| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| fealty |
faithfulness or loyalty. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |