| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| stentorian |
extremely loud and powerful. |