| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |