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Litany
Any repetitive recital or a formal prayer
We read through the familiar litany of checklists.
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Sidle
Moving sideways in a cautious or furtive manner
I sidled up to the stranger.
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Concerted
Combined; done together; mutually planned
The police made a concerted effort to catch the crook
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Sagacious
Wise; having sound judgement and a keen, penetrating mind
My lawyer gave me sagacious advice.
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Tincture
A tinge; trace; slight additional quality that alters something
A tincture of sadness showed in her face.
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Adjunct
nonessential addition; something added to a main thing but not fundamentally a part of it
Commentary is an adjunct to the televised news.
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Appellation
Name, title, designation
Chicago's appellation is "the Windy City."
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Commodious
spacious; large and roomy
The wealthy man lived in a commodious house.
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Benison
blessing; benediction
The Pope gave his benison to the thousands jamming the public square.
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Compendium
short, comprehensive summary
The almanac is a compendium of useful information.
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Sunder
to separate; divide
Until 1989, East Berlin was sundered from the West
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Expropriate
Dispossess; take possession of big government authority for public use
The council expropriated acreage for the new bypass.
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Ostensibly
apparently but not necessarily so
Ostensibly the students were there to learn.
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Mollify
to pacify; soothe
The salesperson tried to mollify an angry customer
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Preternatural
beyond what is normal; supernatural
With preternatural strength she freed her husband, who was pinned under the car.
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Wheedle
to coax; persuade by flattery
The teenager wheedled use of the Corvette from his father.
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Avuncular
like an uncle
Avuncular advice is apt to be kindly and indulgent.
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Slue
twist; swing; skid out of course or direction
The sled slued violently to the right.
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Concentric
having a center in common, as one circle within another
A stone dropped in the water makes concentric circles.
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Progeny
offspring;descendants
All the rich old man's progeny were interested in his will. 
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Haven
a harbor; place of shelter or asylum
America has been a haven for refugees from other countries.
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Memoir
a record of facts; a narrative of one's life
Celebrities often find it profitable to publish their memoirs.
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Menagerie
a collection or exhibition of wild animals
Living in a college dormitory is similar to life in a menagerie.
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Luminous
giving out light; bright; resplendent
The moonlight over the ocean cast a luminous reflection.
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Lurch
sway suddenly to one side; list; swagger
Heavy waves made everyone on the cruise ship lurch.
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Lurid
lighted up with a fiery glare; sensational; exaggerated
The facts in "reality shows" are sometimes lurid.
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Huckster
a street peddler; esp. of fruits and vegetables
The old bearded huckster always sold fresh produce.
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Elide
omit or slur over, as in speech
A translator must be careful not to elide his speech.
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Clientele
body of clients; customers of a business establishment
The posh salon aimed for a wealthy clientele.
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Blowzy
disheveled; untidy; fat and ruddy; red-faced
The blowzy old woman searched in garbage cans for food.
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Articulate
say or speak distinctly, with clear separation of syllables
An effective speaker often speaks slowly to articulate an important point.
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Rhapsodize
speak or write with extravagant enthusiasm
The lovesick teen rhapsodized on the beauty of his girlfriend.
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Quell
to suppress; put down by force; to quiet or allay
The mother tried to quell the frightened child's fears.
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Evanescent
fleeting
A rainbow's beauty is evanescent.
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Contravention
violation; opposition
The agreement was a contravention of free-trade principles.
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Baleful
ominous; threatening harm
The batter gave the umpire a baleful glance.
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Bit (In Computer Terms)
the smallest piece of information a computer can hold.
A bit can contain one of two values: 0 and 1.
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Cacophony
harsh, discordant, jarring sound
The wind screamed in a frightening cacophony.
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Sumptuous
lavish; luxurious; grand
Hollywood stars usually live in sumptuous homes.
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Lethargy
disinclination to move; sluggishness
The lethargy he felt made him neglect his job.
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Emulate
strive to equal or excel; vie with
Some children try to emulate their older siblings.
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Malinger
feign illness
A child who is frightened of school might malinger often.
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Snooker
a form of pocket billiards
Many Englishmen play snooker in a pub.
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Genealogy
a record of descent from an ancestor
Many people check their genealogy before marriage.
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Vapid
lacking animation or flavor
The actor's vapid performance was a disappointment to all.
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Chiffonnier
a chest of drawers; a bureau
The antique chiffonnier was quite beautiful and costly.
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Proclivity
inclination; tendency; predisposition
The gifted child had a proclivity for math and science
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Harangue
a long vehement speech; a tirade
The politician harangued continuously over the faults of his opponent.
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Deploy
spread out on a more extended front
The decision to deploy troops was the general's alone.
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Wimple
a woman's head covering, as worn by nuns
In "The Flying Nun," Sally Fields wimple enabled her to fly.
