| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| 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. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |