| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |