| ambidextrous |
able to use both the left and right hands with equal skill. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| indemnity |
insurance against damage, loss, or liability. |
| 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. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |