| adamantine |
firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |