| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| halcyon |
tranquil; peaceful; calm. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |