| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| antediluvian |
hopelessly old-fashioned; primitive; outdated. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| apropos |
appropriate; relevant; opportune. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| emote |
to express or simulate feelings, especially in an exaggerated or theatrical manner. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| rodomontade |
puffed-up boasting or bravado. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |