| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| macerate |
to soften (food or the like) by soaking, as in digestion. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| quotidian |
happening every day or once a day. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| uxorial |
of, pertaining to, or befitting a wife. |
| voluble |
characterized by a steady flow of words; fluent; talkative. |