| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |
| veneration |
a feeling of great respect; awe; reverence. |