| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| inanition |
a state of exhaustion caused by a lack of nourishment. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| neologism |
a new word, phrase, or usage. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| 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. |