| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| apropos |
appropriate; relevant; opportune. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| divergence |
the act of separating and moving or leading in different directions. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |