| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| 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. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |