| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| flange |
a collar or rim that projects from a pipe, housing, or the like to provide strength, stability, or a place for attaching other parts. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| topography |
the shape of the earth's surface across an area or region. The topography of an area includes the size and location of hills and dips in the land. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |