Vocabulary

1. Beatitude: (noun) supreme blessedness or happiness
2. bête noire: (noun) something that is particularly disliked
3. bode: (verb) to be an omen of, predict or foretell
4. dank: (adj.) unpleasantly damp and chilly
5. ecumenical: (adj.) universal
6. fervid: (adj.) intensely passionate
7. fetid: (adj.) having a stale nauseating smell, as of decay
8. gargantuan: (adj.) sometimes capital huge; enormous
9. heyday: (noun) the time of most power, popularity, vigor, etc; prime
10. incubus: (noun) something that oppresses, worries, or disturbs greatly, esp a nightmare or obsession
11. infrastructure: (noun) the basic structure of an organization, system, etc
12. inveigle: (verb) often fall by into or an infinitive to lead (someone into a situation) or persuade (to do something) by cleverness or trickery
13. kudos: (noun) functioning as singular acclaim, glory, or prestige
14. lagniappe: (noun) something given or obtained as a gratuity or bonus, small trinket
15. prolix: (adj.) so long as to be boring; verbose
16. protégé: (noun) a person who is protected and aided by the patronage of another person
17. prototype: (noun) one of the first units manufactured of a product, which is tested so that the design can be changed if necessary before the product is manufactured commercially
18. sycophant: (noun) a person who uses flattery to win favor from individuals wielding influence; toady
19. tautology: (noun) the use of words that merely repeat elements of the meaning already conveyed
20. truckle: (verb) to yield weakly; give in