| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| glabrous |
having no hair or fuzz; bald; smooth. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| lapidary |
an expert on or dealer in gemstones. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| repine |
to express or feel unhappiness; complain; fret. |