| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| 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. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| 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. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |