| Abrasion | 1. damage to skin caused by scraping; 2. process of scraping or rubbing [abrade (v)] |
| Adumbrate | outline; indicate |
| Cognitive | concerned with thinking or perceiving [cognition (n)] |
| Deign | condescend |
| Fervid | passionate |
| Gall | 1. bitterness (bad feeling); 2. confidence; 3. abnormal growth on a plant |
| Levee | 1. raised bank of a river; 2. morning reception held by a monarch |
| Preternatural | unnatural; abnormal |
| Quell | suppress |
| Score (n) | written form of music |
| Abut | to adjoin |
| Consternation | worry and concern |
| Gavel | judge’s hammer |
| Lien | right to sell property held as a security; legal hold on job etc. |
| Parenthesis | remarks deviating from the main point [parentheses are round brackets in punctuation] |
| Sinewy | vigorous; having well-developed muscles [a sinew is a tendon] |
| Steep (v) | to soak in water |
| Tamp | to plug; press loose matter down tightly (e.g. pack explosives into a hole) |
| Venturing | 1. hazarding; risking; putting forward; 2. going somewhere [venturesome means courageous or willing to take risks] |
| Wry | 1. twisted or bent to one side; 2. dryly humorous |
| Arduous | hard |
| Decimated | kill or destroy a large part of (originally one tenth) |
| Fledge | 1. grow feathers; 2. leave nest [fledgling (n) = an inexperienced person or a baby bird] |
| Gouge | cut or dig out |
| Picayune | insignificant; of little value |
| Riveting | fascinating [to rivet literally means to fix metal plates using metal pins] |
| Soliloquy | solo speech |
| Supplicant | person who requests or begs for something [supplicate (v)] |
| Transcendental | supernatural; going beyond normal experience [transcendent (a)] |
| Veritable | true; genuine [verity (n)] |
| Condescension | talking down to someone [condescending (a)] |
| Divest | remove; take off |
| Eddy | circular current |
| Epaulet | shoulder decoration |
| Fallacy | wrong idea [fallacious (a)] |
| Fringe | 1. decorative border with tassels (n); 2. to form an edge (v) |
| Leaven | to make light; modify; cause bread to rise using yeast etc. |
| Patronize | 1. to talk down to; condescend; 2. to be a customer of |
| Prominent | 1. eminent; 2. protruding; 3. obvious |
| Statute | law [statutory (a)] |
| Antipathy | hatred |
| Aver | affirm |
| Expatiate | speak or write at great length |
| Flag (v) | 1. to lose energy; 2. to signal |
| Flail | 1. tool used to thresh grain; 2. to thresh (separate grain from chaff); 3. to wave arms about wildly |
| Indicted | accused (of crime) |
| Loll | laze around; hang out (when used of the tongue) |
| Malign | slander |
| Secure (v) | 1. to fix firmly; 2. to obtain |
| Talon | long pointed nail or claw |
| Abeyance | state of inactivity; disuse |
| Disarm | 1. take away weapons; 2. win over to one’s side [disarming (a)] |
| Elaborate | 1. complex and detailed (a); 2. to expand on (v) |
| Foment | 1. stir up; 2. bathe with hot liquids (medical) |
| Jockeying | maneuvering; struggling to get ahead of others [jockey (v)] |
| Minutiae | small details |
| Rue | regret [rueful (a)] |
| Somatic | concerned with the body |
| Stinting | holding back; limiting the supply (of supplies/money etc.) [stint (v)] |
| Temperate | moderate |
| Allure | 1. attraction (n); 2. to attract (v) |
| Caulk | treat with substance such as tar to make water-tight |
| Conscript | 1. person enlisted compulsorily into the armed forces; 2. (v) to enlist compulsorily |
| Desultory | aimless; inconsistent in effort |
| Elegy | poem concerned with death; praise of a dead person |
| Fallow | uncultivated |
| Forbearing | tolerant [forbear (v); forbearance (n)] |
| Hegemony | political domination; complete authority |
| Improbity | lack of honesty or integrity |
| Qualm | hesitation or fear |
| Assay | 1. try; 2. assess purity |
| Chauvinist | someone excessively patriotic [chauvinism (n)] |
| Discrete | separate; discontinuous (not to be confused with discreet - prudent; diplomatic] |
| Enlist | 1. sign up for the army; 2. obtain |
| Fabricated | made up; false; manufactured [fabricate (v); fabrication(n)] |
| Fulminate | 1. attack loudly in words; denounce thunderously; 2. explode noisily |
| Hawser | thick rope or cable |
| Jibe | agree with; complement; match up with (in British usage jibe means mock) |
| Peer | 1. an equal; 2. to stare at; 3. nobleman |
| Stickler | one who is strict about rules or details |
| Cloture | closure; terminating a debate by voting |
| Congruent | matching [congruency (n)] |
| Dally | waste time; flirt |
| Dissemble | avoid the truth |
| Dote | be excessively fond of [doting (a)] |
| Errant | 1. wandering; 2. wrong; 3. straying from accepted standards |
| Fervent | passionate |
| Stomach (v) | to tolerate |
| Synapse | junction between two nerve cells |
| Undercutting | offering a lower price; undermining |
| Arson | deliberate, criminal starting of fires |
| Carrion | dead flesh; carcasses |
| Intelligible | can be understood |
| Ironclad | cannot be altered; firm |
| Lint | fluff; soft material used to cover wounds |
| Pretension | assumed attitude of superiority; arrogance |
| Pundit | expert |
| Pyre | ceremonial fire |
| Sate | satisfy |
| Syncopation | type of musical rhythm with missed beats |