| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| cravat |
a scarf or band of cloth tied loosely about the neck. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |