Vocabulary #7

aberration - an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Ad hoc- for the special purpose or end presently under consideration

bane - something causes misery or death

bathos - triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos

cantankerous -having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

casuistry - moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading

de facto - in fact; in reality

depredation - an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action

empathy - understanding and entering into another's feelings

harbinger -an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage

hedonism - an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle

lackluster - lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

malcontent - discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted

mellifluous - pleasing to the ear
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)

pander - someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to

peccadillo - a petty misdeed

piece de resistance - the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction.

remand - the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

syndrome - a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease