| appellation |
a name, title, or other designation. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| 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. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |