| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| indemnity |
insurance against damage, loss, or liability. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| oblivious |
not conscious or paying attention; unknowing or unaware (usually followed by "to" or "of"). |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| uxorial |
of, pertaining to, or befitting a wife. |