| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| asterisk |
a sign (*). It is used to show that there is other information on the page that explains the information where the sign is placed. |
| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| innocuous |
not capable of causing damage; harmless. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |