Educational

repine

[ri-pahyn]

to be fretfully discontented; fret; complain

somber

[som-ber]

gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted

anfractuous

[an-frak-choo-uhs]

characterized by windings and turnings; sinuous; circuitous

abgesang

[ab-guh-zong]

the concluding section in musical and poetic bar form

zeitgeber

[tsahyt-gey-ber]

an environmental cue, as the length of daylight or the degree of temperature, that helps to regulate the cycles of an organism's biological clock

poignant

[poin-yuhnt]

keenly distressing to the feelings

abridge

[uh-brij]

to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents

strident

[strahyd-nt]

making or having a harsh sound; grating; creaking

transcend

[tran-send]

to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed

commensurate

[kuh-men-ser-it]

corresponding in amount, magnitude, or degree

risible

[riz-uh-buhl]

having the ability, disposition, or readiness to laugh

obdurate

[ob-doo-rit]

unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding

connive

[kuh-nahyv]

to cooperate secretly; conspire (often followed by with)

perambulate

[per-am-byuh-leyt]

to walk through or over; travel through; traverse

sigil

[sij-il]

a seal or signet

conviction

[val-i-deyt]

a fixed or firm belief

threnody

[thren-uh-dee]

a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, especially for the dead; dirge; funeral song

conflate

[kuhn-fleyt]

to fuse into one entity; merge

virulence

[vir-yuh-luhns]

venomous hostility or intense temper

relegate

[rel-i-geyt]

to send or consign to an inferior position, place, or condition

peristyle

[per-uh-stahyl]

a colonnade surrounding a building or an open space

viscous

[vis-kuhs]

of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive

ailurophile

[ahy-loor-uh-fahyl]

a person who likes cats; cat fancier

excoriate

[ik-skawr-ee-eyt]

to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally