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sur • feit n., overabundance. The politicians, claiming the nation had a surfeit of laws, passed new laws to abolish the old.

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blas • pheme vt., show contempt or irreverence for something sacred. The young children were taught never to blaspheme God by using His name in vain.

ab • jure vi., renounce, give up publicly. The day he entered juvenile court, Monty solemnly abjured his habit of thoughtless vandalism and vowed to lead a better life.

fel • lic • i • ty n., happiness. A peaceful garden, a summer morning, the music of birds—that, Horatio, is the highest felicity life has to offer.

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fir • ma • ment n., sky. The stars in the firmament number in the billions.

rend vt., rip apart. These new plastic bags are so tough you practically have to rend them with a chainsaw to get them open.

ire • ful adj., angry. People with impairment of the amygdala, a region of the brain, are unable to distinguish an ireful glare from an affectionate glance.

gape vi., open wide. Holes gaped in the roads after the long winter had damaged the pavement.

har • bor vt., provide protection to. The Gestapo punished families for harboring Jews in their homes.

na • tiv • i • ty n., birth. In celebration of the hundredth anniversary of her nativity, Ms. Cosway took her first parachute jump.

in • ces • sant adj., neverending. The incessant blather of the television set soon drove Maxine out of the waiting area.

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ex • hort vt., warn, plead with. The preacher exhorted the people of his impoverished congregation to give kindness freely to their neighbors.

en • tice vt., tempt. Mustafa enticed his cat down from the tree with tuna fish.