| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| corollary |
a readily drawn conclusion; deduction or inference. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| pungent |
sharp and strong in taste or smell. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |