the action of perverting something (turning it to a wrong use); "it was a perversion of justice"
an aberrant sexual practice that is preferred to normal intercourse
a curve that reverses the direction of something; "the tendrils of the plant exhibited perversion"; "perversion also shows up in kinky telephone cords"
gain possession of by prior right or opportunity, especially so as to obtain the right to buy (land)
take the place of or have precedence over; "live broadcast of the presidential debate preempts the regular news hour"; "discussion of the emergency situation will preempt the lecture by the professor"
a person whose behavior deviates from what is acceptable especially in sexual behavior
change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"
the decisive moment in a novel or play; "the deathbed scene is the climax of the play"
arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness
the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding; "the climax of the artist's career"; "in the flood tide of his success"
a group of animals of the same type living together
(microbiology) a group of organisms grown from a single parent cell
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
a geographical area politically controlled by a distant country
one of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States
a medieval form of land tenure in England; a copyhold was a parcel of land granted to a peasant by the lord of the manor in return for agricultural services