| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| macerate |
to soften (food or the like) by soaking, as in digestion. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |