| antediluvian |
hopelessly old-fashioned; primitive; outdated. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| 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. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| extempore |
without plan or preparation; impromptu or improvised. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| recessional |
a piece of music that accompanies the exit of participants in a program or religious ceremony. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |