| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| coalesce |
to grow together or unite to form a single body or organization; unify; fuse. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |