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avarice                 n           Greed for material possessions or wealth. The genie in the bottle promised to make me wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice, but he had no idea how greedy I was in my dreams.

countenance         n/v         1) One's face or expression. Isaac was walking around all day with a doleful countenance, and I asked him why he looked so sad.  2) To permit or allow by looking at but saying nothing. If he thought I would countenance cheating in my classroom, he was woefully in error. I gave him a "0" the minute I caught him.

covetousness         n            Envy of and greed for the possessions of another, not to be confused with "avarice." Robert, guilty of the sin of covetousness, could not stop thinking about his neighbor's big house and boat, wishing he had something equally luxurious.

malice                   n           Active ill will and the desire to see someone else come to harm. He knew divulging the secret of Angela's past would ruin her reputation, but he did it anyway--out of sheer malice.

paradox                 n           Two seemingly contradictory statements, two different ideas that seem to contradict each other. The claims of the diet supplement said that I could eat more and still lose weight; it seemed to be a paradox until I read that I could eat more cucumbers and lettuce.

pious                     adj          Showing a devotion to God, showing an active holy attitude. Sister Mary was the most pious of women, praying before every decision, giving thanks to God for every gift.

purgatory              n              In Catholic doctrine, a place between heaven and hell where the souls of the departed go to work off their sins. Also a place of suffering. Having shamed his family with his drug-addict lifestyle, Oscar lived in a purgatory of shame and indignity until they finally forgave him and welcomed him back.

raze                      v              To utterly destroy, to wipe out to the ground. We plan to raze the orphanage and make way for a new parking lot.

tabernacle            n               A temple or a place of worship. The Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City is world-renowned as one of the largest and most beautiful churches on earth.

wanton                adj            Totally without restraint or limit, showing no moral boundaries. 1) After I fertilized and watered the zucchini, I was shocked at its sudden and wanton growth. 2) Emily lived the life of a wanton libertine, hanging out in saloons, dating strange men, and playing cards for money!