| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| eruct |
to belch forth. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| topography |
the shape of the earth's surface across an area or region. The topography of an area includes the size and location of hills and dips in the land. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |