The Samurai Definitions

Gillian M.
87 words 7 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. corvee
    unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes
  2. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
  3. earthwork
    an earthen rampart
  4. deferentially
    in a respectfully deferential manner
  5. shogunate
    a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
  6. shogun
    a hereditary military dictator of Japan
  7. subjugated
    reduced to submission
  8. adroitly
    with adroitness; in an adroit manner
  9. palanquin
    a closed litter carried on the shoulders of four bearers
  10. ineffectual
    not producing an intended consequence
  11. retainer
    an appliance that holds teeth in position after treatment
  12. adjudication
    the final judgment in a legal proceeding
  13. impetus
    a force that makes something happen
  14. calumny
    a false accusation of an offense
  15. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  16. offing
    the distant part of the sea visible from the shore
  17. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
  18. sardonically
    in a sarcastic manner
  19. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
  20. discomfiture
    anxious embarrassment
  21. sallow
    unhealthy looking
  22. boatswain
    a petty officer on a merchant ship
  23. mitre
    joint that forms a corner
  24. diffident
    showing modest reserve
  25. bevy
    a flock of birds
  26. donjon
    the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
  27. purport
    have the often misleading appearance of being or intending
  28. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  29. curry
    a South Asian dish flavored with a spice mixture
  30. bowsprit
    a spar projecting from the bow of a vessel
  31. obeisance
    bending the head or body in reverence or submission
  32. ponderous
    having great mass and weight and unwieldiness
  33. prow
    the front part of a vessel
  34. halyard
    a rope for raising or lowering a sail or flag
  35. hull
    dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut
  36. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  37. breviary
    (Roman Catholic Church) a book of prayers to be recited daily certain priests and members of religious orders
  38. derelict
    a person without a home, job, or property
  39. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
  40. chalice
    a bowl-shaped drinking vessel
  41. internecine
    within a group or organization
  42. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
  43. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
  44. yeoman
    a free man who cultivates his own land
  45. expedient
    appropriate to a purpose
  46. laxity
    an absence of rigor or strictness
  47. leeward
    on the side away from the wind
  48. sextant
    an instrument for measuring angular distance
  49. fitting
    in harmony with the spirit of particular persons or occasion
  50. deluge
    a heavy rain
  51. juncture
    the shape or manner in which things come together
  52. aphoristic
    terse and witty and like a maxim
  53. sutra
    a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature or a group of aphoristic doctrinal summaries prepared for memorization
  54. hulk
    a ship that has been wrecked and abandoned
  55. promontory
    a natural elevation
  56. upbraid
    express criticism towards
  57. indefinable
    not capable of being precisely or readily described
  58. slaked
    allayed
  59. facsimile
    an exact copy or reproduction
  60. maguey
    Mexican plant used especially for making pulque which is the source of the colorless Mexican liquor, mescal
  61. pulque
    fermented Mexican drink from juice of various agave plants especially the maguey
  62. mescal
    a small spineless globe-shaped cactus
  63. machination
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
  64. subterfuge
    something intended to misrepresent the nature of an activity
  65. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  66. profusion
    the property of being extremely abundant
  67. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  68. turgid
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  69. drivel
    saliva spilling from the mouth
  70. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  71. stave
    one of the slats of wood forming sides of a barrel or bucket
  72. mica
    any of various minerals consisting of hydrous silicates of aluminum or potassium etc. that crystallize in forms that allow perfect cleavage into very thin leaves; used as dielectrics because of their resistance to electricity
  73. begrudge
    be envious of or feel annoyance toward
  74. sarape
    a long brightly colored shawl; worn mainly by Mexican men
  75. ware
    articles of the same kind or material
  76. bated
    diminished or moderated
  77. presage
    a foreboding about what is about to happen
  78. disaffected
    discontented as toward authority
  79. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  80. vacillate
    be undecided about something
  81. bluster
    be gusty, as of wind
  82. impelled
    urged or forced to action through moral pressure
  83. unction
    anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual
  84. torpor
    a state of motor and mental inactivity
  85. accede
    yield to another's wish or opinion
  86. maelstrom
    a powerful circular current of water
  87. furore
    an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
Created on Sat Apr 30 11:30:37 EDT 2011 (updated Sun Sep 25 09:09:57 EDT 2011)

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