NOW for some random "A" words...

I am reviewing for the GRE general test. No, I never took it. I'm not sure how I got out of it, but I managed to. Well, no longer. Here it comes...

  So, at the advice of my sister-in-law, I have purchased some review materials and am reviewing my verbal and quantitative skills. One of said materials is this fabulous box of words--500 of them--that are touted to be the "500 hardest GRE words and their synonyms." Oh, joy! I'm being serious. This is like a box of candy. I go through about four words before I hit one that I recognize but cannot outright define or synonimize (is that a word, synonimize?). "Abeyance" was the first word: "temporary suppression or suspension" meaning the same as "deferral, delay, dormancy, postponement, or remission." "Abstemious" was next followed by "Acidulous" which brought up "acetous" (which isn't in the box, but is equally wonderful). "Accretion," "Aggrandize" I knew but it's synonyms included "apotheosize" which is delightful.

  But you'll have to help me out and explain why/how "conviviality" is a synonym for "amortize." That I don't quite get. Yet. And I thought I knew what both those words meant. Ah, what a "conundrum." And just under "A" there are two words for "pain relief" (analgesia and anodyne)--that's a bit odd if you think about it. Where do they get these words?

Oh, yeah, the dictionary...
Scat