| annals |
a chronological record of events, usually year by year. |
| exhaustive |
thorough and all-encompassing. |
| fluency |
the ability to speak or write smoothly and easily in another language. |
| hone |
to make more effective or adept; perfect. |
| insubstantial |
lacking firmness or solidity; slight. |
| languish |
to lose strength or energy; weaken. |
| pallid |
pale or whitened; lacking color. |
| qualm |
a feeling of guilt or doubt. |
| raucous |
loud, sharp, and rasping, as, at times, a bird's call or a human's voice or laugh. |
| retroactive |
going into operation or effect as of a previous date, or in respect to past events or circumstances. |
| ruminate |
to think at length; meditate. |
| self-determination |
the ability or freedom of a people to decide their own form of government. |
| suave |
polished and urbane. |
| vindicate |
to free from an accusation, suspicion, or doubt by indisputable proof. |
| wasteland |
land where there are no living things or where nothing will grow. |