| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| corollary |
a readily drawn conclusion; deduction or inference. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| jejune |
lacking interest or liveliness; dull. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |