| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| jejune |
lacking interest or liveliness; dull. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| refulgent |
shining brilliantly; radiant. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |