| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| eidetic |
pertaining to or designating the ability to recall images in almost perfect detail. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| malinger |
to pretend illness or injury, especially in order to be excused from duty or work. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| Saturnalia |
an occasion of unrestrained revelry. |
| veneration |
a feeling of great respect; awe; reverence. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |