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apogee 1. the point in its orbit when a planet or satellite (usually the moon) is farthest from the earth 2. the highest point; culmination; apex geocentric 2. referring to the center of the earth in measurement or observation 2. considering to earth as the center of a planetary system perigee the point in its orbit when a planet or a satellite (usually the moon) is nearest the earth inter to bury; to place in a grave terra cotta ceramic clay used in pottery, statuary, and construction terrestrial 1. pertaining to the earth and its inhabitants 2. referring to land as distinct from water or air exhume 1. to dig out of the ground or from a grave; to disinter 2. to bring to light; to uncover humus rich, dark organic material formed bu decay of vegetable matter, essential to soil's fertility mountebank a swindler; a charlatan; a trickster paramount of chief importance; primary; foremost promontory a high ridge of land jutting into a body of water; a headland pastoral 1. pertaining to a Christian minister or the duties accompanying the office 2. referring to life in open country or to fields for farming or grazing 2. pertaining to an idealized rural life repast a meal; food served at a meal rustic 1. typical of country life and people; simple; rough 2. a rural person rusticate 1. to go to the country 2. to cause to become rustic animus 1. a powerful feeling of hostility or antagonism; hatred 2. an animating spirit equanimity composure and calm in stressful conditions; equilibrium pusillanimous cowardly; fearful ether 1. the regions of space beyond the earth's atmosphere; the heavens 2. a highly flammable liquid anesthetic ethereal 1. spiritlike in lightness and delicacy 2. heavenly; celestial diaphanous allowing light to show through; translucent; delicate epiphany 1. a revelatory manifestation of a divine being 2. a revelation; a flash of understanding of the true nature of something 3. a Christian festival, January 6, celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the Christ Child phantasm a phantom; an apparition; something unreal, as in a dream or a vision sycophant a flatterer seeking favors or gain; a servile self-seeker aspiration 1. strong desire for achievement; ambition toward a long-range goal 2. expulsion of breath in speaking dispirited dejected; discouraged; gloomy hyperbole an exaggeration; a figure expressing excess hyperborean 1. far north; Arctic 2. very cold; frigid hyperventilation the condition of taking abnormally fast, deep breaths vent 1. an outlet; an opening for passage of liquids, fumes, or sometimes air 2. to utter; to express, especially in relieving strong feelings fervid full of intense passion or zeal effervescent 1. bubbling up from a liquid 2. very excited; bubbling over with high spirits conflagration a large and destructive fire flagrant shockingly evident; outrageously conspicuous inflammatory 1. around strong emotion, especially anger or hostility 2. pertaining to redness, swelling, or pain following an infection or injury flamboyant colored or decorated in a showy way; having a showy appearance or manner incendiary 1. designed or intended to cause a fire 2. tending to stir up strife; inflammatory 3. a person who maliciously burns his or her own or another's property for monetary advantage incense to infuriate; to enrage caustic 1. able to burn or eat away by chemical action 2. sarcastic; marked by a biting wit cauterize to burn with a hot iron or a chemical to destroy abnormal tissue and/or to stop infection and/or bleeding pyre a pile of wood, etc., for burning a corpse as part of a funeral rite; any pile of combustible materials pyrotechnics 1. a display of fireworks 2. a spectacular display of virtuosity in music, writing, wit or other accomplishment pyromania a compulsion to set things on fire scintilla a very small amount; a bit; an iota scintillate 1. to give off sparks; to flash; to sparkle 2. to be animated or brilliant confluence 1. the flowing together of two or more elements: streams or rivers, or ideas, influences, or cultures 2. an assembling or flocking together in a crowd effluent a stream or overflow from a larger body of water, or from a channel or sewer flux 1. a flow 2. a continuous succession of changes dehydrate 1. to remove water or moisture 2. to lose water or moisture hydrology the study of water and its effects on and in the earth and in the atmosphere cormorant 1. a dark, hook-billed sea bird 2. a greedy person marinade a liquid often seasoned with spices or herbs to flavor meat or fish for a period of time before cooking nauseate 1. to cause queasiness; to cause to feel sick 2. to cause the feeling of repulsion or disgust nave the long central part of a church, extending from the entrance to the alter, with aisles along the sides pontiff a pope or bishop pontificate 1. to speak with pompous authority 2. the office of a pontiff; papacy undulate to have or to cause to have a wavy motion redound to reflect or come back either favorably or unfavorably (upon a person or thing) redundant 1. superfluous; exceeding what is needed, or what is needed no longer 2. verbose; needlessly repetitious inundate 1. to submerge or overflow with water; to flood 2. to overwhelm extempore improvised; composed or uttered without advance preparation temporal pertaining to worldly affairs; transitory, short lived temporize to accept or adapt to a situation; to compromise; to postpone a decision in order to gain time anachronism a person or thing out of place in a historical period or sequence of events chronicle a continuous, detailed record of historical events in order of their occurrence synchronous happening at the same time; moving at the same rate annals a chronological record of events of successive years without interpretation or analysis by the author; a historical record; a periodical journal of a learned field or annual reports of an organization biennial lasting two years; happening every two years millennium a span of one thousand years superannuated retired or disqualified because of age or infirmity; antiquated, obsolete diurnal daily; occurring in a day or every day; active during the daytime rather than at night meridian the highest point or stage of development; apogee; zenith; the imaginary half circle connecting the north and south poles sojourn a temporary stay; a brief visit; to stay for a time; to reside temporarily nocturne a romantic melody or composition dealing with evening or night; a reverie equinox each of the two times of the year when days and nights are of equal length nova a star that increases thousands of times in brightness and then fades novice a person new to any field; a beginner neoclassical a revival of the literary, architectural, musical, and artistic forms that are considered a standard or model, and therefore "classical" neologism a new word, phrase, or expression, or a new meaning for an old word neophyte a recent convert; a newly ordained priest or member of a religious order; a beginner, novice dour stern, grim, gloomy duress forced constraint, coercion against one's will obdurate stubborn, unyielding; hardened against good influence, impenitent immemorial going deep into the past before history, knowledge, or memory; primordial memoir a written account of events one has lived through; an autobiography memorabilia things worthy of remembrance demur to raise an objection; to delay moratorium deferment or delay of any action senescent growing old; aging surly flagrantly uncivil and ill-natured