| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| antediluvian |
hopelessly old-fashioned; primitive; outdated. |
| appellative |
a descriptive name or title, such as "the Terrible" in "Ivan the Terrible" or "the Great" in "Alexander the Great." |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| entreat |
to beg (someone) for something, or to beg (someone) to do something. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |