| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| emulous |
filled with the desire to equal or surpass. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |