| adamantine |
firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| disallow |
to refuse to allow or admit; reject. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |