| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| stentorian |
extremely loud and powerful. |