A Country Rag

alien 1. a resident born in or belonging to another country who has not acquired citizenship by naturalization (distinguished from citizen). 2. a foreigner. 3. a person who has been estranged or excluded. 4. a creature from outer space; extraterrestrial.

angel 1. one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of God. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels). 2. a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes. 3. a messenger, esp. of God. 4. a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God: an angel of mercy. 5. a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness. 6. a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous. 7. an attendant or guardian spirit. 8. a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven. 9. Informal. a person who provides financial backing for some undertaking, as a play or political campaign. 10. an English gold coin issued from 1470 to 1634, varying in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s. and bearing on its obverse a figure of the archangel Michael killing a dragon. 11. Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.

are pres. indic. pl. and 2nd pers. sing. of be.

art 1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. 2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection. 3. a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art. 4. the fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture: art and architecture. 5. any field using the skills or techniques of art: advertising art; industrial art. 6. (in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material: Is there any art with the copy for this story? 7. the principles or methods governing any craft or branch of learning: the art of baking; the art of selling. 8. the craft or trade using these principles or methods. 9. skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation. 10. a branch of learning or university study, esp. one of the fine arts or the humanities, as music, philosophy, or literature. 11. arts, a. (used with a singular verb) the humanities: a college of arts and sciences. b. (used with a plural verb) liberal arts. 12. skilled workmanship, execution, or agency, as distinguished from nature. 13. trickery; cunning: glib and devious art. 14. studied action; artificiality in behavior. 15. an artifice or artful device: the innumerable arts and wiles of politics. 16. Archaic. science, learning, or scholarship.

atheism 1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God. 2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

baby 1. an infant or very young child. 2. a newborn or very young animal. 3. the youngest member of a family, group, etc. 4. an immature or childish person. 5. a human fetus. 6. Informal. a. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a girl or woman, esp. an attractive one. b. a person of whom one is deeply fond; sweetheart. c. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar address (sometimes offensive when used to strangers, casual acquaintances, subordinates, etc., esp. by a male to a female). d. a man or boy; chap; fellow: He's a tough baby to have to deal with. e. an invention, creation, project, or the like that requires one's special attention or expertise or of which one is especially proud. f. an object; thing: Is that car there your baby?

barbarous 1. uncivilized; wild; savage; crude. 2. savagely cruel or harsh: The prisoners of war were given barbarous treatment. 3. full of harsh sounds; noisy; discordant: an evening of wild and barbarous music. 4. not conforming to classical standards or accepted usage, as language. 5. foreign; alien. 6. (among ancient Greeks) designating a person or thing of non-Greek origin.

be 1. to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question. 2. to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week. 3. to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table. 4. to continue or remain as before: Let things be. 5. to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you. 6. (used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she. 7. (used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

beauty 1. the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). 2. a beautiful person, esp. a woman. 3. a beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building. 4. Often, beauties. something that is beautiful in nature or in some natural or artificial environment. 5. an individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm: a vivid blue area that is the one real beauty of the painting. 6. Informal. a particular advantage: One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects. 7. (usually used ironically) something extraordinary: My sunburn was a real beauty. 8. something excellent of its kind: My old car was a beauty.

bigotry 1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. 2. the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot.

bliss 1. supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss. 2. Theology. the joy of heaven. 3. heaven; paradise: the road to eternal bliss. 4. Archaic. a cause of great joy or happiness.

brainwashing 1. a method for systematically changing attitudes or altering beliefs, originated in totalitarian countries, esp. through the use of torture, drugs, or psychological-stress techniques. 2. any method of controlled systematic indoctrination, esp. one based on repetition or confusion: brainwashing by TV commercials. 3. an instance of subjecting or being subjected to such techniques: efforts to halt the brainwashing of captive audiences.

brown 1. a dark tertiary color with a yellowish or reddish hue. 2. a person whose skin has a dusky or light-brown pigmentation. –adjective 3. of the color brown. 4. (of animals) having skin, fur, hair, or feathers of that color. 5. sunburned or tanned. 6. (of persons) having the skin naturally pigmented a brown color.

bully a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people. Synonyms cow, browbeat, coerce; terrorize, tyrannize.

byzantine 1. of or pertaining to Byzantium. 2. of or pertaining to the Byzantine Empire. 3. noting or pertaining to the architecture of the Byzantine Empire and to architecture influenced by or imitating it: characterized by masonry construction, round arches, impost blocks, low domes on pendentives, the presence of fine, spiky foliage patterns in low relief on stone capitals and moldings, and the use of frescoes, mosaics, and revetments of fine stone to cover whole interiors. 4. Fine Arts. pertaining to or designating the style of the fine or decorative arts developed and elaborated in the Byzantine Empire and its provinces: characterized chiefly by an ecclesiastically prescribed iconography, highly formal structure, severe confinement of pictorial space to a shallow depth, and the use of rich, often sumptuous color. 5. (sometimes lowercase) complex or intricate: a deal requiring Byzantine financing. 6. (sometimes lowercase) characterized by elaborate scheming and intrigue, esp. for the gaining of political power or favor: Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship. 7. of or pertaining to the Byzantine Church. A term describing any system that has so many labyrinthine internal interconnections that it would be impossible to simplify by separation into loosely coupled or linked components. The city of Byzantium, later renamed Constantinople and then Istanbul, and the Byzantine Empire were vitiated by a bureaucratic overelaboration bordering on lunacy: quadruple banked agencies, dozens or even scores of superfluous levels and officials with high flown titles unrelated to their actual function, if any. Access to the Emperor and his council was controlled by powerful and inscrutable eunuchs and by rival sports factions.

chameleon see expanded definition page

chaos 1. a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order. 2. any confused, disorderly mass: a chaos of meaningless phrases. 3. the infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe. 4. (initial capital letter) the personification of this in any of several ancient Greek myths. 5. Obsolete. a chasm or abyss.

character 1. the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing. 2. one such feature or trait; characteristic. 3. moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character. 4. qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully. 5. reputation: a stain on one's character. 6. good repute. 7. an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing. 8. a person, esp. with reference to behavior or personality: a suspicious character. 9. Informal. an odd, eccentric, or unusual person. 10. a person represented in a drama, story, etc. 11. a part or role, as in a play or film. 12. a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet. 13. the symbols of a writing system collectively. 14. a significant visual mark or symbol. 15. status or capacity: the character of a justice of the peace. 16. a written statement from an employer concerning the qualities of a former employee. 17. Literature. (esp. in 17th- and 18th-century England) a formal character sketch or descriptive analysis of a particular human virtue or vice as represented in a person or type. Compare character sketch. 18. Genetics. any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment. 19. Computers. a. any symbol, as a number, letter, punctuation mark, etc., that represents data and that, when encoded, is usable by a machine. b. one of a set of basic symbols that singly or in a series of two or more represents data and, when encoded, is usable in a computer. 20. a style of writing or printing. 21. Roman Catholic Theology. the ineffaceable imprint received on the soul through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination. 22. (formerly) a cipher or cipher message.

child 1. a person between birth and full growth; a boy or girl: books for children. 2. a son or daughter: All my children are married. 3. a baby or infant. 4. a human fetus. 5. a childish person: He's such a child about money. 6. a descendant: a child of an ancient breed. 7. any person or thing regarded as the product or result of particular agencies, influences, etc.: Abstract art is a child of the 20th century. 8. a person regarded as conditioned or marked by a given circumstance, situation, etc.: a child of poverty; a child of famine. 9. British Dialect Archaic. a female infant. 10. Archaic. childe. —Idiom 11. with child, pregnant: She's with child.

christmas 1. the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and an occasion for exchanging gifts. 2. Christmastime. 3. Christmastide.

civil 1. of, pertaining to, or consisting of citizens: civil life; civil society. 2. of the commonwealth or state: civil affairs. 3. of citizens in their ordinary capacity, or of the ordinary life and affairs of citizens, as distinguished from military and ecclesiastical life and affairs. 4. of the citizen as an individual: civil liberty. 5. befitting a citizen: a civil duty. 6. of, or in a condition of, social order or organized government; civilized: civil peoples. 7. adhering to the norms of polite social intercourse; not deficient in common courtesy: After their disagreement, their relations were civil though not cordial. 8. marked by benevolence: He was a very civil sort, and we liked him immediately. 9. (of divisions of time) legally recognized in the ordinary affairs of life: the civil year. 10. of or pertaining to civil law.

civilization 1. an advanced state of human society, in which a high level of culture, science, industry, and government has been reached. 2. those people or nations that have reached such a state. 3. any type of culture, society, etc., of a specific place, time, or group: Greek civilization. 4. the act or process of civilizing or being civilized: Rome's civilization of barbaric tribes was admirable. 5. cultural refinement; refinement of thought and cultural appreciation: The letters of Madame de Sévigné reveal her wit and civilization. 6. cities or populated areas in general, as opposed to unpopulated or wilderness areas: The plane crashed in the jungle, hundreds of miles from civilization. 7. modern comforts and conveniences, as made possible by science and technology: After a week in the woods, without television or even running water, the campers looked forward to civilization again.

clown 1. a comic performer, as in a circus, theatrical production, or the like, who wears an outlandish costume and makeup and entertains by pantomiming common situations or actions in exaggerated or ridiculous fashion, by juggling or tumbling, etc. 2. a person who acts like a clown; comedian; joker; buffoon; jester. 3. a prankster; a practical joker. 4. Slang. a coarse, ill-bred person; a boor. 5. a peasant; rustic.

comet a celestial body moving about the sun, usually in a highly eccentric orbit, consisting of a central mass surrounded by an envelope of dust and gas that may form a tail that streams away from the sun. [Origin: 1150–1200; ME comete < AF, OF < L cométés, cométa < Gk komtés wearing long hair, equiv. to komé-, var. s. of komân to let one's hair grow (deriv. of kómé hair) + -tés agent suffix]

confusion 1. the act of confusing. 2. the state of being confused. 3. disorder; upheaval; tumult; chaos: The army retreated in confusion. 4. lack of clearness or distinctness: a confusion in his mind between right and wrong. 5. perplexity; bewilderment: The more difficult questions left us in complete confusion. 6. embarrassment or abashment: He blushed in confusion. 7. Psychiatry. a disturbed mental state; disorientation. 8. Archaic. defeat, overthrow, or ruin.

conscience 1. the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience. 2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual. 3. an inhibiting sense of what is prudent: I'd eat another piece of pie but my conscience would bother me. 4. conscientiousness. 5. Obsolete. consciousness; self-knowledge. 6. Obsolete. strict and reverential observance.

consciousness 1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc. 2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people: the moral consciousness of a nation. 3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life: to regain consciousness after fainting. 4. awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge: consciousness of wrongdoing. 5. concern, interest, or acute awareness: class consciousness. 6. the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes. 7. Philosophy. the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.

constitution 1. the way in which a thing is composed or made up; makeup; composition: the chemical constitution of the cleanser. 2. the physical character of the body as to strength, health, etc.: He has a strong constitution. 3. Medicine/Medical, Psychology. the aggregate of a person's physical and psychological characteristics. 4. the act or process of constituting; establishment. 5. the state of being constituted; formation. 6. any established arrangement or custom. 7. (initial capital letter) Constitution of the United States. 8. the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation, or the like, is governed. 9. the document embodying these principles. 10. Archaic. character or condition of mind; disposition; temperament. [Origin: 1350–1400; ME constitucion edict, ordinance < AF < L constitūtiōn- (s. of constitūtiō). See constitute, -ion]

conviction 1. a fixed or firm belief. 2. the act of convicting. 3. the state of being convicted. 4. the act of convincing. 5. the state of being convinced. [Origin: 1400–50; late ME < LL convictiōn- (s. of convictiō) proof (of guilt). See convict, -ion]

corporate governance quotient: Eight core topics comprise the CGQ rating: (1) board structure and composition, (2) audit issues, (3) charter and bylaw provisions, (4) laws of the state of incorporation, (5) executive and director compensation, (6) qualitative factors (7) D&O stock ownership, and (8) director education. The score for each core topic reflects a set of key governance variables. The current list comprises 61 of these sub issues. In addition, some variables are analyzed in combination with other provisions. For example, a board with a majority of independent directors and all-independent key board panels (audit, nominating and compensation) receives a higher rating for each of these attributes than it would if it had either one of them in isolation.

cosmos 1. the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system. 2. a complete, orderly, harmonious system. 3. order; harmony. 4. any composite plant of the genus Cosmos, of tropical America, some species of which, as C. bipannatus and C. sulphureus, are cultivated for their showy ray flowers. 5. Also, Kosmos. (initial capital letter) Aerospace. one of a long series of Soviet satellites that have been launched into orbit around the earth. [Origin: 1150–1200; ME < Gk kósmos order, form, arrangement, the world or universe]

courage 1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. 2. Obsolete. the heart as the source of emotion. —Idiom3. have the courage of one's convictions, to act in accordance with one's beliefs, esp. in spite of criticism. [Origin: 1250–1300; ME corage < OF, equiv. to cuer heart (< L cor; see heart) + -age -age] —Synonyms 1. fearlessness, dauntlessness, intrepidity, pluck, spirit. Courage, bravery, valor, bravado refer to qualities of spirit and conduct. Courage permits one to face extreme dangers and difficulties without fear: to take (or lose) courage. Bravery implies true courage with daring and an intrepid boldness: bravery in a battle. Valor implies heroic courage: valor in fighting for the right. Bravado is now usually a boastful and ostentatious pretense of courage or bravery: empty bravado. —Antonyms 1. cowardice.

coward a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

creativity 1. the state or quality of being creative. 2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts. 3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability: Extensive reading stimulated his creativity.

crimes against humanity description from Survivors Rights International

criminal 1. of the nature of or involving crime. 2. guilty of crime. 3. Law. of or pertaining to crime or its punishment: a criminal proceeding. 4. senseless; foolish: It's criminal to waste so much good food. 5. exorbitant; grossly overpriced: They charge absolutely criminal prices. –noun 6. a person guilty or convicted of a crime.

death 1. the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism. Compare brain death. 2. an instance of this: a death in the family; letters published after his death. 3. the state of being dead: to lie still in death. 4. extinction; destruction: It will mean the death of our hopes. 5. manner of dying: a hero's death. 6. (usually initial capital letter) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe. Compare Grim Reaper. 7. Also called spiritual death. loss or absence of spiritual life. 8. Christian Science. the false belief that life comes to an end. 9. bloodshed or murder: Hitler was responsible for the death of millions. 10. a cause or occasion of death: You'll be the death of me yet! 11. Archaic. pestilence; plague. Compare Black Death.

democracy 1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2. a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies. 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. 4. political or social equality; democratic spirit. 5. the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

despot 1. a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat. 2. any tyrant or oppressor. 3. History/Historical. an honorary title applied to a Byzantine emperor, afterward to members of his family, and later to Byzantine vassal rulers and governors.

devotion 1. profound dedication; consecration. 2. earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc. 3. an assignment or appropriation to any purpose, cause, etc.: the devotion of one's wealth and time to scientific advancement. 4. Often, devotions. Ecclesiastical. religious observance or worship; a form of prayer or worship for special use.

diligence 1. constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind. 2. Law. the degree of care and caution required by the circumstances of a person. 3. Obsolete. care; caution.

dozens archaic street slang for off-the-cuff rhyming Arabic: دَزّينات من، مَرّات كَثيرَه Czech: mnoho Danish: dusinvis Dutch: tientallen Estonian: lugematud Finnish: lukuisa French: des douzaines (de) German: dutzende Male Greek: ένα σωρό Hungarian: számtalan(szor) Icelandic: margoft, margsinnis; mjög margir Indonesian: banyak Italian: dozzine di* Latvian: milzums Lithuanian: dešimtys, daugybė Norwegian: dusinvis Polish: mnóstwo Portuguese (Brazil): dúzias (de) Portuguese (Portugal): montes de Romanian: zeci de Russian: множество, масса Slovak: hŕba Slovenian: na ducate Spanish: montones de Swedish: dussintals Turkish: yüzlerce, pek çok

ego 1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought. 2. Psychoanalysis. the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment. 3. egotism; conceit; self-importance: Her ego becomes more unbearable each day. 4. self-esteem or self-image; feelings: Your criticism wounded his ego. 5. (often initial capital letter) Philosophy. a. the enduring and conscious element that knows experience. b. Scholasticism. the complete person comprising both body and soul. 6. Ethnology. a person who serves as the central reference point in the study of organizational and kinship relationships.

enlighten To give spiritual or intellectual insight to: "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day" (Thomas Jefferson). To give information to; inform or instruct.

enslave to make a slave of; reduce to slavery: His drug addiction has completely enslaved him. —Synonyms enchain, shackle; control, dominate. —Antonyms free, liberate, release.

ethics 1. (used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture. 2. the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics. 3. moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence. 4. (usually used with a singular verb) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.

extra-terrestrial (a person etc) not living on or coming from the planet Earth Arabic: مِن خارِج كَوكَب الأرض Czech: mimozemský Danish: som ikke har med jorden at gøre; som lever i rummet Dutch: buitenaards Estonian: maaväline, Maa-väline Finnish: maapallon ulkopuolinen, avaruusolento French: extraterrestre German: außerirdisch Greek: εξωγήινος Hungarian: földön kívüli Icelandic: geimvera Indonesian: luar bumi Italian: extraterrestre Latvian: citplanētietis; ārpuszemes- Lithuanian: nežemiškas Norwegian: utenfor jorda, ikke-jordisk Polish: (kosmita) pozaziemski Portuguese (Brazil): extraterrestre Portuguese (Portugal): extraterrestre Russian: инопланетянин Slovak: mimozemský Slovenian: zunajzemeljski Spanish: extraterrestre Swedish: utomjording; utomjordisk Turkish: uzaydan gelen

fascism 1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. 2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism. 3. (initial capital letter) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922–43. Word History: It is fitting that the name of an authoritarian political movement like Fascism, founded in 1919 by Benito Mussolini, should come from the name of a symbol of authority. The Italian name of the movement, fascismo, is derived from fascio, "bundle, (political) group," but also refers to the movement's emblem, the fasces, a bundle of rods bound around a projecting axe-head that was carried before an ancient Roman magistrate by an attendant as a symbol of authority and power. The name of Mussolini's group of revolutionaries was soon used for similar nationalistic movements in other countries that sought to gain power through violence and ruthlessness, such as National Socialism.

felon: felon: 1. Law. a person who has committed a felony. 2. Archaic. a wicked person. –adjective 3. Archaic. wicked; malicious; treacherous. 1297, from O.Fr. felon "wicked person, traitor, rebel," from M.L. fellonem "evil-doer," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Frank. *fillo, *filljo "person who whips or beats, scourger" (cf. O.H.G. fillen "to whip"); or from L. fel "gall, poison," on the notion of "one full of bitterness." Another theory (advanced by Professor R. Atkinson of Dublin) traces it to L. fellare "to suck" (see fecund), which had an obscene secondary meaning in classical L. (well-known to readers of Martial and Catullus), which would make a felon etymologically a "cock-sucker." OED inclines toward the "gall" explanation, but finds Atkinson's "most plausible" of the others. Felony is c.1290.

freedom 1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial. 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. 3. the power to determine action without restraint. 4. political or national independence. 5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom. 6. exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from): freedom from fear. 7. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc. 8. ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country. 9. frankness of manner or speech. 10. general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation. 11. the absence of ceremony or reserve. 12. a liberty taken. 13. a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes. 14. civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government. 15. the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like. 16. the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library. 17. Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. Compare necessity (def. 7). —Synonyms 1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience; freedom of movement. Independence implies not only lack of restrictions but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else: Independence of thought promotes invention and discovery. Liberty, though most often interchanged with freedom, is also used to imply undue exercise of freedom: He took liberties with the text. 9. openness, ingenuousness. 12. license. 16. run.

frighten 1. to make afraid or fearful; throw into a fright; terrify; scare. 2. to drive (usually fol. by away, off, etc.) by scaring: to frighten away pigeons from the roof. –verb (used without object) 3. to become frightened: a timid child who frightens easily. —Synonyms 1. shock, startle, dismay, intimidate. Frighten, alarm, scare, terrify, terrorize, appall all mean to arouse fear in people or animals. To frighten is to shock with sudden, startling, but usually short-lived fear, esp. that arising from the apprehension of physical harm: to frighten someone by a sudden noise. To alarm is to arouse the feelings through the realization of some imminent or unexpected danger: to alarm someone by a scream. To scare is to frighten, often without the presence of real danger: Horror movies really scare me. To terrify is to strike with violent, overwhelming, or paralyzing fear: to terrify a city by lawless acts. To terrorize is to terrify in a general, continued, systematic manner, either wantonly or in order to gain control: His marauding armies terrorized the countryside. To appall is to overcome or confound by dread, dismay, shock, or horror: The suffering caused by the earthquake appalled him.

galaxy 1. Astronomy. a. a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space. b. (usually initial capital letter) Milky Way. 2. any large and brilliant or impressive assemblage of persons or things: a galaxy of opera stars. [Origin: 1350–1400; ME galaxie, galaxias < ML galaxia, galaxias, ult. < Gk galaxías kýklos the Milky Way; see galacto-]

gentile 1. of or pertaining to any people not Jewish. 2. Christian, as distinguished from Jewish. 3. Mormon Church. not Mormon. 4. heathen or pagan. 5. (of a linguistic expression) expressing nationality or local origins. 6. of or pertaining to a tribe, clan, people, nation, etc. –noun 7. a person who is not Jewish, esp. a Christian. 8. (among Mormons) a person who is not a Mormon. 9. a heathen or pagan.

gestalt 1. a configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole. 2. an instance or example of such a unified whole.

ghost 1. the soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit imagined, usually as a vague, shadowy or evanescent form, as wandering among or haunting living persons. 2. a mere shadow or semblance; a trace: He's a ghost of his former self. 3. a remote possibility: He hasn't a ghost of a chance. 4. (sometimes initial capital letter) a spiritual being. 5. the principle of life; soul; spirit. 6. Informal. ghost writer. 7. a secondary image, esp. one appearing on a television screen as a white shadow, caused by poor or double reception or by a defect in the receiver. 8. Also called ghost image. Photography. a faint secondary or out-of-focus image in a photographic print or negative resulting from reflections within the camera lens. 9. an oral word game in which each player in rotation adds a letter to those supplied by preceding players, the object being to avoid ending a word. 10. Optics. a series of false spectral lines produced by a diffraction grating with unevenly spaced lines. 11. Metalworking. a streak appearing on a freshly machined piece of steel containing impurities. 12. a red blood cell having no hemoglobin. 13. a fictitious employee, business, etc., fabricated esp. for the purpose of manipulating funds or avoiding taxes: Investigation showed a payroll full of ghosts.

god 1. the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe. 2. the Supreme Being considered with reference to a particular attribute: the God of Islam. 3. (lowercase) one of several deities, esp. a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs. 4. (often lowercase) a supreme being according to some particular conception: the god of mercy. 5. Christian Science. the Supreme Being, understood as Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Principle. 6. (lowercase) an image of a deity; an idol. 7. (lowercase) any deified person or object. 8. (often lowercase) Gods, Theater. a. the upper balcony in a theater. b. the spectators in this part of the balcony.

good 1. morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man. 2. satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree: a good teacher; good health. 3. of high quality; excellent. 4. right; proper; fit: It is good that you are here. His credentials are good. 5. well-behaved: a good child. 6. kind, beneficent, or friendly: to do a good deed. 7. honorable or worthy; in good standing: a good name. 8. educated and refined: She has a good background. 9. financially sound or safe: His credit is good. 10. genuine; not counterfeit: a good quarter. 11. sound or valid: good judgment; good reasons. 12. reliable; dependable; responsible: good advice. 13. healthful; beneficial: Fresh fruit is good for you. 14. in excellent condition; healthy: good teeth. 15. not spoiled or tainted; edible; palatable: The meat was still good after three months in the freezer. 16. favorable; propitious: good news. 17. cheerful; optimistic; amiable: in good spirits. 18. free of distress or pain; comfortable: to feel good after surgery. 19. agreeable; pleasant: Have a good time. 20. attractive; handsome: She has a good figure. 21. (of the complexion) smooth; free from blemish. 22. close or intimate; warm: She's a good friend of mine. 23. sufficient or ample: a good supply. 24. advantageous; satisfactory for the purpose: a good day for fishing. 25. competent or skillful; clever: a good manager; good at arithmetic. 26. skillfully or expertly done: a really good job; a good play. 27. conforming to rules of grammar, usage, etc.; correct: good English. 28. socially proper: good manners. 29. remaining available to one: Don't throw good money after bad. 30. comparatively new or of relatively fine quality: Don't play in the mud in your good clothes. 31. best or most dressy: He wore his good suit to the office today. 32. full: a good day's journey away. 33. fairly large or great: a good amount. 34. free from precipitation or cloudiness: good weather. 35. Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having stable and normal vital signs, being conscious and comfortable, and having excellent appetite, mobility, etc. 36. fertile; rich: good soil. 37. loyal: a good Democrat. 38. (of a return or service in tennis, squash, handball, etc.) landing within the limits of a court or section of a court. 39. Horse Racing. (of the surface of a track) drying after a rain so as to be still slightly sticky: This horse runs best on a good track. 40. (of meat, esp. beef) noting or pertaining to the specific grade below “choice,” containing more lean muscle and less edible fat than “prime” or “choice.” 41. favorably regarded (used as an epithet for a ship, town, etc.): the good ship Syrena.

hate 1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest: to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry. 2. to be unwilling; dislike: I hate to do it. –verb (used without object) 3. to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility. –noun 4. intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility. 5. the object of extreme aversion or hostility. [Origin: bef. 900; ME hat(i)en, OE hatian (v.); c. D haten, ON hata, Goth hatan, G hassen] —Synonyms 1. loathe, execrate; despise. Hate, abhor, detest, abominate imply feeling intense dislike or aversion toward something. Hate, the simple and general word, suggests passionate dislike and a feeling of enmity: to hate autocracy. Abhor expresses a deep-rooted horror and a sense of repugnance or complete rejection: to abhor cruelty; Nature abhors a vacuum. Detest implies intense, even vehement, dislike and antipathy, besides a sense of disdain: to detest a combination of ignorance and arrogance. Abominate expresses a strong feeling of disgust and repulsion toward something thought of as unworthy, unlucky, or the like: to abominate treachery. —Antonyms 1. love.

hedonism 1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. 2. devotion to pleasure as a way of life: The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.

hero 1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child. 3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc. 4. Classical Mythology. a. a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity. b. (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability. c. (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.

holocaust 1. a great or complete devastation or destruction, esp. by fire. 2. a sacrifice completely consumed by fire; burnt offering. 3. (usually initial capital letter) the systematic mass slaughter of European Jews in Nazi concentration camps during World War II (usually prec. by the). 4. any mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life. [Origin: 1200–50; ME < LL holocaustum (Vulgate) < Gk holókauston (Septuagint), neut. of holókaustos burnt whole. See holo-, caustic] —Synonyms 1. inferno, conflagration, ruin, havoc, ravage.

holy 1. specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated: holy ground. 2. dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion: a holy man. 3. saintly; godly; pious; devout: a holy life. 4. having a spiritually pure quality: a holy love. 5. entitled to worship or veneration as or as if sacred: a holy relic. 6. religious: holy rites. 7. inspiring fear, awe, or grave distress: The director, when angry, is a holy terror.

horror 1. an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear: to shrink back from a mutilated corpse in horror. 2. anything that causes such a feeling: killing, looting, and other horrors of war. 3. such a feeling as a quality or condition: to have known the horror of slow starvation. 4. a strong aversion; abhorrence: to have a horror of emotional outbursts. 5. Informal. something considered bad or tasteless: That wallpaper is a horror. The party was a horror. 6. horrors, Informal.

hostage 1. a person given or held as security for the fulfillment of certain conditions or terms, promises, etc., by another. 2. Archaic. a security or pledge. 3. Obsolete. the condition of a hostage.

human 1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or having the nature of people: human frailty. 2. consisting of people: the human race. 3. of or pertaining to the social aspect of people: human affairs. 4. sympathetic; humane: a warmly human understanding. –noun 5. a human being. —Synonyms 1. Human, humane may refer to that which is, or should be, characteristic of human beings. In thus describing characteristics, human may refer to good and bad traits of a person alike (human kindness; human weakness). When emphasis is placed upon the latter, human is thought of as contrasted to divine: To err is human, to forgive divine. He was only human. Humane (the original spelling of human, and since 1700 restricted in meaning) takes into account only the nobler or gentler aspects of people and is often contrasted to their more ignoble or brutish aspect. A humane person is benevolent in treating fellow humans or helpless animals; the word once had also connotations of courtesy and refinement (hence, the application of humane to those branches of learning intended to refine the mind).

hypocrite: 1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. 2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

id In Freudian theory, the division of the psyche that is totally unconscious and serves as the source of instinctual impulses and demands for immediate satisfaction of primitive needs.

in love infused with or feeling deep affection or passion

individuation The act or process of individuating, especially the process by which social individuals become differentiated one from the other. The condition of being individuated; individuality. [Philosophy] The development of the individual from the general or universal. The distinction or determination of the individual within the general or universal. In Jungian psychology, the gradual integration and unification of the self through the resolution of successive layers of psychological conflict. [Embryology] Formation of distinct organs or structures through the interaction of adjacent tissues.

integrity 1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire. 3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

interesting 1. engaging or exciting and holding the attention or curiosity: an interesting book. 2. arousing a feeling of interest: an interesting face. —Idiom3. in an interesting condition, (of a woman) pregnant. —Synonyms 1. absorbing, entertaining. Interesting, pleasing, gratifying mean satisfying to the mind. Something that is interesting occupies the mind with no connotation of pleasure or displeasure: an interesting account of a battle. Something that is pleasing engages the mind favorably: a pleasing account of the wedding. Something that is gratifying fulfills expectations, requirements, etc.: a gratifying account of his whereabouts; a book gratifying in its detail. —Antonyms 1. dull.

is 1. 3rd pers. sing. pres. indic. of be.

jesus 1. Also called Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. born 4? b.c., crucified a.d. 29?, the source of the Christian religion. 2. (“the Son of Sirach”) the author of the Apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, who lived in the 3rd century b.c. 3. Christian Science. the supreme example of God's nature expressed through human beings. 4. Also, Je·sús. a male given name. joy 1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success. 2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy. 3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety. 4. a state of happiness or felicity.

liberty 1. freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control. 2. freedom from external or foreign rule; independence. 3. freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice. 4. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint: The prisoner soon regained his liberty. 5. permission granted to a sailor, esp. in the navy, to go ashore. 6. freedom or right to frequent or use a place: The visitors were given the liberty of the city. 7. unwarranted or impertinent freedom in action or speech, or a form or instance of it: to take liberties. 8. a female figure personifying freedom from despotism.

life 1. the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally. 2. the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, esp. metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment. 3. the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual: to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one. 4. a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul: eternal life. 5. the general or universal condition of human existence: Too bad, but life is like that. 6. any specified period of animate existence: a man in middle life. 7. the period of existence, activity, or effectiveness of something inanimate, as a machine, lease, or play: The life of the car may be ten years. 8. a living being: Several lives were lost. 9. living things collectively: the hope of discovering life on other planets; insect life. 10. a particular aspect of existence: He enjoys an active physical life. 11. the course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person's existence: His business has been his entire life. 12. a biography: a newly published life of Willa Cather. 13. animation; liveliness; spirit: a speech full of life. 14. resilience; elasticity. 15. the force that makes or keeps something alive; the vivifying or quickening principle: The life of the treaty has been an increase of mutual understanding and respect. 16. a mode or manner of existence, as in the world of affairs or society: So far her business life has not overlapped her social life. 17. the period or extent of authority, popularity, approval, etc.: the life of the committee; the life of a bestseller. 18. a prison sentence covering the remaining portion of the offender's animate existence: The judge gave him life. 19. anything or anyone considered to be as precious as life: She was his life. 20. a person or thing that enlivens: the life of the party. 21. effervescence or sparkle, as of wines. 22. pungency or strong, sharp flavor, as of substances when fresh or in good condition. 23. nature or any of the forms of nature as the model or subject of a work of art: drawn from life. 24. Baseball. another opportunity given to a batter to bat because of a misplay by a fielder. 25. (in English pool) one of a limited number of shots allowed a player: Each pool player has three lives at the beginning of the game.

love 1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. 2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend. 3. sexual passion or desire. 4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart. 5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love? 6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour. 7. sexual intercourse; copulation. 8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid. 9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor. 10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books. 11. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love. 12. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God. 13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing. 14. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter L.

make love a. to embrace and kiss as lovers. b. to engage in sexual activity.

man 1. an adult male person, as distinguished from a boy or a woman. 2. a member of the species Homo sapiens or all the members of this species collectively, without regard to sex: prehistoric man. 3. the human individual as representing the species, without reference to sex; the human race; humankind: Man hopes for peace, but prepares for war. 4. a human being; person: to give a man a chance; When the audience smelled the smoke, it was every man for himself. 5. a husband. 6. a male lover or sweetheart. 7. a male follower or subordinate: the king's men. He's the boss's number one man. 8. a male employee or representative, esp. of a company or agency: a Secret Service man; a man from the phone company. 9. a male having qualities considered typical of men or appropriately masculine: Be a man. The army will make a man of you. 10. a male servant. 11. a valet. 12. enlisted man. 13. an enthusiast or devotee: I like jazz, but I'm essentially a classics man. 14. Slang. male friend; ally: You're my main man. 15. a term of familiar address to a man; fellow: Now, now, my good man, please calm down. 16. Slang. a term of familiar address to a man or a woman: Hey, man, take it easy. 17. one of the pieces used in playing certain games, as chess or checkers. 18. History/Historical. a liegeman; vassal. 19. Obsolete. manly character or courage. 20. the man, Slang. a. a person or group asserting authority or power over another, esp. in a manner experienced as being oppressive, demeaning, or threatening, as an employer, the police, or a dominating racial group. b. a person or group upon whom one is dependent, as the drug supplier for an addict. Also, the Man.

masochism 1. Psychiatry. the condition in which sexual gratification depends on suffering, physical pain, and humiliation. 2. gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted or imposed on oneself, either as a result of one's own actions or the actions of others, esp. the tendency to seek this form of gratification. 3. the act of turning one's destructive tendencies inward or upon oneself. 4. the tendency to find pleasure in self-denial, submissiveness, etc.

meaning 1. what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word. 2. the end, purpose, or significance of something: What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of this intrusion? 3. Linguistics. a. the nonlinguistic cultural correlate, reference, or denotation of a linguistic form; expression. b. linguistic content (opposed to expression).

menopause men·o·pause (měn'ə-pôz') n. The period marked by the natural and permanent cessation of menstruation, occurring usually between the ages of 45 and 55. 1872, from Fr. ménopause, from Gk. men (gen. menos) "month" + pausis "a cessation, a pause," from pauein "to cause to cease." Opposite of menarche "onset of menstruation," 1900, from Ger. (1895), from Gk. arkhe "beginning."

morality 1. conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct. 2. moral quality or character. 3. virtue in sexual matters; chastity. 4. a doctrine or system of morals. 5. moral instruction; a moral lesson, precept, discourse, or utterance.

murder 1. Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder). 2. Slang. something extremely difficult or perilous: That final exam was murder! 3. a group or flock of crows.

music 1. an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color. 2. the tones or sounds employed, occurring in single line (melody) or multiple lines (harmony), and sounded or to be sounded by one or more voices or instruments, or both. 3. musical work or compositions for singing or playing. 4. the written or printed score of a musical composition. 5. such scores collectively. 6. any sweet, pleasing, or harmonious sounds or sound: the music of the waves. 7. appreciation of or responsiveness to musical sounds or harmonies: Music was in his very soul. 8. Fox Hunting. the cry of the hounds. —Idiom9. face the music, to meet, take, or accept the consequences of one's mistakes, actions, etc.: He's squandered his money and now he's got to face the music.

negative energy field positrons, the antimatter counterpart of electrons; when a low-energy positron collides with a low-energy electron, annihilation occurs (called electron-positron annihilation), resulting in the production of two or more gamma ray photons or, less likely, collective n.e.f.s incapacitate and destroy humans creating a Negative Zone

negligence 1. the quality, fact, or result of being negligent; neglect: negligence in discharging one's responsibilities. 2. an instance of being negligent: a downfall brought about by many negligences. 3. Law. the failure to exercise that degree of care that, in the circumstances, the law requires for the protection of other persons or those interests of other persons that may be injuriously affected by the want of such care.

neighbor 1. a person who lives near another. 2. a person or thing that is near another. 3. one's fellow human being: to be generous toward one's less fortunate neighbors. 4. a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans: to be a neighbor to someone in distress. 5. (used as a term of address, esp. as a friendly greeting to a stranger): Tell me, neighbor, which way to town?

now 1. at the present time or moment 2. without further delay; immediately; at once: Either do it now or not at all. 3. at this time or juncture in some period under consideration or in some course of proceedings described: The case was now ready for the jury. 4. at the time or moment immediately past: I saw him just now on the street. 5. in these present times; nowadays: Now you rarely see horse-drawn carriages. 6. under the present or existing circumstances; as matters stand: I see now what you meant. 7. (used to introduce a statement or question): Now, you don't really mean that. 8. (used to strengthen a command, entreaty, or the like): Now stop that!

oath 1. a solemn appeal to a deity, or to some revered person or thing, to witness one's determination to speak the truth, to keep a promise, etc.: to testify upon oath. 2. a statement or promise strengthened by such an appeal. 3. a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation. 4. the form of words in which such a statement or promise is made. 5. an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God or anything sacred. 6. any profane expression; curse; swearword: He slammed the door with a muttered oath.

object 1. anything that is visible or tangible and is relatively stable in form. 2. a thing, person, or matter to which thought or action is directed: an object of medical investigation. 3. the end toward which effort or action is directed; goal; purpose: Profit is the object of business. 4. a person or thing with reference to the impression made on the mind or the feeling or emotion elicited in an observer: an object of curiosity and pity. 5. anything that may be apprehended intellectually: objects of thought. 6. Optics. the thing of which a lens or mirror forms an image. 7. Grammar. (in many languages, as English) a noun, noun phrase, or noun substitute representing by its syntactical position either the goal of the action of a verb or the goal of a preposition in a prepositional phrase, as ball in John hit the ball, Venice in He came to Venice, coin and her in He gave her a coin. Compare direct object, indirect object. 8. Computers. any item that can be individually selected or manipulated, as a picture, data file, or piece of text. 9. Metaphysics. something toward which a cognitive act is directed.

order 1. an authoritative direction or instruction; command; mandate. 2. a command of a court or judge. 3. a command or notice issued by a military organization or a military commander to troops, sailors, etc. 4. the disposition of things following one after another, as in space or time; succession or sequence: The names were listed in alphabetical order. 5. a condition in which each thing is properly disposed with reference to other things and to its purpose; methodical or harmonious arrangement: You must try to give order to your life. 6. formal disposition or array: the order of the troops. 7. proper, satisfactory, or working condition. 8. state or condition generally: His financial affairs were in good order. 9. conformity or obedience to law or established authority; absence of disturbance, riot, revolt, unruliness, etc.: A police officer was there to maintain order. 10. customary mode of procedure; established practice or usage. 11. the customary or prescribed mode of proceeding in debates or the like, or in the conduct of deliberative or legislative bodies, public meetings, etc.: parliamentary rules of order. 12. prevailing course or arrangement of things; established system or regime: The old order is changing. 13. conformity to this. 14. a direction or commission to make, provide, or furnish something: The salesclerk will take your order. 15. a quantity of goods or items purchased or sold: The druggist is sending the order right over. 16. Grammar. a. the arrangement of the elements of a construction in a particular sequence, as the placing of John before the verb and of George after it in John saw George. b. the hierarchy of grammatical rules applying to a construction. c. the rank of immediate constituents. 17. any of the nine grades of angels in medieval angelology. Compare angel (def. 1). 18. Mathematics. a. degree, as in algebra. b. the number of rows or columns of a square matrix or determinant. c. the number of times a function has been differentiated to produce a given derivative: a second order derivative. d. the order of the highest derivative appearing in a given differential equation: d2y/dx2 + 3y (dy/dx) − 6 = 0 is a differential equation of order two. e. the number of elements of a given group. f. the smallest positive integer such that a given element in a group raised to that integer equals the identity. g. the least positive integer n such that permuting a given set n times under a given permutation results in the set in its original form. 19. any class, kind, or sort, as of persons or things, distinguished from others by nature or character: talents of a high order. 20. Biology. the usual major subdivision of a class or subclass in the classification of organisms, consisting of several families. 21. a rank, grade, or class of persons in a community. 22. a group or body of persons of the same profession, occupation, or pursuits: the clerical order. 23. a body or society of persons living by common consent under the same religious, moral, or social regulations. 24. Ecclesiastical. any of the degrees or grades of clerical office. Compare major order, minor order. 25. a monastic society or fraternity: the Franciscan order. 26. a written direction to pay money or deliver goods, given by a person legally entitled to dispose of it: delivery order; exchange order. 27. Architecture. a. any arrangement of columns with an entablature. b. any of five such arrangements typical of classical architecture, including the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders invented by the Greeks and adapted by the Romans, the Tuscan order, invented by the Romans, and the Composite order, first named during the Renaissance. c. any of several concentric rings composing an arch, esp. when each projects beyond the one below. 28. orders, the rank or status of an ordained Christian minister. 29. Usually, orders. the rite or sacrament of ordination. 30. a prescribed form of divine service or of administration of a rite or ceremony. 31. the service itself. 32. the visible structures essential or desirable to the nature of the church, involving esp. ministry, polity, and sacraments. 33. a society or fraternity of knights, of combined military and monastic character, as, in the Middle Ages, the Knights Templars. 34. a modern organization or society more or less resembling the knightly orders: fraternal orders. 35. (initial capital letter) British. a. a special honor or rank conferred by a sovereign upon a person for distinguished achievement. b. the insignia worn by such persons. 36. Chiefly British. a pass for admission to a theater, museum, or the like.

organism 1. a form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes. 2. a form of life considered as an entity; an animal, plant, fungus, protistan, or moneran. 3. any organized body or system conceived of as analogous to a living being: the governmental organism. 4. any complex thing or system having properties and functions determined not only by the properties and relations of its individual parts, but by the character of the whole that they compose and by the relations of the parts to the whole. —Synonyms 4. organization, network, entity, structure.

own to have as a possession Example: I own a house. Arabic: يَمْلُك Czech: mít, vlastnit Danish: eje Dutch: bezitten Estonian: omama Finnish: omistaa French: posséder German: besitzen Greek: έχω στην ιδιοκτησία μου Hungarian: van vmije Icelandic: eiga Indonesian: memiliki Italian: possedere Latvian: piederēt, būt kāda īpašumā Lithuanian: turėti, valdyti Norwegian: eie Polish: posiadać Portuguese (Brazil): possuir Portuguese (Portugal): possuir Romanian: a poseda Russian: иметь, владеть Slovak: mať, vlastniť Slovenian: imeti Spanish: poseer, tener, ser dueño de Swedish: äga Turkish: …-e sahip olmak

pain 1. physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc. 2. a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain. 3. mental or emotional suffering or torment: I am sorry my news causes you such pain. 4. pains, a. laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care: Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly. b. the suffering of childbirth. 5. Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing.

pain threshold the lowest intensity of stimulation at which pain is experienced; "some people have much higher pain thresholds than do other people"

passion 1. any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate. 2. strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor. 3. strong sexual desire; lust. 4. an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire. 5. a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire. 6. a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for music. 7. the object of such a fondness or desire: Accuracy became a passion with him. 8. an outburst of strong emotion or feeling: He suddenly broke into a passion of bitter words. 9. violent anger. 10. the state of being acted upon or affected by something external, esp. something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior (contrasted with action). 11. (often initial capital letter) Theology. a. the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper. b. the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels. 12. Archaic. the sufferings of a martyr. [Origin: 1125–75; ME (< OF) < ML passiōn- (s. of passiō) Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these (> late OE passiōn), special use of LL passiō suffering, submission, deriv. of L passus, ptp. of patī to suffer, submit; see -ion]

patriot: 1. a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. 2. a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, esp. of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government. 3. (initial capital letter) Military. a U.S. Army antiaircraft missile with a range of 37 mi. (60 km) and a 200-lb. (90 kg) warhead, launched from a tracked vehicle with radar and computer guidance and fire control.

peace 1. the normal, nonwarring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world. 2. (often initial capital letter) an agreement or treaty between warring or antagonistic nations, groups, etc., to end hostilities and abstain from further fighting or antagonism: the Peace of Ryswick. 3. a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, esp. in personal relations: Try to live in peace with your neighbors. 4. the normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community; public order and security: He was arrested for being drunk and disturbing the peace. 5. cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension. 6. freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquillity; serenity. 7. a state of tranquillity or serenity: May he rest in peace. 8. a state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquillity: the peace of a mountain resort. 9. silence; stillness: The cawing of a crow broke the afternoon's peace. 10. (initial capital letter, italics) a comedy (421 b.c.) by Aristophanes.

penitance the state of being penitent; regret for one's wrongdoing or sinning; contrition; repentance.

people 1. persons indefinitely or collectively; persons in general: to find it easy to talk to people; What will people think? 2. persons, whether men, women, or children, considered as numerable individuals forming a group: Twenty people volunteered to help. 3. human beings, as distinguished from animals or other beings. 4. the entire body of persons who constitute a community, tribe, nation, or other group by virtue of a common culture, history, religion, or the like: the people of Australia; the Jewish people. 5. the persons of any particular group, company, or number (sometimes used in combination): the people of a parish; educated people; salespeople. 6. the ordinary persons, as distinguished from those who have wealth, rank, influence, etc.: a man of the people. 7. the subjects, followers, or subordinates of a ruler, leader, employer, etc.: the king and his people. 8. the body of enfranchised citizens of a state: representatives chosen by the people. 9. a person's family or relatives: My grandmother's people came from Iowa. 10. (used in the possessive in Communist or left-wing countries to indicate that an institution operates under the control of or for the benefit of the people, esp. under Communist leadership): people's republic; people's army. 11. animals of a specified kind: the monkey people of the forest. –verb (used with object) 12. to furnish with people; populate. 13. to supply or stock as if with people: a meadow peopled with flowers.

perception 1. the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. 2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception. 3. the result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving; percept. 4. Psychology. a single unified awareness derived from sensory processes while a stimulus is present. 5. Law. the taking into possession of rents, crops, profits, etc.

person 1. a human being, whether man, woman, or child: The table seats four persons. 2. a human being as distinguished from an animal or a thing. 3. Sociology. an individual human being, esp. with reference to his or her social relationships and behavioral patterns as conditioned by the culture. 4. Philosophy. a self-conscious or rational being. 5. the actual self or individual personality of a human being: You ought not to generalize, but to consider the person you are dealing with. 6. the body of a living human being, sometimes including the clothes being worn: He had no money on his person. 7. the body in its external aspect: an attractive person to look at. 8. a character, part, or role, as in a play or story. 9. an individual of distinction or importance. 10. a person not entitled to social recognition or respect. 11. Law. a human being (natural person) or a group of human beings, a corporation, a partnership, an estate, or other legal entity (artificial person or juristic person) recognized by law as having rights and duties. 12. Grammar. a category found in many languages that is used to distinguish between the speaker of an utterance and those to or about whom he or she is speaking. In English there are three persons in the pronouns, the first represented by I and we, the second by you, and the third by he, she, it, and they. Most verbs have distinct third person singular forms in the present tense, as writes; the verb be has, in addition, a first person singular form am. 13. Theology. any of the three hypostases or modes of being in the Trinity, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. —Idioms14. be one's own person, to be free from restrictions, control, or dictatorial influence: Now that she's working, she feels that she's her own person. 15. in person, in one's own bodily presence; personally: Applicants are requested to apply in person. [Origin: 1175–1225; ME persone < L persōna role (in life, a play, or a tale) (LL: member of the Trinity), orig. actor's mask < Etruscan phersu (< Gk prósōpa face, mask) + -na a suffix]

personal space the sense of invisible boundaries around an individual body and separating one from others, the encroachment of which may cause anxiety, cf. intimate space (the area around a human body, about an arm's length, in which one is comfortable with loved ones and close friends)

perversion 1. the act of perverting. 2. the state of being perverted. 3. a perverted form of something. 4. any of various means of obtaining sexual gratification that are generally regarded as being abnormal. 5. Pathology. a change to what is unnatural or abnormal: a perversion of function or structure.

pleasure 1. the state or feeling of being pleased. 2. enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight. 3. worldly or frivolous enjoyment: the pursuit of pleasure. 4. recreation or amusement; diversion; enjoyment: Are you traveling on business or for pleasure? 5. sensual gratification. 6. a cause or source of enjoyment or delight: It was a pleasure to see you. 7. pleasurable quality: the pleasure of his company. 8. one's will, desire, or choice: to make known one's pleasure. –verb (used with object) 9. to give pleasure to; gratify; please. –verb (used without object) 10. to take pleasure; delight: I pleasure in your company. 11. to seek pleasure, as by taking a holiday.

PMS premenstrual syndrome n. A varied group of physical and psychological symptoms, including abdominal bloating, breast tenderness, headache, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and depression, that occur from 2 to 7 days before the onset of menstruation and cease shortly after menses begins.

poetry 1. the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts. 2. literary work in metrical form; verse. 3. prose with poetic qualities. 4. poetic qualities however manifested: the poetry of simple acts and things. 5. poetic spirit or feeling: The pianist played the prelude with poetry. 6. something suggestive of or likened to poetry: the pure poetry of a beautiful view on a clear day.

polite 1. showing good manners toward others, as in behavior, speech, etc.; courteous; civil: a polite reply. 2. refined or cultured: polite society. 3. of a refined or elegant kind: polite learning.

pretty 1. pleasing or attractive to the eye, as by delicacy or gracefulness: a pretty face. 2. (of things, places, etc.) pleasing to the eye, esp. without grandeur. 3. pleasing to the ear: a pretty tune. 4. pleasing to the mind or aesthetic taste: He writes pretty little stories. 5. (often used ironically) fine; grand: This is a pretty mess! 6. Informal. considerable; fairly great: This accident will cost him a pretty sum. 7. Archaic or Scot.. brave; hardy.

prison 1. a building for the confinement of persons held while awaiting trial, persons sentenced after conviction, etc. 2. state prison. 3. any place of confinement or involuntary restraint. 4. imprisonment.

projection 1. a projecting or protruding part. 2. the state or fact of jutting out or protruding. 3. a causing to jut or protrude. 4. the act, process, or result of projecting. 5. Cartography. a systematic construction of lines drawn on a plane surface representative of and corresponding to the meridians and parallels of the curved surface of the earth or celestial sphere. 6. Photography. a. the act of reproducing on a surface, by optical means, a remote image on a film, slide, etc. b. an image so reproduced. 7. the act of visualizing and regarding an idea or the like as an objective reality. 8. something that is so visualized and regarded. 9. calculation of some future thing: They fell short of their projection for the rate of growth. 10. the act of communicating distinctly and forcefully to an audience. 11. Psychology. a. the tendency to ascribe to another person feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself, or to regard external reality as embodying such feelings, thoughts, etc., in some way. b. Psychoanalysis. such an ascription relieving the ego of a sense of guilt or other intolerable feeling. 12. the act of planning or scheming. 13. Alchemy. the casting of the powder of philosophers' stone upon metal in fusion, to transmute it into gold or silver.

psychopath A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.

psychosomatic 1. Of or relating to a disorder having physical symptoms but originating from mental or emotional causes. 2. Relating to or concerned with the influence of the mind on the body, and the body on the mind, especially with respect to disease: psychosomatic medicine. 1863, "pertaining to the relation between mind and body," from Gk. psykhe- "mind" (see psyche) + somatikos, from soma (gen. somatos) "body." Applied from 1938 to physical disorders with psychological causes. It can as easily apply to emotional disorders with physical causes, but it is rarely used as such.

punitive 1. a projecting or protruding part. 2. the state or fact of jutting out or protruding. 3. a causing to jut or protrude. 4. the act, process, or result of projecting. 5. Cartography. a systematic construction of lines drawn on a plane surface representative of and corresponding to the meridians and parallels of the curved surface of the earth or celestial sphere. 6. Photography. a. the act of reproducing on a surface, by optical means, a remote image on a film, slide, etc. b. an image so reproduced. 7. the act of visualizing and regarding an idea or the like as an objective reality. 8. something that is so visualized and regarded. 9. calculation of some future thing: They fell short of their projection for the rate of growth. 10. the act of communicating distinctly and forcefully to an audience. 11. Psychology. a. the tendency to ascribe to another person feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself, or to regard external reality as embodying such feelings, thoughts, etc., in some way. b. Psychoanalysis. such an ascription relieving the ego of a sense of guilt or other intolerable feeling. 12. the act of planning or scheming. 13. Alchemy. the casting of the powder of philosophers' stone upon metal in fusion, to transmute it into gold or silver.

quasar one of over a thousand known extragalactic objects, starlike in appearance and having spectra with characteristically large redshifts, that are thought to be the most distant and most luminous objects in the universe.

rage 1. angry fury; violent anger. 2. a fit of violent anger. 3. fury or violence of wind, waves, fire, disease, etc. 4. violence of feeling, desire, or appetite: the rage of thirst. 5. a violent desire or passion. 6. ardor; fervor; enthusiasm: poetic rage. 7. the object of widespread enthusiasm, as for being popular or fashionable: Raccoon coats were the rage on campus. 8. Archaic. insanity.

rape 1. the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse. 2. any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person. 3. statutory rape. 4. an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside. 5. Archaic. the act of seizing and carrying off by force.

red 1. any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nm. 2. something red. 3. (often initial capital letter) a radical leftist in politics, esp. a communist. 4. Informal. red light (def. 1). 5. Informal. red wine: a glass of red. 6. Also called red devil, red bird. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.

rehabilitation 1. to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like. 2. to restore to good condition, operation, or management, as a bankrupt business. 3. to reestablish the good reputation of (a person, one's character or name, etc.). 4. to restore formally to former capacity, standing, rank, rights, or privileges.

reign in my name traditional oath of hereditary royalty not to rule by self and egotism but in the name and for the good of God and God's creations

republic 1. a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. 2. any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth. 3. a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state. 4. (initial capital letter) any of the five periods of republican government in France. Compare First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic. 5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state. (a country with) a form of government in which there is no king or queen, the power of government, law-making etc being given to one or more elected representatives (eg a president, members of a parliament etc) Example: The United States is a republic — the United Kingdom is not. Arabic: جُمْهورِيَّه Czech: republika Danish: republik Dutch: republiek Estonian: vabariik Finnish: tasavalta French: république German: die Republik Greek: δημοκρατία Hungarian: köztársaság Icelandic: lÿðveldi Indonesian: republik Italian: repubblica Latvian: republika Lithuanian: respublika Norwegian: republikk Polish: republika Portuguese (Brazil): república Portuguese (Portugal): república Romanian: repu­blică Russian: республика Slovak: republika Slovenian: republika Spanish: república Swedish: republik Turkish: cumhuriyet

responsibility 1. the state or fact of being responsible. 2. an instance of being responsible: The responsibility for this mess is yours! 3. a particular burden of obligation upon one who is responsible: the responsibilities of authority. 4. a person or thing for which one is responsible: A child is a responsibility to its parents. 5. reliability or dependability, esp. in meeting debts or payments.

rude 1. discourteous or impolite, esp. in a deliberate way: a rude reply. 2. without culture, learning, or refinement: rude, illiterate peasants. 3. rough in manners or behavior; unmannerly; uncouth. 4. rough, harsh, or ungentle: rude hands. 5. roughly wrought, built, or formed; of a crude construction or kind: a rude cottage. 6. not properly or fully developed; raw; unevolved: a rude first stage of development. 7. harsh to the ear: rude sounds. 8. without artistic elegance; of a primitive simplicity: a rude design. 9. violent or tempestuous, as the waves. 10. robust, sturdy, or vigorous: rude strength. 11. approximate or tentative: a rude first calculation of costs.

sadism 1. Psychiatry. sexual gratification gained through causing pain or degradation to others. Compare masochism. 2. any enjoyment in being cruel. 3. extreme cruelty.

satan the chief evil spirit; the great adversary of humanity; the devil.

sensory 1. of or pertaining to the senses or sensation. 2. Physiology. noting a structure for conveying an impulse that results or tends to result in sensation, as a nerve.

serenity 1. of or pertaining to the senses or sensation. 2. Physiology. noting a structure for conveying an impulse that results or tends to result in sensation, as a nerve.

sex The property or quality by which organisms are classified as female or male on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, of this classification. Females or males considered as a group. The condition or character of being female or male; the physiological, functional, and psychological differences that distinguish the female and the male. The sexual urge or instinct as it manifests itself in behavior. Sexual intercourse. The genitals.

scam a confidence game (any swindle in which the swindler, after gaining the confidence of the victim, robs the victim by cheating at a gambling game, appropriating funds entrusted for investment, or the like) or other fraudulent scheme, esp. for making a quick profit; swindle.

sham 1. something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax. 2. a person who shams; shammer. 3. a cover or the like for giving a thing a different outward appearance: a pillow sham. –adjective 4. pretended; counterfeit; feigned: sham attacks; a sham Gothic façade. 5. designed, made, or used as a sham. –verb (used with object) 6. to produce an imitation of. 7. to assume the appearance of; pretend to have: to sham illness. –verb (used without object) 8. to make a false show of something; pretend.

slave 1. a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant. 2. a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person: a slave to a drug. 3. a drudge: a housekeeping slave. 4. a slave ant. 5. Photography. a subsidiary flash lamp actuated through its photoelectric cell when the principal flash lamp is discharged. 6. Machinery. a mechanism under control of and repeating the actions of a similar mechanism. Compare master (def. 19).

socialization 1. a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position. 2. the act or process of making socialistic: the socialization of industry.

sociopath An individual who knows what they're doing is wrong and doesn't care. Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others.

soul 1. the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body, and commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part. 2. the spiritual part of humans regarded in its moral aspect, or as believed to survive death and be subject to happiness or misery in a life to come: arguing the immortality of the soul. 3. the disembodied spirit of a deceased person: He feared the soul of the deceased would haunt him. 4. the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments. 5. a human being; person. 6. high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage, etc. 7. the animating principle; the essential element or part of something. 8. the inspirer or moving spirit of some action, movement, etc. 9. the embodiment of some quality: He was the very soul of tact. 10. (initial capital letter) Christian Science. God; the divine source of all identity and individuality. 11. shared ethnic awareness and pride among black people, esp. black Americans. 12. deeply felt emotion, as conveyed or expressed by a performer or artist. 13. soul music.

spirit 1. the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul. 2. the incorporeal part of humans: present in spirit though absent in body. 3. the soul regarded as separating from the body at death. 4. conscious, incorporeal being, as opposed to matter: the world of spirit. 5. a supernatural, incorporeal being, esp. one inhabiting a place, object, etc., or having a particular character: evil spirits. 6. a fairy, sprite, or elf. 7. an angel or demon. 8. an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action: the spirit of reform. 9. (initial capital letter) the divine influence as an agency working in the human heart. 10. a divine, inspiring, or animating being or influence. Num. 11:25; Is. 32:15. 11. (initial capital letter) the third person of the Trinity; Holy Spirit. 12. the soul or heart as the seat of feelings or sentiments, or as prompting to action: a man of broken spirit. 13. spirits, feelings or mood with regard to exaltation or depression: low spirits; good spirits. 14. excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigor, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle: That's the spirit! 15. temper or disposition: meek in spirit. 16. an individual as characterized by a given attitude, disposition, character, action, etc.: A few brave spirits remained to face the danger. 17. the dominant tendency or character of anything: the spirit of the age. 18. vigorous sense of membership in a group: college spirit. 19. the general meaning or intent of a statement, document, etc. (opposed to letter): the spirit of the law. 20. Chemistry. the essence or active principle of a substance as extracted in liquid form, esp. by distillation. 21. Often, spirits. a strong distilled alcoholic liquor. 22. Chiefly British. alcohol. 23. Pharmacology. a solution in alcohol of an essential or volatile principle; essence. 24. any of certain subtle fluids formerly supposed to permeate the body. 25. the Spirit, God. –adjective 26. pertaining to something that works by burning alcoholic spirits: a spirit stove. 27. of or pertaining to spiritualist bodies or activities. –verb (used with object) 28. to animate with fresh ardor or courage; inspirit. 29. to encourage; urge on or stir up, as to action. 30. to carry off mysteriously or secretly (often fol. by away or off): His captors spirited him away.

star 1. any of the heavenly bodies, except the moon, appearing as fixed luminous points in the sky at night. 2. Astronomy. any of the large, self-luminous, heavenly bodies, as the sun, Polaris, etc. 3. any heavenly body. 4. Astrology. a heavenly body, esp. a planet, considered as influencing humankind and events. 5. a person's destiny, fortune, temperament, etc., regarded as influenced and determined by the stars. 6. a conventionalized figure usually having five or six points radiating from or disposed about a center. 7. this figure used as an ornament, award, badge, mark of excellence, etc.: The movie was awarded three stars. 8. Jewelry. a. a gem having the star cut. b. the asterism in a crystal or a gemstone, as in a star sapphire. c. a crystal or a gemstone having such asterism. d. star facet. 9. Printing. an asterisk. 10. a person who is celebrated or distinguished in some art, profession, or other field. 11. a prominent actor, singer, or the like, esp. one who plays the leading role in a performance. 12. U.S. Military. battle star. 13. U.S. Navy. a. a gold or bronze star worn on the ribbon of a decoration or medal to represent a second or subsequent award of the same decoration or medal. b. a silver star worn in place of five gold or bronze stars. 14. a white spot on the forehead of a horse. 15. Heraldry. a mullet.

superego the part of the personality representing the conscience, formed in early life by internalization of the standards of parents and other models of behavior.

terror 1. intense, sharp, overmastering fear: to be frantic with terror. 2. an instance or cause of intense fear or anxiety; quality of causing terror: to be a terror to evildoers. 3. any period of frightful violence or bloodshed likened to the Reign of Terror in France. 4. violence or threats of violence used for intimidation or coercion; terrorism. 5. Informal. a person or thing that is especially annoying or unpleasant.

terrorist: 1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism. 2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others. 3. (formerly) a member of a political group in Russia aiming at the demoralization of the government by terror. 4. an agent or partisan of the revolutionary tribunal during the Reign of Terror in France. –adjective 5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of terrorism or terrorists: terrorist tactics.

terrorize 1. to fill or overcome with terror. 2. to dominate or coerce by intimidation. 3. to produce widespread fear by acts of violence, as bombings. 4. coerce by violence or with threats. 5. fill with terror; frighten greatly.

theft 1. the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny. 2. an instance of this. 3. Archaic. something stolen.

then 1. at that time: Prices were lower then. 2. immediately or soon afterward: The rain stopped and then started again. 3. next in order of time: We ate, then we started home. 4. at the same time: At first the water seemed blue, then gray. 5. next in order of place: Standing beside Charlie is my uncle, then my cousin, then my brother. 6. in addition; besides; also: I love my job, and then it pays so well. 7. in that case; as a consequence; in those circumstances: If you're sick, then you should stay in bed. 8. since that is so; as it appears; therefore: You have, then, found the mistake? You are leaving tonight then.

thing 1. a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object. 2. some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: The stick had a brass thing on it. 3. anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit. 4. things, matters; affairs: Things are going well now. 5. a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs: It is a curious thing. 6. an action, deed, event, or performance: to do great things; His death was a horrible thing. 7. a particular, respect, or detail: perfect in all things. 8. aim; objective: The thing is to reach this line with the ball. 9. an article of clothing: I don't have a thing to wear. 10. things, a. implements, utensils, or other articles for service: I'll wash the breakfast things. b. personal possessions or belongings: Pack your things and go! 11. a task; chore: I've got a lot of things to do today. 12. a living being or creature: His baby's a cute little thing. 13. a thought or statement: I have just one thing to say to you. 14. Informal. a peculiar attitude or feeling, either positive or negative, toward something; mental quirk: She has a thing about cats. 15. something signified or represented, as distinguished from a word, symbol, or idea representing it. 16. Law. anything that may be the subject of a property right. 17. new thing, Jazz. free jazz. 18. the thing, a. something that is correct or fashionable: That café is the thing now. b. that which is expedient or necessary: The thing to do is to tell them the truth.

tolerance 1. a material object without life or consciousness; an inanimate object. 2. some entity, object, or creature that is not or cannot be specifically designated or precisely described: The stick had a brass thing on it. 3. anything that is or may become an object of thought: things of the spirit. 4. things, matters; affairs: Things are going well now. 5. a fact, circumstance, or state of affairs: It is a curious thing. 6. an action, deed, event, or performance: to do great things; His death was a horrible thing. 7. a particular, respect, or detail: perfect in all things. 8. aim; objective: The thing is to reach this line with the ball. 9. an article of clothing: I don't have a thing to wear. 10. things, a. implements, utensils, or other articles for service: I'll wash the breakfast things. b. personal possessions or belongings: Pack your things and go! 11. a task; chore: I've got a lot of things to do today. 12. a living being or creature: His baby's a cute little thing. 13. a thought or statement: I have just one thing to say to you. 14. Informal. a peculiar attitude or feeling, either positive or negative, toward something; mental quirk: She has a thing about cats. 15. something signified or represented, as distinguished from a word, symbol, or idea representing it. 16. Law. anything that may be the subject of a property right. 17. new thing, Jazz. free jazz. 18. the thing, a. something that is correct or fashionable: That café is the thing now. b. that which is expedient or necessary: The thing to do is to tell them the truth.

torture 1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty. 2. a method of inflicting such pain. 3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone. 4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony. 5. a cause of severe pain or anguish. –verb (used with object) 6. to subject to torture. 7. to afflict with severe pain of body or mind: My back is torturing me. 8. to force or extort by torture: We'll torture the truth from his lips! 9. to twist, force, or bring into some unnatural position or form: trees tortured by storms. 10. to distort or pervert (language, meaning, etc.).

traitor 1. a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust. 2. a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.

treachery 1. violation of faith; betrayal of trust; treason. 2. an act of perfidy, faithlessness, or treason.

treason 1. the offense of acting to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign. 2. a violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state. 3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.

unconditional love affection with no limits or conditions; complete love

universe 1. the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm. 2. the whole world, esp. with reference to humanity: a truth known throughout the universe. 3. a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails: his private universe. 4. Also called universe of discourse. Logic. the aggregate of all the objects, attributes, and relations assumed or implied in a given discussion. 5. Also called universal set. Mathematics. the set of all elements under discussion for a given problem. 6. Statistics. the entire population under study.

vision 1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight. 2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be: prophetic vision; the vision of an entrepreneur. 3. an experience in which a personage, thing, or event appears vividly or credibly to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of a divine or other agency: a heavenly messenger appearing in a vision. Compare hallucination (def. 1). 4. something seen or otherwise perceived during such an experience: The vision revealed its message. 5. a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation: visions of wealth and glory. 6. something seen; an object of sight. 7. a scene, person, etc., of extraordinary beauty: The sky was a vision of red and pink. 8. computer vision.

vote 1. a formal expression of opinion or choice, either positive or negative, made by an individual or body of individuals. 2. the means by which such expression is made, as a ballot, ticket, etc. 3. the right to such expression: to give women the vote. 4. the decision reached by voting, as by a majority of ballots cast: The vote was for the resolution. 5. a collective expression of will as inferred from a number of votes: the labor vote. 6. an expression, as of some judgment: a vote of confidence.

war 1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air. 2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations: The two nations were at war with each other. 3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns: the War of 1812. 4. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest: a war of words. 5. aggressive business conflict, as through severe price cutting in the same industry or any other means of undermining competitors: a fare war among airlines; a trade war between nations. 6. a struggle: a war for men's minds; a war against poverty. 7. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business. 8. Cards. a. a game for two or more persons, played with a 52-card pack evenly divided between the players, in which each player turns up one card at a time with the higher card taking the lower, and in which, when both turned up cards match, each player lays one card face down and turns up another, the player with the higher card of the second turn taking all the cards laid down. b. an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match. 9. Archaic. a battle. –verb (used without object) 10. to make or carry on war; fight: to war with a neighboring nation. 11. to carry on active hostility or contention: Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption. 12. to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition: The temptation warred with his conscience.

war crimes 1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation; warfare, as by land, sea, or air. 2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations: The two nations were at war with each other. 3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns: the War of 1812. 4. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest: a war of words. 5. aggressive business conflict, as through severe price cutting in the same industry or any other means of undermining competitors: a fare war among airlines; a trade war between nations. 6. a struggle: a war for men's minds; a war against poverty. 7. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business. 8. Cards. a. a game for two or more persons, played with a 52-card pack evenly divided between the players, in which each player turns up one card at a time with the higher card taking the lower, and in which, when both turned up cards match, each player lays one card face down and turns up another, the player with the higher card of the second turn taking all the cards laid down. b. an occasion in this game when both turned up cards match. 9. Archaic. a battle. –verb (used without object) 10. to make or carry on war; fight: to war with a neighboring nation. 11. to carry on active hostility or contention: Throughout her life she warred with sin and corruption. 12. to be in conflict or in a state of strong opposition: The temptation warred with his conscience. –adjective 13. of, belonging to, used in, or due to war: war preparations; war hysteria.

whimsy 1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression: a play with lots of whimsy. 2. an odd or fanciful notion. 3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy: a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

white 1. of the color of pure snow, of the margins of this page, etc.; reflecting nearly all the rays of sunlight or a similar light. 2. light or comparatively light in color. 3. (of human beings) marked by slight pigmentation of the skin, as of many Caucasoids. 4. for, limited to, or predominantly made up of persons whose racial heritage is Caucasian: a white club; a white neighborhood. 5. pallid or pale, as from fear or other strong emotion: white with rage. 6. silvery, gray, or hoary: white hair. 7. snowy: a white Christmas. 8. lacking color; transparent. 9. (politically) ultraconservative. 10. blank, as an unoccupied space in printed matter: Fill in the white space below. 11. Armor. composed entirely of polished steel plates without fabric or other covering; alwite. 12. wearing white clothing: a white monk. 13. Slang. decent, honorable, or dependable: That's very white of you. 14. auspicious or fortunate. 15. morally pure; innocent. 16. without malice; harmless: white magic. 17. (of wines) light-colored or yellowish, as opposed to red. 18. British. (of coffee) containing milk. –noun 19. a color without hue at one extreme end of the scale of grays, opposite to black. A white surface reflects light of all hues completely and diffusely. Most so-called whites are very light grays: fresh snow, for example, reflects about 80 percent of the incident light, but to be strictly white, snow would have to reflect 100 percent of the incident light. It is the ultimate limit of a series of shades of any color. 20. a hue completely desaturated by admixture with white, the highest value possible. 21. quality or state of being white. 22. lightness of skin pigment. 23. a person whose racial heritage is Caucasian. 24. a white material or substance. 25. the white part of something. 26. Biology. a pellucid viscous fluid that surrounds the yolk of an egg; albumen. 27. the white part of the eyeball: He has a speck in the white of his eye. 28. whites, a. white or nearly white clothing. b. top-grade white flour. 29. white wine: Graves is a good white. 30. a type or breed that is white in color. 31. Usually, whites. a blank space in printing. 32. (initial capital letter) a hog of any of several breeds having a white coat, as a Chester White. 33. Entomology. any of several white-winged butterflies of the family Pieridae, as the common cabbage butterflies. 34. white fabric. 35. Archery. a. the outermost ring of the butt. b. an arrow that hits this portion of the butt. c. the central part of the butt or target, formerly painted white but now painted gold or yellow. d. Archaic. a target painted white. 36. Chess, Checkers. the men or pieces that are light-colored. 37. (often initial capital letter) a member of a royalist, conservative, or reactionary political party.

wicked 1. evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful; iniquitous: wicked people; wicked habits. 2. mischievous or playfully malicious: These wicked kittens upset everything. 3. distressingly severe, as a storm, wound, or cold: a wicked winter. 4. unjustifiable; dreadful; beastly: wicked prices; a wicked exam. 5. having a bad disposition; ill-natured; mean: a wicked horse. 6. spiteful; malevolent; vicious: a wicked tongue. 7. extremely troublesome or dangerous: wicked roads. 8. unpleasant; foul: a wicked odor. 9. Slang. wonderful; great; masterful; deeply satisfying: He blows a wicked trumpet.

woman 1. evil or morally bad in principle or practice; sinful; iniquitous: wicked people; wicked habits. 2. mischievous or playfully malicious: These wicked kittens upset everything. 3. distressingly severe, as a storm, wound, or cold: a wicked winter. 4. unjustifiable; dreadful; beastly: wicked prices; a wicked exam. 5. having a bad disposition; ill-natured; mean: a wicked horse. 6. spiteful; malevolent; vicious: a wicked tongue. 7. extremely troublesome or dangerous: wicked roads. 8. unpleasant; foul: a wicked odor. 9. Slang. wonderful; great; masterful; deeply satisfying: He blows a wicked trumpet.

yellow 1. a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nm. 2. the yolk of an egg. 3. a yellow pigment or dye. 4. Informal. yellow light. 5. Slang. yellow jacket (def. 2). –adjective 6. of the color yellow. 7. Often Offensive. a. designating or pertaining to an Oriental person or Oriental peoples. b. designating or pertaining to a person of mixed racial origin, esp. of black and white heritage, whose skin is yellowish or yellowish brown. 8. having a sallow or yellowish complexion. 9. Informal. cowardly. 10. (of journalism, a newspaper, etc.) a. sensational, esp. morbidly or offensively so: That yellow rag carried all the gory details. b. dishonest in editorial comment and the presentation of news, esp. in sacrificing truth for sensationalism: Objective reporting isn't always a match for yellow journalism. 11. jealous; envious.

zany 1. ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish. –noun 2. one who plays the clown or fool in order to amuse others. 3. a comically wild or eccentric person. 4. a secondary stock character in old comedies who mimicked his master. 5. a professional buffoon; clown. 6. a silly person; simpleton. 7. a slavish attendant or follower.