| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| 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. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| paroxysm |
a sudden strong outburst of feelings or actions. |