| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |