| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |