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abrogate, verb, to repeal, dismiss by an authoritative act

synonyms: ; antonyms: sanction

Latin, ab, to go away from, rogare, to ask

apostasy, noun, Renouncing or falling away from beliefs, esp. religious

synonyms: recant; antonyms:

Greek, apo, away, stasis, standing

cadge, verb, to sponge on another or get by begging

synonyms: ; antonyms:

Old French, cagier, one who carried birds for sale

casuistry, noun, made for the sake of argument or faultfinding

synonyms: sophistry, trickery; antonyms:

Note: casuistry is used especially when pertaining to questions of morality

collusion, noun, a secret allying for fraudulent activity

synonyms: conspiracy; antonyms: ; related words: privy

Latin, con, with, ludere, to play

compendium, noun, composition containing, in brief form, the substance of a larger work

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

Latin, compendium, a weighing together, an abridgement

contemn, verb, to despise, consider and treat as mean and dispicable

synonyms: ostracize; antonyms: ; related words:

Bible: Psalms XV, verse 4: "In whose eyes a vile person is contemned."

contumacious, adj., insubordinate, disobedient, stubborn

related words: contumacy, n. contumelious, haughty & insulting

Latin, tumere, to swell

craven, adj., cowardly, base

synonyms: pusillanimous; antonyms: courageous; related words:

Old French, craventer, to break, overcome, conquer

culpable, adj., deserving blame, worthy of censure, guilty

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

Latin, culpa, fault, crime

demotic, adj., of the people, vernacular, popular (as opposed to esoteric)

Eliot, The Wasteland, Fire Sermon, 212, "Mr Eugenides ... Asked me in demotic French / To luncheon"

Greek, demos, of the people

desultory, adj., passing from one thing to another randomly, without method

Aruhndati Roy, The God of Small Things, p 59, "With a desultory nod of his bored and sleepy head, the Level Crossing Divinity conjure up beggars with bandages"

Latin, desultorius, a vaulter at a circus

diffidence, noun, self doubt, hesitancy to assert oneself

Pound, The Cantos "But to have done instead of not doing this is not vanity . . . Here error is all in the not done all in the diffidence that faltered."

Latin, diffidens, distrust

dissemble, verb, to hide conceal, mislead

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

ductile, adj., easily molded or led; not brittle: said of metals

cf. to similar "malleable", which is from Latin malleo, hammer

Latin, ductus, to lead

ebullient, adj., bubbling over

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

Latin,

egregious, adj., conspicuously bad

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

Latin,

empirical, adj., based on observation or experiment

synonyms: ; antonyms: ; related words:

Greek, en, in, peira, a trial, attempt

emulate, verb. to strive to equal or excel, to rival successfully

Note difference from imitate, which means to follow the example of or imitate

Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, 129, "so every step, / Exampled by the first pace that is sick/ Of his superior, grows to an envious fever / Of pale and bloodless emulation"

equivocate, verb, to use ambigious language with deceptive intent,

synonyms: evade; antonyms: ; related words:

Latin, aequivocatus, to be called by the same name

parsimonious, adj. Sparing in expenditure, extreme frugality, miserliness

synonyms: penurious; antonyms: magnanimous

Latin, parsere, to spare

trenchant, adj. Sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating

synonyms: whet (verb); antonyms: blunt, vapid, inane, insipid

Old French, trencher, to cut