| 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. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| 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. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| 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. |
| uxorial |
of, pertaining to, or befitting a wife. |