| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| 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. |
| omnibus |
concerning or including a large collection of things. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |