yardang

(YAHR dahng)

noun: An elongated ridge formed by wind erosion often resembling the keel of an upside down ship. Yardangs are elongate features typically three or more times longer than they are wide. Facing the wind is a steep, blunt face that gradually gets lower and narrower toward the lee end.

expurgate

ek-sper-geyt

1. to amend by removing words, passages, etc. deemed to be

    offensive or objectionable; to bowdlerize a novel: Most 

    children read an expurgated version of Grimms' fairy tales.

2. to purge or cleanse of moral offensiveness.

GLAY-bruhs

adj. without hairs or projections; smooth

nettle

(NET-l)

1. to irritate
2. to sting

subserve

(suhb-SURV)

 To help to further something. 

verb tr.

proletarian

proh-li-tair-ee-uh[image]n

proletariat

proh-li-tair-ee-uh[image]t

subjugate

suhb-juh-geyt

abase

lower; humilate

abash

n. a characteristic that is usually good

v. to explain by incidating a cause