| beatify |
to admire or exalt as superior. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |