| A | B |
|---|
| aborigine | an original inhabitant |
| altercation | a disagreement or argument |
| abstruse | confusing or hard to understand |
| ambulatory | mobile |
| amphibious | able to function in both land and water |
| androgynous | unisex |
| apex | the highest point |
| appendage | something attached to something else |
| arcane | mysterious |
| archetype | the original |
| bellicose | war-like |
| blatant | obvious in an offensive way |
| buttress | support or prop |
| carcinogen | a cancer causing substance |
| cacophonous | noisy |
| carnivore | a meat-eater |
| celestial | heavenly |
| brouhaha | hubbub, uproar, or furor |
| bombast | pretentious or inflated speech |
| ballyhoo | a noisy attention-getting talk or demonstration |
| caucus | a closed meeting for members of a political party |
| ambrosial | sweet-smelling, divine, or fragrant |
| bizarre | strange or unexpected |
| bedlam | chaos or confusion |
| cryptic | mysterious, arcane, secret |
| corona | a halo of light around the sun or moon |
| cogitate | to think or ponder |
| conveyance | a mode of transporting |
| citadel | a fortress |
| comatose | inactive or unable to move |
| conflagration | a large, destructive fire |
| circumvent | to avoid by going around |
| cameo | a small role |
| apparition | an unexpected sight |
| bizarre | strange or unexpected |
| bona fide | sincere, made in faith, original |
| boudoir | a woman's private sitting or dressing room |
| buffoon | a comedian or laughable person |
| cadence | rhythm or meter |
| cuisine | food |
| debonaire | suave or charming |
| decanter | a container used to receive liquid poured from another |
| deciduous | shedding |
| demagogue | a leader who makes false promises to gain power |
| dexterous | skilled |
| disheveled | messy |
| doggerel | loose, irregular verse or poetry |
| dogmatic | rigid in opinion or belief |
| dormant | inactive; comatose |
| dulcet | sweet, melodious, or soothing |
| echelon | one in a series of levels or ranks |
| effervescent | fizzy or bubbly |
| emaciated | painfully thin or wasted |
| embellish | to decorate |
| equestrian | relating to horses |
| equilibrium | balance |
| escalate | to increase or rise |
| exodus | a mass departure |
| expletive | exclamatory word or phrase; often obscene |
| expunge | to erase or delete |
| fecund | fertile |
| festoon | a decorative strip hung in a curve between two points |
| fiasco | a failure |
| flamboyant | flashy |
| formidable | frightening or awe inspiring |
| fortuitous | happening by chance; usually with positive results |
| gargoyle | a rainspout in the form of a grotesque animal figure |
| gauntlet | a heavy glove from a suit of armor |
| germinate | to begin to grow |
| globule | a small ball or drop |
| gossamer | something thin or delicate |
| gregarious | friendly, living in groups |
| gyrate | to rotate around a point or axis |
| halcyon | calm and peaceful |
| harbinger | a messenger |
| hirsute | very hairy |
