| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| divergence |
the act of separating and moving or leading in different directions. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| parturient |
giving birth or about to give birth; in labor. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |