| blatant |
completely obvious or undisguised, sometimes offensively so. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| foible |
a minor flaw or weakness in personality, character, or behavior. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| 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. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |