| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| baleful |
threatening harm; full of malice; ominous. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| 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. |