| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| immiscible |
not able to be mixed or blended. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |