| atonement |
the act of making reparation for a sin, crime, error, or the like. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| internecine |
of or pertaining to conflict, discord, or struggle within a group. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |