| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| emulous |
filled with the desire to equal or surpass. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| paroxysm |
a sudden strong outburst of feelings or actions. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |