| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| apposite |
fitting; pertinent; appropriate. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| incredulous |
not able to believe something. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |