| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |