| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |