| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| gloaming |
late evening; dusk; twilight. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| somatic |
of or pertaining to the body itself; corporeal. |