Sentence:  `` Comment '' ? ejaculated the surprised woman , looking at Alex for an explanation but he , parting from her without <WSD>ceremony</WSD> , only offered a few words about the doctor 's provincial American speech and a state of nerves brought on by the demands of his work . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  any activity that is performed in an especially solemn elaborate or formal way