| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |