| abridge |
to make shorter. |
| benefactor |
one who helps or brings good to an individual or an institution, usually by giving money. |
| bilious |
ill-tempered; irritable. |
| decorum |
properness of behavior, manner, appearance, or the like; dignity; propriety. |
| embalm |
to treat (a corpse) with preservatives before burial. |
| harangue |
a long, vehement, and often pompous speech or piece of writing, especially such a speech delivered in public; tirade. |
| indisposed |
slightly and temporarily ill, as with indigestion or a cold. |
| indolent |
inclined to avoid exertion or effort; lazy. |
| languid |
lacking or not showing strength, energy, or spirit; weak, slow, or listless. |
| paraphrase |
a restatement of a passage or text in somewhat different words so as to simplify, clarify, or amplify. |
| partake |
to take part; participate (usually followed by "in"). |
| Philistine |
(sometimes lower case) one who is ignorant of, smugly indifferent to, or hostile to aesthetic and cultural values. |
| primacy |
the state of being first, earliest, most essential, or most important. |
| protagonist |
the leading character in a literary work. |
| tacit |
suggested, implied, or understood, without being expressed in words. |