| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| halcyon |
tranquil; peaceful; calm. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |