| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |
| voluble |
characterized by a steady flow of words; fluent; talkative. |