| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| commodious |
comfortably spacious; roomy. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |