| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |