I wished no such contretemps as the appearance of a rival at this crucial moment.

contrite (kon'-trīt), adj. Sorrowful; penitent.

She left the holy place with a contrite heart.

If he were contrite, she would forgive him.

"A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."

contrition (kon-trish'-un), n. State of being contrite; selfreproach; penitence; regret.

His dejected attitude indicated sincere contrition.
She was the first to manifest contrition.

In his heart there was neither contrition nor fear. Contrition is a state of mind that leads to the forming of good resolutions.

controvert (kon'-trō-vûrt; kon-trō-vûrt'), v. t. To dispute or oppose in words; oppose; contest; to deny or try to disprove. They attempted to controvert my evidence.

I cannot controvert your statements.

contumacious (kon-tu-mā'-shus), adj. Obstinate; exhibiting contumacy. Words of similar import, "headstrong," "disobedient."

We could not combat this contumacious resistance.

LESSON TWENTY-FIVE.

As throughout life not what we are, but what we shall be thought, is the question; so in education, the question is, not the intrinsic value of knowledge, so much, as its extrinsic effect on others.-Spencer.

contumely (konʼ-tū-mē-li), n. Scornful insolence; insult; insulting speech.

The contumely which his position forced him to endure was almost insufferable.

They have been subjected to many contumelies.

convene (kon-vēn′), v. i. also t. Assemble; to call together. The club convenes earlier this year.

He convened the vestry for the following Tuesday.

conversant (kŏn'-vẽr-sănt), adj. Well-informed; familiar by study or use.

She was deeply conversant with French.

These are matters with which you are not conversant.

convey (kon-vā'), v. t. Transport; carry.

The air conveys sound to us.

These pictures convey a sense of purity.

"Thank you," and I mean all that the word can possibly convey.

convince (kon-vins'), v. t. To overcome by argument; satisfy by proof or evidence; to overthrow objections.

It was impossible to convince him.

He is a convincing speaker.

The evidence was most convincing.

convivial (kon-viv'-Ĭ-ăl), adj. Relating to an entertainment or feast, especially, a banquet with wine; gay; festive. The essay was written for a convivial occasion. They were criticized for their convivial habits.

convolute (konʼ-vō-lūt), adj. Arranged in a coil or spiral

manner.

They had a collection of convolute shells.

The grey matter of the brain has numerous convolutions. convolution (kŏn-vō-lū’-shŭn), n. A rolling together; a winding, as of something coiled.

We watched the swift convolution of the waves.

cordate (kôr'-dāt), adj. Heart-shaped.

They named this cordate flower, "bleeding heart."
We saw the cordate leaves of this plant.

cordon (kôr'-don), n. A line of guards, sentinels or ships around a place.

The soldiers have formed a cordon around the prison. cormorant (kôr' mō-rănt), n. also a. A marine bird, of greedy propensities; a glutton; a greedy person; ravenous; rapacious; voracious.

Here we found the social cormorant.

They have met the cormorant demands.

corollary (kõr’-ō-lā-rì; kō-rŏl'-à-ri), n. Something that follows; a result; an additional inference from a proved proposition; consequence; deduction.

The necessary corollary of that is, that life is eternal. Be not contented to have learned a problem by heart; try and deduce from it a corollary not in the book.

Lord Lytton.

Our duty to man follows as an immediate corollary from our duty to God.-Farrar.

If we advocate preparedness, it follows as a natural corollary that we should maintain an army.

corporeal (kor-pō'-rē-ǎl), adj. Physical; having a material body.

We have two natures, one corporeal, the other spiritual,
Here we have corporeal beauty.

correlate (kor-e-lāt'; kor'-e-lat), v. t. also n. To bring into close connection, one of two related things; particularly, such as one directly implies the other; having reciprocal or mutual relation.

Motion, heat, light and electricity are said to be correlated; from one of them the others can be produced.

Nothing seems so closely correlated as mind and action.
A system which will simplify and correlate variation.
These opposites are correlated.

corroborate (ko-rob'-ō-rāt), v. t. To confirm; establish; to make certain.

History corroborates the truth of this.

The evidence corroborates our belief.

This corroborates the teachings of tradition.

corrugated (kõrʼ-rōō-gāt-ĕd), p. a.; corrugate, v. t. Furrowed; wrinkled; to form into folds or ridges; to shape in folds or wrinkles.

The sweet face was corrugated by age.

The hills were corrugated through the action of rainfall.
It was not smooth and level, but corrugated.

Corrugated iron is now much used in constructing walls as well as roofs.

cortège (kôr-tēzh′), n. French. Procession; train of attendants. Word of similar import, "retinue."

We witnessed the approach of the funeral cortège.

coruscation (kor-us-kā'-shun), n. A sudden play or flash of light; fig., mental brilliancy.

We saw the soft coruscation of the moon upon the water.
The anvil sent forth a coruscation of sparks.

Then came coruscations of wit.

cosmic (koz'-mik), adj. Relating to the cosmos; hence, world wide; orderly; harmonious.

He spoke of cosmic growth.

This is a part of the cosmic scheme.

cosset (kos'-ět), v. t. also n. To fondle or pet; to treat tenderly; indulge; a pet.

She had cosseted her imaginary ills until they became real.

coterie (kō'-te-ri; kō'-tẽ-rē) n. A circle or set of persons who meet for social purposes; a social clique.

I have a delightful coterie of friends.

He is the distinguished one of our coterie.

LESSON TWENTY-SIX.

The first motive which ought to impel us to study is the desire to augment the excellence of our nature, and to render an intelligent being yet more intelligent.-Montesquieu.

countermand (koun'ter-mand; koun-ter-månd'), n. also v. t. A revoking order; to cancel by a contrary order; to revoke a former command.

She countermanded her instructions to her maid.

I desire to countermand the order for the rugs.

coup d'état (kōō-dā-tä'). French. A sudden stroke of state or policy; politic stroke.

There is something amusing in the mild coup d'etat he has achieved.

By a coup d'état the new monarch was set upon the throne.

covert (kuv'-ért), adj. Secret, as for an evil purpose; covered over; retired; concealed; sheltered. Word of similar import, surreptitious."

66

The covert scheme was not carried out.
He directed a covert glance at the jewels.

covertly (kuv'-ert-li), adv. Secretly; privately.

The note was covertly passed from one to the other.
She did not do these things openly, but covertly.

crass (kras), adj.; crassly (krǎs'-li), adv. Gross; coarse; unrefined or stupid. Word of similar import, "crude."

It was a crass mistake.

We encountered many crass minds.

What a crass remark!

It is simply crass materialism.

The remark indicates crass ignorance of the speaker.
He has crassly forfeited this right.

craven (krā'-v'n), adj. also n. Cowardly; spiritless; lacking in courage; a coward.

I should feel craven to conceal this.

They were too craven to do otherwise.

It was useless to appeal to his craven heart.

It is simply craven fear.

He is an arrant craven.

credence (krē'dĕns), n. Credit; belief; a small table used as a repository for sacred vessels in a church.

Slight credence was placed in the report.

They were too just to give credence to gossip.

I placed but little credence in his story.

The chalice and paten were placed on the credence.

credential (krē-děn'-shal), n. Testimony giving one credit: usually in the plural.

Her credentials are gilt-edged.

The delegates were given their credentials.

credible (krěd'-i-b'l), adj. Worthy or capable of belief or credit; trustworthy.

It is a credible story.

The strange tales he related were scarcely credible.

She is a credible historian.

credulous (krěd'-ū-lŭs), adj. Inclined to believe on slight evidence.

You are very credulous.

She is as credulous as a child.

crepitation (krěp-i-tā'-shŭn), n. A crackling noise.

The crepitation from the hearth was distinctly audible. The gentle crepitation of rain on the roof is conducive to sleep.

The hunter expected the approach of some wild creature by the crepitation of the dry twigs and leaves.

crepuscular (krē-půs’-kū-lȧr), adj. Pertaining to or like twilight; dim; appearing in the morning or at twilight.

The name of the beautiful painting is "Crepuscular." The crepuscular period of life, when all seems vanity, is approaching.

A crepuscular adumbration of some horrible event stole over her.

Some birds are called nocturnal, others are called crepuscular.

crescendo (krě-shěn'-dō; krě-sen'-do), adj., adv., also n. In music, swelling; gradually increasing in sound or power; increase in force or sound: often fig.

She was playing crescendo runs.

Then came a rapid crescendo of notes.

It is said that June is the crescendo of summer.

Story followed story to a crescendo of laughter.

Above my head hums the crescendo of a mosquito.

criteria (krī-tē’-ri-ȧ), n. plural. Standards of judging; tests; rules.

It rises above standards and criteria.

She has her own criteria of conduct.

criterion (krī-tē'-ri-ŭn), n. A means of judging; standard of judging; rule; some well-established principle or truth, This is considered the criterion of beauty,