| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abreaction | release of emotional tension achieved through recalling a repressed traumatic experience |
| accretion | the growing together of separate parts into a single whole |
| adjudicate | v. pass leagl judgment on; sit in judgment |
| antinomian | Opposed to or denying the fixed meaning or universal applicability of moral law |
| apercus | brief outline; glimpse; intuitive insight |
| arrogate | To take, demand, or claim, especially presumptuously or without reasons or grounds. |
| calumny | an abusive attack on a person's character or good name |
| circumspect | adj. Showing watchfulness, caution, or careful consideration. |
| copasetic | completely satisfactory |
| deference | courteous regard for another's wish; courteous yielding to another's wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery |
| derogation | disparaging, belittlement; being impaired; detraction (from authority or estimation) |
| detritus | waste or debris |
| elegiac | expressing sorrow often for something past |
| elide | omit; ignore; suppress or abridge |
| encomium | glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise |
| ethos | (anthropology) the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era |
| febrile | of or relating to or characterized by fever |
| hagiographic | A worshipful or idealizing biography |
| hypnogic | semiconscious state prior to complete sleep |
| hypnopompic | semiconscious state prior to complete wakefulness |
| iconoclasm | the attacking of widely accepted ideas, beliefs |
| lacuna | an empty space or a missing part |
| mellifluous | sweetly flowing; usually used to describe use of words (sweetly flowing words, as when the speech is characterized by high volubility. |
| palliative | remedy that alleviates pain without curing |
| paroxysm | A sudden outburst of any kind of activity. |
| pathos | n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy. |
| philistinism | a desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters |
| plebiscite | direct popular vote |
| preponderantly | much greater in number or influence |
| prepotent | Greater in power, influence, or force than another or others; in genetics the dominance of genes |
| preternatural | adj. Extraordinary. |
| prognosticator | a person who forecasts or predicts from present indications |
| prosody | the patterns of stress and intonation in a language |
| redolent | having a strong distinctive fragrance |
| reify | To regard or treat an abstraction as if it had concrete or material existence. |
| salvo | an outburst resembling the discharge of firearms or the release of bombs |
| senescence | the state of being or growing old. |
| solipsism | The idea that one's own perceptions are the only meaningful reality. It was once used to describe a philosophical doctrine, but it has also been taken to mean "the practice of extreme self-centeredness." |
| sophistry | n. Reasoning sound in appearance only, especially when designedly deceptive. |
| Sturm und Drang | a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally) |
| tropism | the growth of all or part of an organism in response to an external stimuli such as light |
| anhedonia | an inability to experience pleasure |
| deleterious | having a harmful effect; injurious |
| panoramic | denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view |
| countenance | approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance |
| strident | unpleasantly loud and harsh |
| evince | to show in a clear manner; to manifest; to make evident |
| consonant | harmonious; in agreement; N. |
| consummate | (adj) perfect and complete in every respect; (v) to complete |
| Metonym | A word that is used to stand for something else that it has attributes of or is associated with |
| Portentously | ominously significant or indicative, suggesting danger |
| palliative | remedy that alleviates pain without curing |
| interregnum | the interval of time between the end of a sovereign's reign and the accession of a successor; a period of temporary suspension of the usual functions of government or control; a gap in continuity. |
| levity | lightness of mind, character, or behavior; lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness |
| Morass | An area of low-lying, soggy ground; Something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms: a morass of details. |
| belie | contradict; give a false impression |
| feckless | ineffective; incompetent; futile;having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy |
| wistfulness | melancholy; longing; yearning,pensive |
| dyspeptic | gloomy, pessimistic, and irritable |
| secrete | store secretly |
| demur | to object; to take exception; to delay |
| syncretism | Reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief |
| maw | mouth, throat, or stomach |
| pabulum | (1) a substance that gives nourishment; (2) insipid intellectual nourishment |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; dull |
| hoary | pale silver-grey colour; grey with age |
| licentious | amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained |
| spate | a sudden flood, rush, or outpouring |
| fixity | fixed state; stability; permanence |
| ponderous | having great mass and weight and unwieldiness |
| wieldy | easy to handle or use or manage |
| distend | expand; swell out |
| munificence | generosity in giving |
| supine | (1) lying on the back (opposite prostrate); (2) marked by or showing lethargy, passivity, or blameworthy indifference |
| blithe | carefree and lighthearted (due to ignorance); lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual |
| largesse | (n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions |
| trice | very short period of time, an instant |
| consternation | a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay |
| gormless | dull or unintelligent |
| fulsome | excessive or insincerely lavish; disgusting and offensive, copius |
| miasma | a harmful or corrupting atmosphere or influence |
| furlough | A leave of absence or break, unpaid in times of economic hardship |
| rejoinder | retort, come back, reply |
| livery | servant or military uniform or badge; stables |
| uncouth | awkward, unrefined, crude |
| scarper | depart unexpectedly and leave behind obligations |
| bulwark | wall, tower or protective barricade |
| gormless | dull and unintelligent |
| surfeit | (n) overabundance, excess; (v) to indulge excessively |
| paucity | insufficiency; dearth |
| heliotrope | deep shade of purple to scarlet; plant that turns towards sun; instrument that utilizes mirrors and sunlight to make signals across distances |
| Chasten | censure severely |
| Congenital | present at birth but not necessarily hereditary |
| restive | restlessly impatient, obstinately resisting control |
| Grouse | To complain or grumble |
| incorrigible | impervious to correction by punishment |
| impertinent | rude or overly bold; irrelevant |
| sibilant | a consonant characterized by a hissing sound (like s or sh) |
| Ribald | wanton, profane, vulgar,scurrilous |
| efflorescence | A condition or time of vigor and freshness; flowering, blooming |
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