| appellation |
a name, title, or other designation. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| inculcate |
to cause to accept an idea or value; imbue. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |