beatitude
(n) a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing
Bete 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 odor; foul-smelling; putrid
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) the basic framework of a building or a system; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent militant installation
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
(noun) an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity
(syn) bonus
prolix
(adj) long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way
Protege
(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