(law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature); "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of internal-combustion engines"
showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment; "seemly and forbearing...yet strong enough to resist aggression"; "was longanimous in the face of suffering"
not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure; "hitherto imperturbable, he now showed signs of alarm"; "an imperturbable self-possession"; "unflappable in a crisis"
derived from experiment and observation rather than theory; "an empirical basis for an ethical theory"; "empirical laws"; "empirical data"; "an empirical treatment of a disease about which little is known"
the economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that hold that human actions and institutions are economically determined and that class struggle is needed to create historical change and that capitalism will ultimately be superseded by communism
sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; "the pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious"- John Galsworthy
marked by temperance in indulgence; "abstemious with the use of adverbs"; "a light eater"; "a light smoker"; "ate a light supper"
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves; "a ribbon of sand between the angry sea and the placid bay"; "the quiet waters of a lagoon"; "a lake of tranquil blue water reflecting a tranquil blue sky"; "a smooth channel crossing"; "scarcely a ripple on the still water"; "unruffled water"