| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| commodious |
comfortably spacious; roomy. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |