| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |