| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |