| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| laureate |
one honored for achievement in a particular field or by a particular award, especially in the arts or sciences. |
| 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. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |