| 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. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| inadvertent |
not planned or intended; unintentional. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |