| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| purvey |
to supply or provide (especially food, drink, or other provisions). |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |