| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |