| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |