| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| corporeal |
having to do with a physical body; bodily. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |
| woebegone |
displaying or full of distress. |