Educational

perquisite

[pur-kwuh-zit]

an incidental payment, benefit, privilege, or advantage over and above regular income, salary, or wages

akimbo

[uh-kim-boh]

with hands on the hips and elbows turned outward

recant

[ri-kant]

say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical.

pontificate

[pon-tif-i-keyt]

express one's opinions in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic

circumspect

[sur-kuhm-spekt]

watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent; well-considered

pachyderm

[pak-i-durm]

a very large mammal with thick skin, especially an elephant, rhinoceros, or hippopotamus

paradigm

[par-uh-dahym]

an example serving as a model; pattern

elucidate

[ih-loo-si-deyt]

to make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain

penultimate

[pi-nuhl-tuh-mit]

next to the last

amorphous

[uh-mawr-fuhs]

without a clearly defined shape or form; lacking a clear structure or focus

erudite

[er-yoo-dahyt, er-oo-dahyt]

characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

gloaming

[gloh-ming]

twilight; dusk

prodigious

[pruh-dij-uhs]

extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc.

empirical

[em-pir-i-kuhl]

derived from or guided by experience or experiment

obsidian

[uhb-sid-ee-uhn]

a volcanic glass similar in composition to granite, usually dark but transparent in thin pieces, and having a good conchoidal fracture

affluent

[af-loo-uhnt]

having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich

ambidextrous

[am-bi-dek-struhs]

able to use both hands equally well

bibliopole

[bib-lee-uh-pohl]

a person who buys and sells books, especially rare ones

jurisprudence

[joor-is-prood-ns]

a legal system

criterion

[krahy-teer-ee-uhn]

a standard of judgment or criticism; a rule or principle for evaluating or testing something

facile

[fas-il]

moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality

homonym

[hom-uh-nim]

each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins

aphelion

[uh-fee-lee-uhn]

the point farthest from the sun in the path of an orbiting celestial body (such as a planet)

exoneration

[ig-zon-uh-rey-shuhn]

the act of relieving someone of an obligation or duty