| abuse |
cruel or harmful treatment. |
| crypt |
a burial chamber or underground vault, especially one beneath a church. |
| dictator |
a ruler who has total authority. |
| fanciful |
exhibiting use of the imagination; whimsical or imaginative. |
| institution |
an organization set up for a specific purpose, such as hospitals, churches, prisons, charities, and schools. |
| interpret |
to decide on or explain the meaning of. |
| jealousy |
a feeling of envy towards another person and what he or she has or can do. |
| mystify |
to confuse or puzzle, often on purpose. |
| pend |
to await judgment or decision. |
| precede |
to come before in time. |
| purport |
to assert or allege, especially falsely. |
| rustic |
living or happening in the country. |
| spiritual |
of or pertaining to the soul or matters of the soul, the part of a human being that is believed to be the higher or deeper self and not part of the body. |
| stagnant |
standing still; motionless. |
| whet |
to sharpen the cutting edge of (a knife or tool); hone. |