| A | B |
|---|
| desiccate | v. to dry completely; to preserve by drying; to make dry and uninteresting |
| desist | v. to stop doing something; to cease; to abstain |
| deteriorate | v. to become worse or less valuable; to depreciate |
| detriment | n. damage; harm; injury |
| devoid | adj. entirely without; empty; totally lacking |
| differentiate | v. to make or become different; to tell the difference between; to note differences |
| dilatory | adj. tending to delay; not prompt; inclined to be slow in doing things |
| dirge | n. a funeral hymn or musical expresion of grief |
| disburse | v. to pay out; to expend from a special fund |
| discursive | adj. wandering or shifting from one subject to another; rambling; long-winded |
| disparity | n. inequality; difference; unlikeness |
| dissent | v. to differ in opinion; to disagree n. the refusal to conform to the beliefs of an established authority, such as church or state; a difference of opinion |
| diurnal | adj. occurring every day; daily; occurring during the daytime |
| divulge | v. to make known; to reveal; to disclose |
| doggerel | n. badly written verse, often with a singsong rhythm |
| dogma | n. a belief or set of beliefs held to be true, especially by a church or other authority; a doctrine |
| drastic | adj. extreme; severe |
| dupe | n. a person easily deceived or tricked; v. to deceive someone |
| duress | n. the threat of force to compel someone to act in a certain manner; coercion |
| dynamic | adj. energetic; vigorous |
| effete | adj. no longer able to produce, worn out, lacking vigor or moral courage, decadent |
| eject | v. to throw out forcefully, to expel, to evict |
| elegant | adj. having or showing good taste, refinement or beauty |
| elite | n. the best or most skilled members of a social group adj. referring to such a group |
| elixir | n. a solution of alcohol and water that contains medicine, any remedy thought to be a cure-all |
| elocution | n. the art of public speaking |
| elude | v. to avoid by cunning means, to evade, to escape understanding |
| emissary | n. a person sent on a mission or errand who represents the interests of another |
| emolument | n. the salary from one's job or position, a payment for services completed |
| empirical | adj. based on experiment or observation, based on practical experience rather than theory |
| enormity | n. extreme wickedness, outrageousness, vastness |
| entomology | n. study of insects |
| environment | n. surroundings, all of the conditions and influences that affect the development of a living thing |
| ephemeral | adj. lasting for a short time, very short-lived |
| epicurean | adj. fond of pleasure and luxury, especially good food and drink |
| equanimity | n. evenness of mind or temper, calmness, composure |
| eschew | v. to avoid, to shun, to keep away from |
| essence | n. the fundamental nature of something, the most important feature, an extract of a substance |
| ethereal | adj. very light and airy, delicate, unearthly, celestial |
| eulogy | n. a speech or piece of writing in praise of a person or thing, especially to honor one who has recently died |
