com • pro • mise vi., settle by having both sides make concessions. Bill wanted a heated dessert and I wanted something cold, so we compromised on a hot fudge sundae.

em • bit • ter vt., make resentful. Lucy didn't let her friend's betrayal embitter her; she was not resentful of her friend.

en • deav • or or en • deav • our n., attempt, effort. Hillary's first endeavor to dock the boat failed; her second attempt succeeded.

lan • guor n., lack of interest, listlessness. The speaker's dullness and the stifling room filled us with languor.

ma • raud • er n., one who raids and plunders. The marauders raided the villagers' stored crops, took their livestock, and set their fields ablaze.

pin • ion vt., bind. The cowboy pinioned the calf so he could brand it.

plight n., dangerous situation. The plight of the heroine, cornered on the top of a skyscraper, filled the audience with fear.

pre • cip • i • tous adj., steep. The precipitous trail up the steep mountain was difficult even for the most seasoned climbers.

rec • on • cil • i • a • tion n., settling of problems or disputes. Jeff and Hetty put their long grudge aside and reached a reconciliation.

re • strain • ing adj., controlling or disciplining. Under the restraining hand of their mother, the children's freedom was reigned in when they became too unruly.