| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| entreat |
to beg for something, or to do something. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| extrude |
to force out; expel. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| lapidary |
an expert on or dealer in gemstones. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |