| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| 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. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |