| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |