| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| coalesce |
to grow together or unite to form a single body or organization; unify; fuse. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| inculcate |
to cause to accept an idea or value; imbue. |
| indemnity |
insurance against damage, loss, or liability. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| laureate |
one honored for achievement in a particular field or by a particular award, especially in the arts or sciences. |
| malinger |
to pretend illness or injury, especially in order to be excused from duty or work. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| 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. |