| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |