| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| 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. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |