| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| alfresco |
in the open air; outdoors. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| somatic |
of or pertaining to the body itself; corporeal. |