| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| baleful |
threatening harm; full of malice; ominous. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |