a jail or prison (especially one that is run in a tyrannical manner)
a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries; it was destroyed July 14, 1789 at the start of the French Revolution
the erosive process of washing away soil or gravel by water (as from a roadway); "from the house they watched the washout of their newly seeded lawn by the water"
the channel or break produced by erosion of relatively soft soil by water; "it was several days after the storm before they could repair the washout and open the road"
of plants or persons; having the nature or habits of a parasite or leech; living off another; "a wealthy class parasitic upon the labor of the masses"; "parasitic vines that strangle the trees"; "bloodsucking blackmailer"; "his indolent leechlike existence"
relating to or caused by parasites; "parasitic infection"
showing humiliation or submissiveness; "an abject apology"
of the most contemptible kind; "abject cowardice"; "a low stunt to pull"; "a low-down sneak"; "his miserable treatment of his family"; "You miserable skunk!"; "a scummy rabble"; "a scurvy trick"
most unfortunate or miserable; "the most abject slaves joined in the revolt"; "abject poverty"
showing utter resignation or hopelessness; "abject surrender"
the filtration of a liquid for extraction or purification
the act of making coffee in a percolator
the slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium; "the percolation of rainwater through the soil"; "the infiltration of seawater through the lava"
(chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid
(physics) the process in which incident radiated energy is retained without reflection or transmission on passing through a medium; "the absorption of photons by atoms or molecules"
a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
irrigation with a jet of water or medicated solution into or around a body part (especially the vagina) to treat infections or cleanse from odorous contents
a small syringe with detachable nozzles; used for vaginal lavage and enemas
direct a spray of water into a bodily cavity, for cleaning