| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| apprehensive |
feeling fearful about future events. |
| 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. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| cognoscente |
someone who has exceptional knowledge in a given area, especially of fashion, literature, or the fine arts; connoisseur. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially 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. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| purvey |
to supply or provide (especially food, drink, or other provisions). |