| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cravat |
a scarf or band of cloth tied loosely about the neck. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |