an authority
[kon-uh-sur, -soo
noun
1705–15; < French; Old French
"BBQ connoisseur grills up business with Keizer shop." - http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131130/NEWS/311300012/
2. Conspiracy
a plot[kuh
noun
1325–75; Middle English
"But certain conspiracy forums have developed several theories around the actor’s death suggesting that it was murder." - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/527012/20131203/paul-walker-death-dead.htm
3. Contrite
sorry
[kuh
adjective
1300–50; Middle English
"A contrite Mike Tomlin apologized profusely and sincerely today for his widely criticized actions Thursday night in the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens." - http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2013/12/03/Contrite-Tomlin-successfully-pleads-his-case/stories/201312030135#ixzz2mRqfud1p
4. Distraught
anxious
[dih-strawt]
adjective
1350–1400; Middle English
"Serial killer's distraught daughter is terrified she'll end up evil too, says her father. " - http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/444839/Distraught-Serial-killer-s-daughter-is-terrified-she-ll-end-up-evil-too-says-her-father
5. Germane
related
[jer-meyn]
adjective
1600; Middle English
"Generally speaking, students have the right to express their religious beliefs in assignments if germane to the assignment. " - http://fox4kc.com/2013/12/03/seventh-grader-files-lawsuit-after-school-staff-destroys-prayer-flyers/
6. Lucid
easy to understand
[loo-sid]
adjective
1575–85; < Latin
"The ability to become lucid in a dream — in essence, to know that you are dreaming while you are dreaming — is a highly sought after skill." - http://mashable.com/2013/11/17/remee-lucid-dreaming/
7. Plight
an unfortunate situation
[plahyt]
noun
1350–1400; Middle English
"REVEALED: Plight of the hungry polar bears." - http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/446292/Plight-of-the-hungry-polar-bears
8. Superficially
slightly
[soo-per-fish-uh
adverb
1375–1425; late Middle English
"This bewilderment is not surprising because assumption of risk superficially does look like the informed consent doctrine. " - http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/if-my-patient-signed-consent-form-why-can-he-sue-me?contextCategoryId=116
9. Symmetrical
balanced
[si-me-tri-kuh
adjective
1745–55; Latin
"Symmetry brings aesthetically pleasing balance and proportion into photography" - http://mashable.com/2013/11/05/photos-symmetry/
10. Verbose
wordy
[ver-bohs]
adjective
1665–75; < Latin
"Verbose vocabulary can bring greater life to language." - http://mainecampus.com/2013/11/04/verbose-vocabulary-can-bring-greater-life-to-language/