| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |