| scintillate | v. to give off sparks; to be animated or brilliant |
| trivial | adj. of little worth or importance |
| engaging | adj. attractive; charming |
| arbitrary | adj. determined by chance or individual preference, not by reason, necessity or principle |
| import | n. significance |
| overwrought | adj. extremely nervous or excited |
| corollary | n. a natural consequence or effect; a deduction or an inference |
| profound | adj. very deep; penetrating beyond the superficial |
| herald | v. to bear news; to announce |
| condiment | n. a seasoning or relish for food, such as pepper, mustard, sauces, etc. |
| purvey | v. to supply |
| hermetic | adj. completely sealed, esp. from entry or escape of air |
| largess | n. generosity in giving gifts |
| volatile | adj. tending to vary widely; unstable; quickly evaporating |
| craven | adj. cowardly; contemptibly timid |
| podium | n. a raised platform on which a speaker or conductor stands |
| disarray | n. confusion, disorder |
| mercurial | adj. easily changeable; erratic |
| relentless | adj. harsh; pitiless; persistent |
| versatile | adj. competent in many things |
| bland | adj. having a moderate, undisturbed quality |
| extract | v. to remove, esp. with effort |
| infinitesimal | adj. exceedingly small; minute |
| ecstasy | n. state of overwhelming joy; rapture |
| atavistic | adj. reverting to past traits, esp. to traits absent for a long time |
| innocuous | adj. harmless |
| venial | adj. easily excused or forgiven |
| peer | n. a person or thing of the same rank |
| montage | n. a composite elements, esp. pictures, placed closely next to one another |
| heyday | n. a time of success or popularity |
| winsome | adj. charming, esp. in a childlike or innocent way |
| menial | adj. lowly or servant-like |
| rank | adj. conspicuously offensive, esp. in smell or taste; complete |
| self-abnegation | n. the putting aside of personal interest for the sake of others |
| nurture | v. to nourish, educate, or encourage |
| matrix | n. a surrounding substance within which something else originates or is contained |
| mutable | adj. subject to change; prone to frequent change; inconstant |
| expatriate | n. v. to send into exile; n. one who has moved to a foreign country |
| plaintive | adj. expressing sorrow |
| patrimony | n. property inherited from one's father or other ancestor |
| sedition | n. the promotion of rebellion against the government |
| coincide | v. to occur at the same time or be at the same place; to agree exactly |
| accrue | v. to come as a gain; to increase |
| arrogant | adj. having more pride and self-importance than is proper |
| grisly | adj. inspiring horror because of appalling crudity or inhumanity; gruesome |
| placid | adj. calm, undisturbed |
| matriarch | n. a woman who rules a family or clan; a highly respected woman who is a mother |
| relief | n. a distinction or prominence due to contrast |
| pilfer | v. to steal a small amount |
| mannerism | n. a distinctive behavioral trait; an idiosyncrasy |