a sudden and favorable resolution of events in a story; a happy ending

severe or strict in manner, attitude, or appearance

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion

to cooperate secretly; conspire (often followed by with)

combat with the fists

Meteorology—a bright moonlike spot on a lunar halo; a mock moon

three panels or compartments side by side with pictures or carvings

dark, gloomy, and cheerless

a fixed or firm belief

an instrument used for measuring the angle or elevation of slopes

a colorless plum brandy with a bitter almond taste

noisy and difficult to control

of, pertaining to, engaged in, or characterized by philanthropy; benevolent

the point farthest from the sun in the path of an orbiting celestial body (such as a planet)

a knife, especially one used as a weapon.

lacking in wholesome vigor; decadent