| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| appose |
to place next to or side by side; juxtapose. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| eidetic |
pertaining to or designating the ability to recall images in almost perfect detail. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |