| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| 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. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |