beatitude
(n.) a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing
b�te noire
(n.) someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids
bode
(v.) to be an omen of; to indicate by signs
dank
(adj.) unpleasantly damp or wet
ecumenical
(adj.) worldwide or universal in influence or application
fervid
(adj.) burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated
fetid
(adj.) having an unpleasant or offensive odor
gargantuan
(adj.) of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous. prodigious
heyday
(n.) the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
incubus
(n.) a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare
infrastructure
(n.) a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations
inveigle
(v.) to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice
kudos
(n.) the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement
lagniappe
(n.) an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity
prolix
(adj.) long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way
prot�g�
(n.) someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government
prototype
(n.) an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form
sycophant
(n.) someone who attempts to win favors or advance him- or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer
tautology
(n.) needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy
truckle
(v.) to yield or submit tamely or submissively