| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| 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. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |