| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| bibulous |
addicted to alcohol; alcoholic. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| corporeal |
having to do with a physical body; bodily. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| entreat |
to beg for something, or to do something. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| inanition |
a state of exhaustion caused by a lack of nourishment. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| refulgent |
shining brilliantly; radiant. |