| caucus |
a private meeting of leaders of a political party to choose candidates or determine policy, or such a group itself. |
| heretofore |
prior to this time; before now. |
| impasse |
a situation that allows no escape or solution; stalemate. |
| intransigent |
refusing to alter an idea or a position in response to others' wishes; uncompromising. |
| laud |
to praise. |
| limbo1 |
(often capitalized) in theology, a place neither in heaven nor hell for souls neither saved nor condemned, such as those of unbaptized infants. |
| morbid |
in an unhealthy, gloomy mental state; preoccupied with sickness, abnormality, or death. |
| parameter |
any of a set of specifications or limits, the value or variations of which determine the form or behavior of something. |
| perdition |
the loss of the soul for eternity; damnation. |
| ratify |
to approve in an official way; confirm. |
| resilient |
able to withstand and recover quickly from difficulty, sickness, or the like. |
| shard |
a piece of a broken object, especially a fragment of pottery or glass. |
| sordid |
morally bad; ignoble or base. |
| tome |
a large thick book, often one of a multivolume scholarly work. |
| transcendental |
beyond the limits of ordinary experience, thought, or belief; supernatural, visionary, or mystical. |