| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |
| remonstrate |
to say in opposition, protest, or objection. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |