| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| euphoria |
a strong feeling of well-being or elation, sometimes unrealistic or unwarranted, and able to be induced by certain drugs. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| munificent |
having or showing great generosity. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |