| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |