| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| extrinsic |
not inherent or essential; extraneous. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |