| adamantine |
firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| animus |
a feeling or attitude of enmity. |
| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| eruct |
to belch forth. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| impermeable |
not permitting passage or penetration. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |