| backwater |
any place that is seen as primitive, unchanging, or stagnant. |
| buoyancy |
the capacity to float or rise to the top in a liquid or gas. |
| centennial |
having to do with a one hundredth anniversary. |
| concoct |
to make by putting together a number of parts or ingredients. |
| contagion |
the spreading of a disease by contact or close association. |
| fusion |
the act of fusing or joining together. |
| gentry |
people who come from families of high social standing. |
| laity |
the body of members of a religious group who are not part of the clergy. |
| maladjustment |
an inability to bring one's own needs into harmony with the demands of the external environment. |
| noxious |
harmful, dangerous, or destructive, especially to health. |
| pirouette |
a ballet movement involving a rapid rotation of the body upon the toes or foot. |
| presumption |
a belief that is taken for granted but not proved. |
| psyche |
the mental makeup of a person or group. |
| seamy |
disreputable; sordid. |
| self-determination |
the ability or freedom of a people to decide their own form of government. |