| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| repose2 |
to put or place (confidence, hope, or the like) in someone or something. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |