A Period Dictionary

To give up wholly; to relinquish all right, claim, or interest in; to yield entirely, as one's will, into another's keeping. Used reflexively, as in the phrase "to abandon oneself," it implies a total surrender rather than a partial concession.

The act or practice of voluntarily refraining from indulgence, esp. from strong drink; self-denial in respect of appetite. It is commonly distinguished from mere moderation, which permits limited use, in that abstinence permits none.

The doing of a thing; the exertion of power producing an effect; conduct, as distinguished from bare intention or profession. As used in programs of reform, it stands in deliberate contrast to resolution merely held in the mind.

Existing in fact; real; opposed to what is potential, feigned, or merely imagined. It is frequently set against the merely apparent or the wished-for.

Wonder mingled with esteem or approbation, excited by that which is high in character or achievement. It differs from mere liking in that it presupposes some standard of excellence by which the object is judged.

To acknowledge as true or as fact; to concede, esp. that which one has hitherto denied or resisted owning. In matters of conscience, the word carries an added sense of yielding what pride would rather withhold.

Opinion recommended or offered as worthy to be followed; counsel. Unlike a command, advice leaves the final choice with the one who receives it.

A settled goodwill or benign feeling toward another; tender attachment. It is commonly the quieter and more enduring companion of passion, outlasting the excitement from which it may have sprung.

A volatile, colorless, inflammable liquid, the intoxicating principle of fermented and distilled liquors. Chemically classed among the ethyl compounds, it is the common element uniting beverages otherwise as different as beer and brandy.

Of, pertaining to, or containing alcohol; also, one addicted to the excessive use of alcoholic liquor, esp. one for whom drinking has become an uncontrollable habit. The noun came into general use somewhat later than "drunkard," and was preferred by the more clinical writers of the period as free of moral censure.

A diseased condition produced by the excessive and habitual use of alcoholic liquors; alcoholic poisoning, whether acute or chronic. Medical opinion of the day was divided as to whether the condition should be classed as a vice, a weakness of will, or a disease proper.

Regard for the well-being of others as a principle of action; the direct opposite of egoism. The term is of comparatively recent coinage, framed by the French philosopher Auguste Comte as the deliberate opposite of that self-regarding doctrine.

Ardent desires for preferment, power, distinction, or superiority; aspirations. Though not evil in themselves, ambitions are reckoned dangerous when they exceed a man's true capacity or crowd out other duties.

Compensation for loss or injury; that which is given or done to repair a wrong done to another. It is distinguished from a mere apology in that amends require some act of restitution, not words alone.

A strong passion or emotion of displeasure, excited by a real or supposed injury. Short-lived anger, quickly spent, was traditionally reckoned a lesser fault than resentment, which is anger preserved.

A troubled state of mind arising from fear of what may happen; painful uneasiness respecting some uncertain future. Where fear commonly has a definite object, anxiety is often diffuse, attaching itself to no single, nameable danger.

Formerly, a defense or justification made in reply to accusation; in present use, an acknowledgment offered in extenuation of a fault, expressing regret. A sincere apology is commonly held to require some acknowledgment of the specific wrong done, not general expressions of regret alone.

In the manner, degree, or time that; while; in proportion as — a particle expressing comparison or simultaneity of action. In its causal use it approaches the sense of "since" or "because," a shading the reader must judge from context.

Immediately; without delay or intervening time. The phrase admits of no interval, as distinguished from "soon," which allows some latitude of time.

Close or careful observing; the fixed direction of the mind upon an object. Sustained attention, as opposed to the fleeting kind, was reckoned by the older moralists a mark of discipline.

Obstinate and unreasoning attachment to one's own opinions, joined with intolerance of those who think or believe differently. It is distinguished from mere firmness of conviction by the temper in which the conviction is held — bigotry cannot suffer contradiction.

An obstruction; that which hinders passage or progress. Used figuratively of the mind or the will, a block is that which prevents movement though no physical barrier exists.

Captivity to one's own ego, desires, and self-directed thinking; a servitude not to another but to oneself, from which one cannot free oneself unaided. The phrase presupposes a self capable of being both the captor and the captive, a paradox central to its use.

A great misfortune or cause of misery; a disastrous event. It is distinguished from a mere misfortune by its scale, a calamity being commonly public or at least widely felt.

Freedom from agitation; stillness of mind or manner, unruffled by passion. Calm of manner does not always argue calm of mind, a distinction the careful observer will note.

Serious mental attention; solicitude; watchful regard exercised on behalf of another. In its older sense the word carried more of the meaning now given to "anxiety"; its present, gentler sense of watchful attention is the later development.

Heedlessness; want of due caution or attention in act or speech, whereby harm may come to others through simple default of thought, rather than through malice. Where wilful neglect implies a deliberate slighting of duty, carelessness more often implies simple absence of mind.

The obtaining of an advantage over another by deceit, trick, or fraud, esp. in violation of the fair terms of an agreement. The word implies not merely deception but deception practiced within some relation of trust, as in a game or a bargain.

Arranged in a class; grouped with others of like kind, quality, or degree. To be classed with a thing is to be judged, rightly or not, to share its essential nature.

Began; entered upon; took the first step in a course of action. It is the more formal synonym for "began," reserved in careful writing for undertakings of some moment or ceremony.

To represent as worthy of confidence or regard; to praise. To commend a person to another's care is an older use, related to but distinct from commending an action as praiseworthy.

An overweening opinion of one's own qualities or importance; excessive self-esteem not warranted by fact; vanity of mind. The word derives, curiously, from the same root as "concept"; a conceited man may be said to be overly attached to his own conceptions of himself.

To yield as a point in dispute; to admit as true, though perhaps reluctantly. To concede a point differs from mere silence, in that it is an active, if reluctant, acknowledgment.

The disclosing of that which had been concealed, esp. of sin or wrongdoing, to another; open acknowledgment. In ecclesiastical use, the formal declaration of sin to a priest or other appointed authority; the plainer, secular sense of admission to any hearer is a natural extension of the same root idea.

Trust or reliance in the character, ability, or intentions of another, or in one's own powers, grounded upon that reliance. Excessive confidence, unearned by experience, is to be distinguished from the trust that grows properly out of tested reliability.

To gain the mastery over by force or effort; to overcome, as an adversary, a habit, or a disease. The figurative use, of conquering a habit or a fault, was already well established by the nineteenth century.

An aware, living relation with another, esp. with a Higher Power, as distinguished from a merely formal or intellectual acknowledgment of its existence. The phrase implies a relation actively maintained, as opposed to one merely believed in and left thereafter unattended.

Given to careful thought for the circumstances and feelings of others; thoughtful; not heedless. A considerate act anticipates another's want before it is spoken, rather than merely answering it once made known.

The act of despising; the state of mind in which a person or thing is regarded as mean, vile, or beneath notice. Contempt is commonly reckoned colder than hatred, wanting the heat of that passion though sharing something of its aversion.

Advice given as the result of consultation; deliberate opinion offered for another's guidance. Where advice may be freely offered, counsel more often implies that it has been sought.

That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger or difficulty with firmness; fortitude. Moral courage, the courage to face disapproval or ridicule for a right course, was distinguished by the older writers from mere physical bravery.

Inordinate desire for the possessions of another; an old and grave fault, reckoned among the classical vices. It is numbered among the seven deadly sins of the older moral theology, there reckoned a root of much other wrongdoing.

The act of passing judgment upon the faults of others; censorious fault-finding, as distinguished from criticism in its better sense of discerning judgment fairly applied. The word bears this nobler sense in matters of art or conduct, from which its commoner, censorious use is a decline.

That which puzzles or vexes exceedingly; the central and decisive point of a difficulty. Borrowed directly from the Latin for "cross," the word retains something of the sense of a burden or a trial to be borne.

The act of settling or terminating a matter by the exercise of judgment or will; a fixed resolve. A decision differs from a mere preference in that it is followed, or is meant to be followed, by action.

Faults or imperfections inherent in a person's disposition or habitual conduct, as distinguished from mere errors of judgment or occasional lapse. The phrase presupposes some standard of sound character against which the defect is measured and found wanting.

A letting out of air or of pretension; a reduction from a swollen or inflated state, whether of currency or, figuratively, of self-importance. The economic sense, familiar to readers of the depression years just past, lent the word its figurative use respecting an inflated opinion of self.

A putting off of that which ought to be done; the deferring of action, esp. of action already known to be right and necessary. A delay once resolved upon and abandoned is commonly the harder to overcome the second time, habit having by then some hold upon the will.

An emotion directed toward the attainment of some object from which pleasure or satisfaction is expected; a wish accompanied by effort to obtain. Desire, being neither good nor evil in itself, takes its character chiefly from its object and from the degree to which it is governed.

Instructions or guidance given for the conducting of some course of action; the order or way prescribed. Directions given but not followed are, in the practical sense, no better than none given at all.

A disorder of structure or function in a living organism; an unhealthy or morbid condition, whether of body or, by extension, of mind or character. The classing of a given condition as a disease, rather than a moral failing, was in 1939 still a matter under active medical dispute.

Want of honesty; disposition to deceive, cheat, or defraud; comprehends the several practices of lying, stealing, and cheating, by which trust between man and man is betrayed. Habitual dishonesty is commonly held to begin in small matters before it extends, by a kind of practiced ease, to larger ones.

Great fear in view of an impending evil; anticipatory apprehension of a particular and specific ill. Where fear may be roused by present danger, dread more properly looks forward to danger yet to come.

Ardent in the pursuit of an object; serious and sincere in purpose, as opposed to trifling or feigned. An earnest man is known less by his professions than by the steadiness of his application to the matter in hand.

The practice of speaking or thinking overmuch of one's self; an exaggerated sense of one's own importance; a self-centered habit of mind. Distinguished by careful writers from egoism, which denotes a philosophical doctrine, egotism denotes rather a habit of speech and manner.

Pain or discontent excited by the sight of another's superior good fortune, joined with a desire to possess the same advantage. Unlike admiration, which may coexist with generosity, envy commonly wishes the other's advantage diminished rather than merely wishing to share in it.

Having the same measure, quality, or value as another; on the same footing, neither inferior nor superior. In matters of worth or dignity, as distinguished from mere quantity, the word carries a weight the older writers took seriously.

Pleas offered in extenuation of a fault; reasons, often specious, alleged to justify conduct one knows privately to be wrong. An excuse offered before the fault is known is commonly judged less sincere than one offered only after discovery.

The seeking out of the actual circumstances of a matter, without prejudice or evasion, as a preliminary to right judgment. The term implies a discipline of withholding judgment until the relevant facts, however unwelcome, have first been gathered.

Firm belief, esp. without logical proof; trust or confidence reposed in a person, or, in religious use, in a Higher Power. Religious faith is commonly distinguished from mere credulity by the reasoned or experiential ground on which it is said to rest.

Pride grounded not in just self-respect but in a wish to appear other than one is; vainglory maintained by an act of self-deception. It is distinguished from just pride, which rests on genuine accomplishment, chiefly by the fear of appearing less than one wishes to seem.

The quality of causing death or ruin; a deadly or fatally destined outcome. The adjective "fatal" retains the older sense of being decreed by fate, a shading largely lost in the noun's more modern use.

The habitual seeking out and pointing out of the faults of others; captious or carping criticism, given more to blame than to correction. The habitual faultfinder is commonly observed to overlook in himself the very faults he is quickest to remark in others.

A painful emotion excited by the expectation of evil, or by the apprehension of danger; in excess, a disordering dread that unsettles right judgment. Rational fear, proportioned to a real danger, is to be distinguished from the fear that persists after the danger has passed or was never real.

According to established form or ceremony; regular; official, as opposed to what is private or informal. A formal apology, offered according to accepted usage, is sometimes distinguished, not always to its credit, from one offered with evident feeling.

The act of ceasing to feel resentment against an offender; the pardoning of an offense. Forgiveness is commonly held to be complete only when it extinguishes the wish for retribution, not merely when it suppresses its expression.

Free in expressing one's real sentiments; open, ingenuous, undisguised. Frankness is to be distinguished from mere bluntness by the goodwill presumed to accompany it.

The quality of being of no avail; uselessness; the state of an effort that fails to produce any useful result. An effort is judged futile not by its difficulty but by its want of any attainable result, however great the labor spent upon it.

Liberality in giving; nobleness of mind that disdains meanness and readily bestows. True generosity, the older moralists held, gives without calculation of return, as distinguished from giving that expects some future advantage.

Being truly what it purports to be; not counterfeit or assumed; real. Applied to feeling or profession, the word implies a correspondence between the outward show and the inward fact.

Kindly feeling; benevolent disposition toward others; freedom from enmity or malice. Good will differs from mere tolerance in that it wishes the other's actual welfare, not merely his absence of interference.

The state of being grateful; warm and friendly feeling entertained toward a benefactor; thankfulness. Gratitude is reckoned by many moralists among the more difficult virtues, since it requires the frank acknowledgment of one's own former want.

Excessive and grasping desire, esp. for wealth or gain, beyond what need or use requires. Greed is distinguished from ordinary desire by its excess and by its indifference to the claims or needs of others.

Firmly established; settled in principle; fixed upon a sure foundation. A grounded conviction is one that has been tested and found to bear weight, as distinguished from one merely asserted.

A written record of persons, institutions, or principles against whom one holds a cherished ill will on account of some real or fancied injury. The making of such a list presupposes that what is written down and examined may thereby be more readily set aside than what is left to fester unexamined.

Intense dislike; an emotion of extreme aversion or enmity felt toward a person, joined commonly with a wish for that person's harm. Hate is commonly the more settled and deliberate passion, as distinguished from anger, which may be sudden and short-lived.

To give aid or assistance to another in need, esp. as a duty undertaken without expectation of return. The phrase, as used in works of moral instruction, commonly implies help given without expectation of thanks or repayment.

Uprightness; probity; fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; freedom from fraud or deception. Honesty in small matters is commonly held to be the surer test of character than honesty only in matters of consequence.

A state of enmity or opposition; ill will manifested in disposition or in act, as between declared adversaries. Open hostility, however unpleasant, is sometimes reckoned less corrosive of character than the hidden variety, which festers unexpressed.

The thorough cleaning of a house; figuratively, a searching removal of accumulated fault, disorder, or long-neglected obligation. The figurative sense presupposes that what has been let alone too long will not clean itself, but requires deliberate and thorough effort.

Freedom from pride and arrogance; a lowly and accurate estimate of one's own importance, not to be confounded with self-abasement. True humility is to be distinguished from self-abasement, which denies real worth, in that humility merely declines to overstate it.

Affected with, or characteristic of, an uncontrolled excess of emotion; excessively and unreasonably agitated. The term, once applied chiefly to women on the mistaken medical theory noted above, came by the twentieth century to be used of either sex.

The state of being ill; sickness; a disordered condition of body or mind. The word covers conditions of every degree of gravity, from the passing indisposition to the grave and lasting malady.

Want of patience; inability or unwillingness to endure delay, opposition, or pain without complaint. Impatience with others is commonly, on examination, found to have its true root in impatience with oneself.

Want of decision; a wavering between two or more courses so that no action is taken; irresolution, commonly bred of worry over the outcome of a choice not yet made. Prolonged indecision is sometimes harder upon the mind than either of the two choices it hesitates between.

Unsoundness of mind; a derangement of the reasoning faculties such that ordinary judgment is impaired or set aside. The legal and the medical uses of the term were, in this period, by no means identical, a fact of some consequence to those who invoked it.

Want of sincerity; the assuming of a character, or the professing of a feeling, that one does not truly hold; hollowness of profession. It is to be distinguished from simple error, in that it involves the deliberate misrepresentation of one's actual sentiment.

A breathing in; a quickening or elevating influence upon the mind, esp. one thought to come from beyond the natural powers of reason. The word does not of itself determine the source of the influence described, whether that source be reckoned human genius or a power beyond it.

Established organizations, laws, or customs, esp. such as are of public and settled character. The word may denote either the buildings and organizations themselves or, more abstractly, the customs and usages they embody.

Directions given as to how a thing is to be done; teachings, esp. of a practical and particular kind. Instructions differ from mere advice chiefly in the expectation, implicit or express, that they will be followed.

Want of toleration; unwillingness to endure opinions, practices, or persons differing from one's own; narrowness of mind carried to the point of bigotry. It is distinguished from disagreement, however vigorous, by the refusal even to grant the other's right to hold his view.

Direct perception of truth, independent of any process of reasoning; immediate apprehension. Intuitive knowledge is commonly contrasted with knowledge arrived at by inference, though the two are not always easily told apart in practice.

Want of resolution; inability or unwillingness to fix the mind firmly upon a course of action; a wavering of the will. The irresolute man is not without judgment but without the further will to act upon it.

Painful apprehension of rivalry in matters where one's affections or interests are deeply engaged; solicitous, watchful guarding of what one already possesses. It is distinguished from envy in that it fears the loss of what one already possesses, rather than desiring what belongs to another.

The framing of pleas whereby conduct at fault is made to appear reasonable or right; a vindication of one's own part, whether sound or specious. A justification offered in good faith is to be distinguished from a rationalization, which is offered chiefly to deceive the one who offers it.

The quality of being kind; disposition to do good and give pleasure to others; benevolence carried into action. Kindness shown to a stranger, requiring no prior claim of affection, was reckoned by many moralists the purer form of the virtue.

Disinclination to exertion; indolence; unwillingness to labor or to bestir oneself where labor is due. It is distinguished from rest, which is taken by design and for a purpose, in that laziness has no further end beyond itself.

A maxim counseling forbearance: that one should pursue one's own course without hindering, or being unduly vexed by, the course of others. The maxim counsels forbearance rather than indifference, allowing that one may privately disapprove while yet declining to interfere.

A strong affection or attachment; in its higher sense, a benevolent and self-giving regard for another's welfare, as distinguished from mere passion. Love that seeks chiefly its own satisfaction was, by the older writers, carefully distinguished from love that seeks the good of its object.

Longing desire, esp. of a carnal kind, no longer restrained by the proper governance of the will; appetite grown lawless. It is distinguished from natural desire, which the older moralists did not condemn, by its excess and its disregard of higher governance.

The uttering of falsehood with intent to deceive; the practice of making statements known by the speaker to be untrue. A lie of omission, in which the truth is simply withheld, was by some casuists judged less grave than a lie actively spoken, though not innocent.

To make plain or evident to the senses or understanding; to show plainly. That which is manifest requires no proof, being evident of itself to any who will look.

Close or continued thought; the turning over of a subject in the mind, esp. in religious contemplation. Religious meditation is to be distinguished from mere reverie by its deliberate direction toward some fixed and worthy object of thought.

One of the individuals composing a society or community, possessing therein all the rights and privileges of the body. Membership commonly implies not only privilege but some reciprocal duty owed to the body of which one is a part.

Compassion shown toward an offender, or one in one's power, when severity would be just; forbearance from inflicting deserved punishment. Mercy presupposes a wrong deserving of just penalty; it is not to be confused with mere leniency, which may excuse where no wrong was truly done.

Want of trust or confidence; suspicion; the withholding of belief in another's honesty or reliability. Mistrust once formed is commonly slow to yield, requiring a longer course of proof to dispel than it took to create.

Having a moderate estimate of oneself; not given to boasting; decorous in speech and behavior. Modesty in speech of one's own accomplishments is to be distinguished from false modesty, which secretly courts the very praise it appears to decline.

Continued and unwholesome brooding upon painful or diseased matter of the mind, esp. past regret, without profit or resolution. Such reflection is distinguished from honest self-examination by its lack of any end beyond the prolonging of its own distress.

Omission of that care or attention which duty requires; failure to give proper heed to one's obligations, whether through indolence or plain default. Neglect of small duties, allowed to continue, was observed by the older writers commonly to grow into neglect of greater ones.

Habitual want of care; the omission of that attention or diligence which a situation demands — carelessness regarded as a settled habit rather than a single lapse. In legal use the term denotes a definite standard of care, the failure to meet which renders one answerable for resulting harm.

Nearest in place, time, order, or degree, following immediately after that which precedes. Used of order rather than of mere succession in time, the word implies an established or expected sequence.

Excessive indulgence of appetite or desire, in eating, drink, or other gratification, carried beyond the bounds temperance would prescribe. The word implies an excess measured against some standard of moderation, rather than against any fixed and universal limit.

The quality of enduring pain, delay, or provocation without complaint or loss of temper. Patience under provocation is commonly reckoned a harder discipline than patience under mere delay.

Freedom from disturbance or agitation; a state of tranquility, whether public or of the mind. Peace of mind, as distinguished from the mere absence of outward strife, was held by the older moralists to be the rarer and more valuable attainment.

Continuing in the same state; durable; not temporary or transient. Permanence is a matter of degree in ordinary usage, few things in human affairs being permanent in the strict and absolute sense.

The dealings and connections subsisting between individuals, esp. of family, friendship, or society. The phrase covers the whole range of human dealing, from the most intimate ties of family to the more distant obligations of acquaintance.

An observable occurrence or fact, esp. one apprehended by the senses and considered noteworthy or in need of explanation. In its strict philosophical use the word is reserved for that which appears to the senses, as distinguished from the underlying reality supposed to produce it.

Sympathetic sorrow for the suffering or distress of another, together with a desire to relieve it. Pity unaccompanied by any wish or effort to relieve the suffering observed was by some writers judged an incomplete and even a self-indulgent sentiment.

An excessive desire to own, control, or exclusively claim another person or thing, esp. from fear of losing it. Possessiveness toward a person, as distinguished from possessiveness toward mere property, is commonly reckoned the more destructive of the two.

The expression of approbation or admiration; commendation bestowed, esp. for merit. Praise given in private is by some held more genuine than praise given before others, which may serve the giver's own credit as much as its object's.

A fundamental truth, law, or motive force from which others are derived, or upon which conduct is grounded. A man of principle is one who governs his conduct by fixed rule rather than by the shifting pressure of circumstance.

The act or habit of putting off till tomorrow that which ought to be done today; needless and habitual delay. The habitual procrastinator is commonly found to have persuaded himself, against the evidence, that the delayed task will prove easier at some future hour.

A written or printed statement of the order of proceeding in some exercise; a plan of intended proceedings. In its figurative use, of a course of conduct or reform, the word carries an implication of order and sequence not present in a mere resolution.

Ready and quick to act; done without delay. Promptness is to be distinguished from haste, which sacrifices care for speed; the prompt man loses no time, yet need not act carelessly.

The finding of reasons, plausible but not the true ones, to account for conduct actually governed by other and less creditable motives. The rationalizer is commonly the last to recognize his own rationalizations, these being addressed as much to himself as to any other hearer.

The state of being actual or true; that which exists in fact, as distinguished from mere appearance or supposition. Reality, in the strict sense, exists independent of any observer's wish or opinion regarding it, however painful that independence may prove.

To restore to friendship or harmony persons who have been at variance; to make consistent. Reconciliation properly requires the consent of both parties formerly at variance, and cannot be accomplished by the wish of one alone.

Restored, as from sickness, loss, or a diseased condition, to a former or sound state. The past participle is commonly reserved, in careful usage, for restoration held to be complete, as distinguished from mere improvement.

Restoration to a former or better state, as from sickness, loss, or misfortune. Recovery from a chronic condition was, in the medical opinion of the day, sometimes distinguished from mere remission of its symptoms.

A slipping or falling back into a former state, esp. into sickness or fault after apparent improvement. A relapse is to be distinguished from a first occurrence of the malady in that it presupposes an interval of apparent recovery now lost.

To set free from restraint, obligation, or penalty; the act of letting go. Release differs from mere escape in that it commonly implies the consent, or at least the acquiescence, of the party from whom one is set free.

To rest with confidence, as upon the support, integrity, or veracity of another. To rely upon a person is to stake some consequence of one's own conduct upon the constancy of his.

The gnawing distress of conscience for wrong committed; keen and lasting regret for past misdeeds, esp. when unaccompanied by any amendment of conduct. Remorse so unaccompanied was judged by the older moralists a barren and even a self-indulgent state, differing little from self-pity.

A sense of injury received, cherished and brooded upon; ill will excited by a real or fancied wrong. The root sense, "to feel again," well expresses the habit of returning again and again to the original hurt.

Esteem for the worth of a person, arising from due consideration of that worth; deferential regard. Respect may be commanded by office or position, but the older writers held that only conduct could command it justly.

The state of being answerable for one's conduct or obligations; accountability. Responsibility once accepted is not commonly held to be discharged by good intention alone, but only by its due performance.

The act of restoring to the rightful owner that which has been lost, taken away, or withheld; reparation. Restitution, properly made, restores so far as possible the very thing or value lost, and is thus distinguished from an apology, which restores nothing material.

Unable to rest or be at ease; easily provoked to anger; dissatisfied with one's lot — a triad of temper marking one whose accustomed poise has deserted him. The three together were held by physicians of the day to form a recognizable syndrome, each symptom aggravating the others in turn.

To return like for like, esp. evil for evil received; to repay an injury in the same kind as it was given. It is distinguished, in careful usage, from mere self-defense, in that retaliation follows after the original injury is past and no longer imminent.

The act of returning injury for injury, in a spirit of personal retribution rather than of justice. Revenge was reckoned by the older moralists a dish that loses nothing by being taken cold — that is, deliberated rather than impulsive.

Of sound mind; possessing a rational and healthy understanding. Sanity is commonly a matter of degree rather than of simple presence or absence, admitting of partial and intermittent impairment.

A keen, bitter, or cutting remark uttered with intent to wound, commonly under cover of wit. The Greek root, "to tear flesh," well expresses its harsher uses, distinguishing it from mere irony, which need carry no intent to wound.

Bowing or bending low, as in excessive and servile deference; obsequious in manner. The figurative use draws upon the image of the low, obsequious bow, in which the body itself seems to scrape the ground.

Freedom from danger, doubt, or apprehension; the condition of being safe. Security founded upon external circumstance, being subject to that circumstance's change, was distinguished by the older writers from the security founded upon inward resource.

Excessive and uncritical delight taken in the contemplation of one's own qualities, talents, or person; a distorting satisfaction in oneself. It differs from just self-respect in that it is commonly blind to those very faults which a due self-respect would labor to correct.

The habit of placing self at the center of one's regard and interest; egotism carried into the whole conduct of life. The self-centered man is not necessarily unkind to others, but characteristically measures all things, even his kindness, by their bearing upon himself.

The passing of harsh judgment upon oneself for a fault, esp. when the judgment is prolonged past the point of correction or amendment. Self-condemnation carried to excess was reckoned by the older writers as much a disorder of proportion as its opposite, excessive self-regard.

The act of deceiving oneself; the holding of beliefs about oneself which are, at some level, known to be false. Self-deception is the more insidious for being, by its very nature, hidden from the one who practices it.

The deceiving of oneself; belief in that which is false, entertained without external imposition, and often serving one's own wishes. Self-delusion commonly persists longest in those matters upon which a man's pride or comfort most depends.

A favorable opinion or estimate of oneself; in excess, near akin to conceit; in due measure, a proper sense of one's own worth. A due self-esteem, neither excessive nor wanting, was held by the older moralists to be as necessary to sound character as either extreme is destructive of it.

An exaggerated sense of one's own consequence; a swollen estimate of one's own weight in the affairs of others. The self-important man is commonly the last in any company to perceive how his own estimate of himself is regarded by others.

The habit of yielding readily to one's own desires and inclinations, without the check of discipline. Self-indulgence in small matters was observed by the older moralists commonly to weaken the will's power of resistance in matters of greater consequence.

The framing of reasons, after the fact, to make one's own conduct appear right, excusable, or unavoidable. It differs from honest explanation chiefly in its object, which is less to inform the hearer than to quiet the speaker's own conscience.

Excessive and self-absorbed sorrow over one's own troubles or misfortunes, indulged in for its own sake rather than met by effort or remedy. It is distinguished from just sorrow by its tendency to dwell upon misfortune rather than to seek its remedy.

The giving up of one's own interest, comfort, or desire for the sake of another, or of duty. Self-sacrifice ceases, some moralists held, to be a virtue when it is performed chiefly to be observed and admired by others.

Given to seeking one's own interest or advantage in preference to that of others, at times under cover of apparent kindness. Self-seeking is not always apparent even to the one who practices it, being readily disguised, even to himself, under the appearance of some more generous motive.

One's own will, esp. as asserted in opposition to that of others or of rightful authority; willfulness; obstinacy. It is distinguished from proper independence of judgment by its persistence even after better counsel has been shown to be right.

Regard for one's own interest or happiness carried to a degree that disregards the rights, comfort, or happiness of others; excessive love of self. It differs from a due regard for one's own welfare, which no moralist condemned, in that it disregards the equal claims of others.

Having or showing good sense or reasonable judgment; capable of being perceived by the senses. A sensible course of action is one recommended by sound judgment upon the actual facts of a case, rather than by wish or impulse.

Clearness and calmness, esp. of mind; tranquil composure undisturbed by care. It is distinguished from mere indifference, which is untroubled because it does not truly care, in that serenity remains untroubled though it cares deeply.

The occupation of a servant; also, in its nobler use, the rendering of aid or benefit to another, esp. without compulsion or reward sought. Service rendered without hope of return was reckoned, in the moral literature of the period, the purer and more estimable kind.

Of or befitting a slave; abjectly submissive; meanly cringing. Servility is to be distinguished from due deference, which respects another's rightful position, in that servility abases itself beyond what any relation requires.

Matters pertaining to the relations, whether physical or sentimental, subsisting between the sexes. The phrase, in the guarded usage of the period, commonly stood for a subject treated with considerably more circumlocution than directness.

Failures to reach a required standard; deficiencies; faults, esp. as measured against one's own aspiration. The word implies a standard fallen short of, and thus presupposes some measure — of duty, of capacity, or of aspiration — against which the falling short is judged.

A transgression of a moral or divine law; wrongdoing, esp. as viewed in its relation to a Higher Power. Sin is to be distinguished, in strict theological usage, from mere error or misfortune by the element of moral culpability it presupposes.

Freedom from pretense or deceit; honesty of intention or feeling. The fanciful derivation "without wax," said of unadulterated honey, is often repeated though disputed by scholars, and the word is to be distinguished from mere frankness, since a man may be frank about a feeling he does not, in fact, sincerely hold.

Habitual freedom from the excessive use of intoxicating liquor; also, moderation and seriousness of conduct generally. Sobriety in its extended sense, of seriousness and moderation in conduct generally, was commonly held by the older writers to follow naturally from sobriety in the narrower sense.

To explain or clear up, as a doubt or difficulty; to find the answer to. A problem is properly said to be solved only when the solution accounts fully for the difficulty first proposed, not merely in part.

Grieved or regretful, esp. for a fault committed or for pain caused to another. To be sorry for a fault is, in careful usage, distinguished from being merely sorry for its consequences to oneself.

Free from injury or defect; healthy; whole; entirely trustworthy in judgment. Applied to judgment or doctrine, the word implies a soundness tested and found reliable, not merely asserted or assumed.

The office or relation of one who assumes responsibility for another's guidance or introduction into a society or undertaking. The relation of sponsor to the one sponsored was, in the usage of the period, understood to entail ongoing guidance, not a single act of introduction only.

The vital principle animating a living being; the immaterial, thinking part of man, as distinguished from the body. The word is used both of the individual soul and, more broadly, of the animating temper or character of a whole undertaking or company.

Of or pertaining to the spirit, as opposed to material or bodily concerns; of or relating to sacred things. The spiritual is commonly set in contrast not only to the material but also, in some usages, to the merely intellectual or formal.

The taking and carrying away of the property of another, without right, and with intent to deprive the owner of it. It is distinguished from mere borrowing without leave by the intent, present in the former and absent in the latter, to keep the thing taken.

Vigorous; earnest and persistent in effort; requiring or characterized by great exertion. A strenuous effort is one that taxes the full measure of one's strength, as distinguished from an effort merely diligent or sustained.

The act of suspecting; imagination or apprehension of the existence of something amiss, without sufficient proof; a want of trust. Suspicion once entertained is commonly slow to yield even to evidence, the mind having a natural tendency to notice what confirms it and to discount what does not.

Fellow-feeling; the quality of being affected by the affections of another, esp. by his sorrow or trouble. Sympathy differs from pity in implying a fellow-feeling, a sharing after some fashion in the other's condition, rather than a feeling merely directed toward it from without.

Having a delicate perception of what is fit and proper in dealing with others; discreet in speech and manner. Tact is commonly distinguished from mere politeness by its finer discrimination of what a particular person, in a particular circumstance, will best receive.

Impressed with a sense of kindness received; grateful. To be thankful for a thing is to acknowledge a benefit received; it does not of itself require that the benefit be deserved.

Complete in all its parts; carried through to the end; not superficial. Thoroughness is a matter of leaving nothing material undone, as distinguished from mere diligence, which may be exerted without full completeness.

Full of thought; given to consideration, esp. of the wants and feelings of others. Thoughtfulness for others is to be distinguished from mere politeness of manner by the genuine attention to their actual want which underlies it.

The disposition to bear with the opinions or practices of others, though differing from one's own, without resentment. Tolerance does not of itself imply approval of the thing tolerated, but only the forbearance to suppress or persecute it.

Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing. Trust, once broken, was commonly held by the older writers to be restored, if at all, only slowly and by a sustained course of proof.

Conformity to fact or reality; that which is in accordance with what actually is; veracity in statement. Truth in the strict sense is to be distinguished from mere sincerity, since a man may sincerely believe and assert what is nonetheless false.

The having, or the outward show of having, two faces or characters; duplicity in one's dealings with different persons. The term implies not mere inconsistency but a deliberate presentation of different characters to different persons, each calculated to please its particular hearer.

Desire, esp. of appetite, from which the restraining bridle of reason or principle has been removed; appetite running free of governance. The figure is drawn from the horseman's bridle, the instrument by which an animal's natural vigor is guided rather than suppressed.

The faculty by which one comprehends; also, sympathetic comprehension of another's situation or motive. Understanding of another's situation is to be distinguished from mere agreement with it, since one may fully understand a position without in the least sharing it.

Completely; totally; to the fullest extent, without reservation. The adverb admits of no partial application, denoting a completeness that leaves no remainder or exception.

A habitual mode of regarding oneself as chiefly acted upon by ill fortune or the wrongdoing of others, rather than as an agent accountable for one's own part. The habit is distinguished from a just recognition of real injury in that it persists as a settled attitude even where no present wrong is being done.

Pertaining to life; necessary to the continuance of life or of a thing's essential character; indispensable. That which is vital is not merely important but necessary, its absence entailing not mere inconvenience but failure of the whole undertaking.

The state of being disposed or ready, without reluctance, to do a thing. Willingness is to be distinguished from mere consent, which may be given passively, by the readiness of spirit it further implies.