| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |