| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| daunt |
to lessen the determination of; intimidate; discourage. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| macrocosm |
a large unit or entity that represents on a large scale one of its smaller components. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| 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. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |