| apprise |
to inform (often followed by "of"). |
| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| 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. |
| despoil |
to forcefully take belongings or goods from; plunder. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| neologism |
a new word, phrase, or usage. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| repine |
to express or feel unhappiness; complain; fret. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |