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abash                v            To embarrass and humiliate, especially through one's own failures, often seen as the past participle "abashed." One would think that Owen's failure even to pick up the hammer at the bell-ringing contest would thoroughly abash him, but he laughed about it and showed his girlfriend how weak he was.

asunder            adv          Apart, into two pieces, as in "to split asunder." 1) Mac hoped, with one blow of his mighty ax, to split the log asunder; unfortunately, the log was mightier than he. 2) At the close of the wedding, the minister said, "What God has joined, let no man put asunder."

bier                  n            The stand upon which one would place a coffin, any device used for displaying a body after death. Hamlet, laid out on the bier for all of Denmark could see, received a fitting burial for a prince.

dearth              n            A severe lack. The dearth of water this spring has prompted the governor to declare the state a drought emergency area.

disconsolate     adj          Very sad, literally, "incapable of being consoled." We told Mildred to cheer up, but the death of her turtle hit her pretty hard, and she sat weeping and disconsolate, refusing to smile.

fetter               v/n          To chain so as to make immobile. Dr. Frankenstein was shocked at the strength of the monster, and all his attempts to fetter him failed. The chains themselves that might be used in immobilizing a person. The prisoner snapped his fetters and escaped into the woods.            

gratis               adj          For free (think of "gratuity"). The mints were supplied gratis; it was the restaurant's way of thanking us for spending our money and evening with them.

jeer                  v            To laugh mockingly. Quasimodo, the tragic hunchback of Notre Dame, was jeered by the crowd for his deformity.

mammon          n            Material wealth, especially as it is contrasted with spiritual riches. Christ preached that his disciples give up their worldly goods if they were to follow Him. He said that one could not serve both God and mammon simultaneously.

proselytize        v            To spread the word, to preach and speak as if to convert people to an idea. We were shocked by the irony that, after all of Dale's proselytizing about the dangers of drinking and driving, he was hit and killed by a drunk driver.