| appellation |
a name, title, or other designation. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| coalesce |
to grow together or unite to form a single body or organization; unify; fuse. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| topography |
the shape of the earth's surface across an area or region. The topography of an area includes the size and location of hills and dips in the land. |