| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| stickler |
one who must observe or conform to something (usually followed by "for"). |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |