| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |