| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| disallow |
to refuse to allow or admit; reject. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |