| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| discountenance |
to embarrass or disconcert. |
| encomium |
a formal expression of praise. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| parlance |
manner of speaking or writing, especially word choice; vernacular. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |