Declaration of Independence Glossary

Word

Definition

abdicated

gave up one's responsibilities, steps down from one's position.

Abolish

get rid of

absolved

forgiven. To free from a duty

accommodation

something that meets someone's needs

acquiesce

to give in to someone or something, to go along with something, to accept.

Affected

those acted upon or influenced.

Allegiance

loyalty, faithfulness

alliances

groupings, combinations, associations.

Alter

to change.

Annihilation

destruction, getting rid of totally, extinction

appropriations

when a law making body gives money to a state, a group, an agency or when someone takes something for oneself.

Arbitrary

something done completely by individual choice than by reason or by law.

Assent

to agree to a proposal, to go along with something.

Barbarous

being violently destructive and cruel.

Boundary, boundaries

borders, lines separating two areas

brethren

a religious term for brothers.

Candid

honest, frank

charters

documents that guarantee certain rights and privileges for a group.

Colonies

areas or territories governed or ruled by someone or something outside of the colony or colonies.

Compliance

the act of going along or obeying the wishes, demands, laws, or regulations of someone or some ruling group.

Conjured

to bring something about or something up as if by magic.

Commerce

trade between groups, states or nations.

Consanguinity

related by blood or common ancestors, closely related or linked.

Consent

to give approval to something, to say yes to something.

Constitution

the laws or rules for governing a group, an organization, a state or a country.

Constrains

holds back someone from doing something.

Contract

a promise enforceable by law.

Convulsions

violent acts of turmoil, agitation, shaking things up.

Denounces

disapproves of, speaks out against

depository

a place to put something away for safekeeping.

Deprive, depriving

to keep something from someone, to rob or steal from someone

derive, deriving

to get or obtain something, often by reason.

Desolation

loneliness, loss, emptiness

dissolutions

meltings, undoings, endings of something

despotism

absolute power by one ruler

disavowed

refused to recognized, denied,

disposed

is apt to, is likely to

divine Providence

related to God

domestic

having to do with one's home or one's homeland or country.

Effect

to make something happen

emigration

leaving one's country to settle in a new country or land

endeavored

tried or attempted to do something

endowed

a great given to someone

entangle, entangling

to twist together, to create a mess or confusion

erected

to put up something

evinces

to show or demonstrate something clearly

executioners

persons who put others to death for real or alleged crimes.

Formidable

very strong, demanding, forbidding

frontiers

areas that have not been explored, the borders of such areas

fundamentally

basically, essentially

harass

to annoy, bother, pester

impel

to move, propel

inestimable

invaluable, to great to be counted or estimated

inhabitants

someone who lives in a place, a resident

institute

to put in place

insurrection

the act of revolting against authority

invariably

almost certainly

judiciary

a system of courts of law.

Kindred

a group of people sharing the same ancestors, people who feel or think the same or have similar views.

Legislature

a law making body of people

mercenaries

professional soldiers hired by a foreign country

merciless

cruel, showing no mercy

migrations

leaving one's native land to settle in another land

jurisdiction

under authority or control

magnanimity

the act of being generous

naturalization

the process of granting full citizenship to someone

obstructing

getting in the way of, preventing something from happening

oppressions

cruel exercises of power

paralleled

To run or be across from one another without crossing, to be side by side without touching.

Perfidy

unfaithfulness, not being trustworthy

petition

to ask for , to appeal to

plundered

to take wrongfully, to steal or rob

province

an area of land or an area or topic of interest

prudence

careful management

quartering

housing for officers

ravaged

destroyed, damaged heavily

rectitude

the quality of being correct or right

redress

to make up for an injury or damage done

relinquish

to give up something

render

to give or make available, to provide

representatives

people who speak for a group, usually voted on to speak for the group.

Sufferance

putting up with pain, suffering

tenure

holding something in one's possession

transient

passing in time, temporary

tyranny

use of absolute power over people

unacknowledged

not accepted or recognized

unalienable

not to be given or taken away

unanimous

everyone agrees on a matter

undistinguished

marked by no special quality

usurpations

an unlawful seizing of authority or power

unwarrantable

having no justification or reason for happening

wholesome

having sound health or well being

 

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