adjective lacking manners or refinement; rude, vulgar, or gauche.His frequent spitting and other uncouth behaviors repulsed her.Her husband had been brought up in the countryside, and her snobbish parents considered him uncouth….

adjective ordered as though by a mandate; obligatory.There is a mandatory waiting period before one can purchase a gun in some states.A physical exam is mandatory for all entering students. See the…

noun a restatement of a passage or text in somewhat different words so as to simplify, clarify, or amplify.The teacher used a paraphrase to help the students understand what Shakespeare meant in…

adjective skillful with the hands; dextrous.Her mother was an adroit seamstress. See the full entry

noun a base of a tree that is left standing after the tree has been cut down.After the loggers came through, only stumps of the trees were left. transitive verb to baffle…