1. frieze — coarse woolen cloth napped on one side only
He presented himself as the very type of country bumpkin, clad only in a rough jerkin of frieze and breeches of russet.
2. marasmus — wasting away of the body caused by severe malnutrition
Though usually seen in orphaned children unable to feed themselves, or those youths whose parents cannot find sufficient calories for them, marasmus is also seen among adults, particularly those enduring very long sieges of famine, or those immured in the severest confinement, as in the Nazi death camps or at the Confederate war prison Andersonville.
3. contrapuntal — made up of separate melodies; of or related to counterpoint
The lasting power of the James Bond theme song is found in the driving melody sustained first by the electric guitar and then by the trombones, arrested by the screaming contrapuntal trumpet line, the two riffs competing and cooperating throughout the remainder of the theme.
4. stillroom — room adjacent to the kitchen where beverages, desserts, jams, and beauty preparations were made and stored
She became cognizant of their dire situation only when Roger announced that, due to his continuing business reverses, they would have to let go the stillroom maid.
5. wodge — (Brit. colloquial) lump, wad
I was already having a hard time chewing down the wodge of gristly meat down to a size small enough to swallow, and now I started to sneeze.
6. fraught — laden, filled
This particular moment is fraught with danger, though, of course, the same might be said of practically any moment in the past several years.
7. remonstrance — appeal; protest, demonstration; formal list of grievances
In spite of the most strident remonstrances of the plaintiff’s attorney, supported in this instance by the amicus curiae, the testimony of the convicted perjurer was allowed to stand.
8. virgate — old English land measure, usu. thought to be a quarter of a hide (thus, a virgate equals 30 acres)
The king’s surveyor confirmed that all five hides belonged to the abbey, save for the virgate across from the new bridge, which was possessed of Sir Robert de Courtois from ancient patents.
9. hyssop — aromatic herb of the genus Hyssopus; Biblical plant, perhaps related to oregano, whose twigs were used in Jewish rituals for sprinkling
The lamb’s blood was applied to the doorframes with hyssop by the Jews so that they would be ‘passed over’ by the final plague, thus the origin of the common term ‘Passover’.
10. niffy — (Brit. colloquial) stinky, malodorous
It was a lovely location to look at, but the chapel abutted a sluggish river which was likely to get a bit niffy in the summer heat.