| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| munificent |
having or showing great generosity. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |