| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |