abase
lower; humiliate
allot
to give as share of something; allocate; apportion
arcane
secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated
contemporary
person belonging to the same period
dearth
scarcity
entice
lure; attract; tempt
execrable
very bad
foster
rear; encourage
indiscretion
lack of tactfulness or sound judgment
insomnia
wakefulness; inability to sleep
jollity
gaiety; cheerfulness
litigation
lawsuit
mortify
humiliate; punish the flesh
oscillate
vibrate pendulum like; waver
pecuniary
pertaining to money
precept
practical rule guiding conduct
quandary
dilemma
repudiate
disown; disavow
ferment
agitation; commotion
founder
fall completely; sink
grandiloquent
attempting to impress with big words or grand gestures
hone
sharpen
instigate
urge; start; provoke
loath
reluctant; disinclinedossify
ossify
change or harden into bone
preceptor
teacher, principal of a school, instructor
promiscuous
mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually
quasi
to a degree but not completely; resembling but not being
recondite
profound, hard to understand; over one’s head
repugnant
loathsome; hateful
sacrilegious
desecrating; profane
squalor
filth; degradation; dirty, neglected state
transgression
violation of a law; sin
vilify
slander
zeitgeist
the spirit of the age; trend of a particular period
archetype
prototype; primitive pattern
breach
breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap
concave
hollow
continence
self-restraint
edict
official command