| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| noisome |
offensive or disgusting, especially in smell; foul. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| rodomontade |
puffed-up boasting or bravado. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |