Educational

esteemable

[ih-stee-muh-buhl]

worthy of respect

somnolent

[som-nuh-luhnt]

sleepy; drowsy

hearsay

[heer-sey]

information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate; rumor

mellow

[mel-oh]

made gentle and compassionate by age or maturity; softened

belated

[bih-ley-tid]

coming or being after the customary, useful, or expected time

malarkey

[muh-lar-kee]

meaningless talk or nonsense

perpetuate

[per-pech-oo-eyt]

to enable or allow the continuation of into the future; keep alive (used most often in reference to something considered harmful or false)

comport

[kuhm-pawrt]

to bear or conduct (oneself); behave

ageism

[ey-jiz-uhm]

discrimination against persons of a certain age group

burgeon

[bur-juhn]

a bud

tenable

[ten-uh-buhl]

capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as against attack or dispute

vanguard

[van-gahrd]

the forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like

travail

[truh-veyl]

to toil or exert oneself

threnody

[thren-uh-dee]

a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, especially for the dead; dirge; funeral song

vignette

[vin-yet]

an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border

coulee

[koo-lee]

a deep ravine

nourish

[nur-ish]

to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth

predecessor

[pred-uh-ses-er]

something or someone succeeded or replaced by something else

anfractuous

[an-frak-choo-uhs]

characterized by windings and turnings; sinuous; circuitous

fractious

[frak-shuhs]

readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome:

tergiversate

[tur-ji-ver-seyt]

to repeatedly change one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.

scrupulous

[skroo-pyuh-luhs]

punctiliously or minutely careful, precise, or exact

overindulge

[oh-ver-in-dulj]

to partake in something excessively

parboil

[pahr-boil]

to boil for a short amount of time; pre-cook