| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| delectation |
enjoyment; delight; pleasure. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |