| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| internecine |
of or pertaining to conflict, discord, or struggle within a group. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |