| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| apprise |
to inform (often followed by "of"). |
| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| discountenance |
to embarrass or disconcert. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| pneumatic |
of, using, or concerning air or other gases. |
| woebegone |
displaying or full of distress. |