) short for cherry laurel or mountain laurel.
4).
5).
6) (plural) a wreath of true laurel, worn on the head as an emblem of victory or honour in classical times.
7) (plural) honour, distinction, or fame.
8).
9).
;vb. -rels, -relling, -relled or US -rels, -reling, -reled.
10) (tr) to crown with laurels.
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moat
n.1) a wide water-filled ditch surrounding a fortified place, such as a castle.
;vb.2) (tr) to surround with or as if with a moat.
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also-ran
<No meaning yet.>
belch
vb.1) (usually intr) to expel wind from the stomach noisily through the mouth; eructate.
2) to expel or be expelled forcefully from inside.
3) to say (curses, insults, etc.) violently or bitterly.
;n.4) an act of belching; eructation.
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glut
n.1) an excessive amount, as in the production of a crop, often leading to a fall in price.
2) the act of glutting or state of being glutted.
;vb. gluts, glutting, glutted (tr).
3) to feed or supply beyond capacity.
4) to supply (a market) with a commodity in excess of the demand for it.
5) to cram full or choke up.
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blister
n.1) a small bubble-like elevation of the skin filled with serum, produced as a reaction to a burn, mechanical irritation, etc.
2) a swelling containing air or liquid, as on a painted surface.
3) a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation.
4) slang an irritating person.
5) NZ slang a rebuke.
;vb.6) to have or cause to have blisters.
7) (tr) to attack verbally with great scorn or sarcasm.
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dalliance
n.1) waste of time in frivolous action or in dawdling.
2) an archaic word for flirtation.
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aromatic
adj.1) having a distinctive, usually fragrant smell.
2) (of an organic compound) having an unsaturated ring containing alternating double and single bonds, esp containing a benzene ring; exhibiting aromaticity.
;n.3) something, such as a plant or drug, giving off a fragrant smell.
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slosh
n.1) watery mud, snow, etc.
2) Brit slang a heavy blow.
3) the sound of splashing liquid.
4) a popular dance with a traditional routine of steps, kicks, and turns performed in lines.
;vb.5) (tr; foll by around, on, in, etc.) informal to throw or pour (liquid).
6) (when intr, often foll by about or around) informal.
a) to shake or stir (something) in a liquid.
b) (of a person) to splash (around) in water, etc.
7) (tr) Brit slang to deal a heavy blow to.
8) (usually foll by about or around) informal to shake (a container of liquid) or (of liquid within a container) to be shaken.
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injunction
n.1) law an instruction or order issued by a court to a party to an action, esp to refrain from some act, such as causing a nuisance.
2) a command, admonition, etc.
3) the act of enjoining.
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rout
n.1) an overwhelming defeat.
2) a disorderly retreat.
3) a noisy rabble.
4) law a group of three or more people proceeding to commit an illegal act.
5) archaic a large party or social gathering.
;vb.6) (tr) to defeat and cause to flee in confusion.
;vb.1) to dig over or turn up (something), esp (of an animal) with the snout; root.
2) (tr; usually foll by out or up) to get or find by searching.
3) (tr; usually foll by out) to force or drive out.
4) (tr; often foll by out) to hollow or gouge out.
5) (intr) to search, poke, or rummage.
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cachet
n.1) an official seal on a document, letter, etc.
2) a distinguishing mark; stamp.
3) prestige; distinction.
4) philately.
a) a mark stamped by hand on mail for commemorative purposes.
b) a small mark made by dealers and experts on the back of postage stamps.
5) a hollow wafer, formerly used for enclosing an unpleasant-tasting medicine.
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laconic
adj.(of a person's speech) using few words; terse
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insipid
adj.1) lacking spirit; boring.
2) lacking taste; unpalatable.
;
pragmatic
adj.1) advocating behaviour that is dictated more by practical consequences than by theory or dogma.
2) philosophy of or relating to pragmatism.
3) involving everyday or practical business.
4) of or concerned with the affairs of a state or community.
5) rare interfering or meddlesome; officious.
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iconoclast
n.1) a person who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws, etc.
2).
a) a destroyer of religious images or sacred objects.
b) an adherent of the heretical movement within the Greek Orthodox Church from 725 to 842 AD, which aimed at the destruction of icons and religious images.
;
profligate
adj.1) shamelessly immoral or debauched.
2) wildly extravagant or wasteful.
;n.3) a profligate person.
;
prosaic
adj.1) lacking imagination.
2) having the characteristics of prose.
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ameliorate
vb.to make or become better; improve
;
obsequious
adj.1) obedient or attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner.
2) now rare submissive or compliant.
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capricious
adj.characterized by or liable to sudden unpredictable changes in attitude or behaviour; impulsive; fickle
;
orthodox
adj.1) conforming with established or accepted standards, as in religion, behaviour, or attitudes.
2) conforming to the Christian faith as established by the early Church.
;adj.1) of or relating to the Orthodox Church of the East.
2) (sometimes not capital).
a) of or relating to Orthodox Judaism.
b) (of an individual Jew) strict in the observance of Talmudic law and in personal devotions.
;
pellucid
adj.1) transparent or translucent.
2) extremely clear in style and meaning; limpid.
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corroborate
vb.1) (tr) to confirm or support (facts, opinions, etc.), esp by providing fresh evidence.
;adj. archaic.
2) serving to corroborate a fact, an opinion, etc.
3) (of a fact) corroborated.
;
magnanimous
adj.generous and noble
;
scrupulous
adj.1) characterized by careful observation of what is morally right.
2) very careful or precise.
;
prolific
adj.1) producing fruit, offspring, etc., in abundance.
2) producing constant or successful results.
3) (often foll by in or of) rich or fruitful.
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dogmatic
adj.1).
a) (of a statement, opinion, etc.) forcibly asserted as if authoritative and unchallengeable.
b) (of a person) prone to making such statements.
2) of, relating to, or constituting dogma.
3) based on assumption rather than empirical observation.
;
mercurial
adj.1) of, like, containing, or relating to mercury.
2) volatile; lively.
3) (sometimes capital) of, like, or relating to the god or the planet Mercury.
;n.4) medicine any salt of mercury for use as a medicine.
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exacerbate
vb. (tr).
1) to make (pain, disease, emotion, etc.) more intense; aggravate.
2) to exasperate or irritate (a person).
;
redundant
adj.1) surplus to requirements; unnecessary or superfluous.
2) verbose or tautological.
3) deprived of one's job because it is no longer necessary for efficient operation.
4) (of components, information, etc.) duplicated or added as a precaution against failure, error, etc.
;
hackneyed
adj.(of phrases, fashions, etc.) used so often as to be trite, dull, and stereotyped
;
prudent
adj.1) discreet or cautious in managing one's activities; circumspect.
2) practical and careful in providing for the future.
3) exercising good judgment or common sense.
;
impetuous
adj.1) liable to act without consideration; rash; impulsive.
2) resulting from or characterized by rashness or haste.
3) poetic moving with great force or violence; rushing.
;
idiosyncrasy
n., pl -sies.
1) a tendency, type of behaviour, mannerism, etc., of a specific person; quirk.
2) the composite physical or psychological make-up of a specific person.
3) an abnormal reaction of an individual to specific foods, drugs, or other agents.
;
extant
adj.1) still in existence; surviving.
2) archaic standing out; protruding.
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obscure
adj.1) unclear or abstruse.
2) indistinct, vague, or indefinite.
3) inconspicuous or unimportant.
4) hidden, secret, or remote.
5) (of a vowel) reduced to or transformed into a neutral vowel (<FONT COLOR=RED>[ə]</FONT>).
6) gloomy, dark, clouded, or dim.
;vb. (tr).
7) to make unclear, vague, or hidden.
8) to cover or cloud over.
9) phonetics to pronounce (a vowel) with articulation that causes it to become a neutral sound represented by (<FONT COLOR=RED>[ə]</FONT>).
;n.10) a rare word for obscurity.
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didactic
adj.1) intended to instruct, esp excessively.
2) morally instructive; improving.
3) (of works of art or literature) containing a political or moral message to which aesthetic considerations are subordinated.
;
pithy
adj. pithier, pithiest.
1) terse and full of meaning or substance.
2) of, resembling, or full of pith.
;
copious
adj.1) abundant; extensive in quantity.
2) having or providing an abundant supply.
3) full of words, ideas, etc.; profuse.
;
ostentation
n.pretentious, showy, or vulgar display
;
adulterate
vb.1) (tr) to debase by adding inferior material.
;adj.2) adulterated; debased or impure.
3) a less common word for adulterous.
;
vociferous
adj.1) characterized by vehemence, clamour, or noisiness.
2) making an outcry or loud noises; clamorous.
;
taciturn
adj.habitually silent, reserved, or uncommunicative; not inclined to conversation
;
obdurate
adj.1) not easily moved by feelings or supplication; hardhearted.
2) impervious to persuasion, esp to moral persuasion.
;
garrulous
adj.1) given to constant and frivolous chatter; loquacious; talkative.
2) wordy or diffuse; prolix.
;
misanthrope
n.a person who dislikes or distrusts other people or mankind in general
;
lionize
vb. (tr).
to treat as or make into a celebrity
;
imminent
adj.1) liable to happen soon; impending.
2) obsolete jutting out or overhanging.
;
benign
adj.1) showing kindliness; genial.
2) (of soil, climate, etc.) mild; gentle.
3) favourable; propitious.
4) pathology (of a tumour, etc.) not threatening to life or health; not malignant.
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dissonance
n.1) a discordant combination of sounds.
2) lack of agreement or consistency.
3) music.
a) a sensation commonly associated with all intervals of the second and seventh, all diminished and augmented intervals, and all chords based on these intervals.
b) an interval or chord of this kind.
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inculpate
vb. (tr).
to incriminate; cause blame to be imputed to
;
docile
adj.1) easy to manage, control, or discipline; submissive.
2) rare ready to learn; easy to teach.
;
sporadic
adj.1) occurring at irregular points in time; intermittent.
2) scattered; isolated.
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