| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| 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. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |