| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| indemnity |
insurance against damage, loss, or liability. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |