| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| commodious |
comfortably spacious; roomy. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |