Vocabulary to Work Through

a prodigy
a gens
a begetter
the paterfamilias
to perpetuate oneself
ambivalent
giftedness
to burn out
eccentric
a physical weakling
to run in the family
adversity
a highbrow
an egghead
a blue-stocking
a wiseacre
a know-all
a boffin
denigration
to collate information
infant mortality
life expectancy
home tutoring
the nobility
paediatrics
a vantage point
mundane
mediocre
to nurture smth
to trigger smth
outrageous shapes and colours
the supremacy of one’s achievements
to outstrip smth
a sub-four-minute miler
to emulate smb
unpalatable
perseverance
single-mindedness
to preserve one’s integrity