| absolutist |
of or relating to government by total, unrestrained power. |
| decadence |
a decline into immorality; loss of moral values. |
| defile1 |
to make unclean, foul, or filthy. |
| emaciate |
to waste away the flesh of, usually by starvation or disease; make extremely thin. |
| emboss |
to decorate the surface of with a raised design. |
| gratis |
without charging money; freely. |
| iridescent |
emitting or reflecting a lustrous play of colors covering the spectrum, like a rainbow. |
| lateral |
about, from, or toward a side or sides; sideways. |
| neutrality |
the foreign policy of a nation that refuses to take sides in an international dispute. |
| pristine |
pure, fresh, or clean as new; unspoiled or unsullied. |
| rostrum |
a raised platform or dais for public speaking. |
| ruse |
a trick, pretense, or diversion intended to deceive or mislead. |
| sinuous |
having many curves or turns. |
| stasis |
the state of equilibrium or balance between opposing forces; motionlessness. |
| tenet |
any belief, opinion, doctrine, or the like, that a person or especially an organization holds as being true. |