| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| 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. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| sartorial |
of or pertaining to tailors or tailored clothing, especially men's clothing. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |