| abash |
to cause to feel embarrassed, uneasy, or ashamed. |
| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| idyllic |
charmingly simple and natural, as a scene or experience; suggestive of peaceful countryside. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| woebegone |
displaying or full of distress. |