| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |