Vocabulary List #14: 12/15/97
| annuity | an amount payable yearly at regular intervals |
| atrophy | a wasting away or progressive decline; degeneration |
| attrition | repentance for sin from fears of punishment; a waning away |
| augur | to predict the future, especially by omens |
| barrister | a counsel that undertakes public trial cases; lawyer |
| bigotry | obstinate or intolerant devotion to one's belief or opinion |
| casuist | one skilled in / given to dealing with cases / conscience or right / wrong |
| conjecture | a conclusion deduced by surmise or guesswork |
| epitome | a summary of a written work; representative; typical |
| erroneous | containing or characterized by error; mistaken; wrong |
| expediency | quality or state of being suited to the end in view |
| extricate | to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty |
| flotsam | unimportant miscellaneous material; floating wreckage |
| foment | to promote growth and development of |
| frugality | economy in the expenditure of resources |
| horde | wandering tribe or group; crowd; pack |
| inchoate | being only partly in existence or operation; not yet clearly formed |
| indolent | causing little or no pain; avoiding work; lazy |
| laconic | using or involving the use of minimum words; concise |
| libelous | seditious; defamatory; slanderous writing |
| liquidate | to get rid of; to settle by payment or other method |
| litigation | a legal consent by judicial process |
| motley | composed of diverse, often incongruous elements; wearing many colors |
| obdurate | stubbornly persistant in wrongdoing; hard-hearted; hardened |
| petulant | insolent or rude in speech or behavior; impatient; immodest |
| placate | to soothe or mollify, especially by concessions |
| tirade | a long vehement speech, especially one of denunciation |
| traduce | to deface; slander; vilify |
| vaunt | to boast or brag |
| zenith | the highest point; culmination; peak |