| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| doggerel |
trivial, crudely constructed verse. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| veneration |
a feeling of great respect; awe; reverence. |