| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |