| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| despoil |
to forcefully take belongings or goods from; plunder. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| parturient |
giving birth or about to give birth; in labor. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |