| Term | Definition |
|---|
| perennial | present at all seasons of the year |
| queue | a braid of hair usually worn hanging at the back of the head, a waiting line especially of persons or vehicles |
| heraldically | of or relating to heralds or heraldry |
| vitiated | to make faulty or defective : impair |
| bourgeois | of, relating to, or characteristic of the townsman or of the social middle class |
| monogamic | archaic : the practice of marrying only once during a lifetime |
| innocuous | producing no injury : harmlessnot likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility |
| mirth | gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter |
| vituperation | sustained and bitter railing and condemnation |
| jocund | marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness |
| entreated | obsolete a: negotiate intercede to make an earnest request |
| gaiters | a cloth or leather leg covering reaching from the instep to above the ankle or to mid-calf or knee |
| apostate | one who...1 : renunciation of a religious faith, abandonment of a previous loyalty : defection |
| bishopric | diocese, the office of bishop 3 : the administrative body of a Mormon ward consisting of a bishop and two high priests as counselors |
| libel | a written statement in which a plaintiff in certain courts sets forth the cause of action or the relief sought barchaic : a handbill especially attacking or defaming someone2 a: a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1): a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2): defamation of a person by written or representational means (3): the publication of blasphemous, treasonable, seditious, or obscene writings or pictures (4): the act, tort, or crime of publishing such a libel |
| Inquisition | the act of inquiring : examination2: a judicial or official inquiry or examination usually before a jury ; also : the finding of the jury3 acapitalized : a former Roman Catholic tribunal for the discovery and punishment of heresy b: an investigation conducted with little regard for individual rights c: a severe questioning |
| episcopal | of or relating to a bishop2: of, having, or constituting government by bishops 3capitalized : of or relating to the Protestant Episcopal Church representing the Anglican communion in the United States |
| reconnoitred | to make...: a preliminary survey to gain information ; especially : an exploratory military survey of enemy territory |
| insuperable | incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over, or solved <insuperable difficulties> |
| writhe | to twist into coils or folds b: to twist so as to distort |
| via dolorosa | road to Calvary |
| complacency | self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies |
| cheroot | a cigar cut square at both ends |
| propaganda | capitalized : a congregation of the Roman curia having jurisdiction over missionary territories and related institutions2: the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person3: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause ; also : a public action having such an effect |
| plausible | superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often specious <a plausible pretext> 2 : superficially pleasing or persuasive <a swindler... , then a quack, then a smooth, plausible gentleman — R. W. Emerson> 3 : appearing worthy of belief <the argument was both powerful and plausible> |
| cataract | [Middle English, from Middle French or Medieval Latin; Middle French catharacte, from Medieval Latin cataracta, from Latin, portcullis] : a clouding of the lens of the eye or of its surrounding transparent membrane that obstructs the passage of light2 aobsolete : waterspout b: waterfall ; especially : a large one over a precipice c: steep rapids in a river d: downpour, flood <cataracts of rain> <cataracts of information> |
| expedient | suitable for achieving a particular end in a given circumstance2: characterized by concern with what is opportune ; especially : governed by self-interest |
| dindled | to tingle or vibrate, as with or from a loud sound |
| retrospective | of, relating to, or given to retrospection (2): based on memory <a retrospective report> b: being a retrospective 2: affecting things past : retroactive <retrospective laws>3: relating to or being a study (as of a disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and collects data about their past history to explain their present condition |
| mirage | an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density 2 : something illusory and unattainable like a mirage |
| garrulous | given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity : pointlessly or annoyingly talkative 2 : wordy 1 <garrulous speeches> |
| incurious | lacking a normal or usual curiosity : uninterested <a blank incurious stare> |
| monomaniac | n 1 : mental illness especially when limited in expression to one idea or area of thought 2 : excessive concentration on a single object or idea |
| astringent | adj 1: causing contraction of soft organic tissues : styptic, puckery <astringent lotions> <an astringent fruit>2: suggestive of an astringent effect upon tissue : rigidly severe : austere <dry astringent comments> ; also : pungent, caustic |
| tyrannous | adj : marked by tyranny ; especially : unjustly severe <tyrannous new laws> |
| jaundice | n 1 : yellowish pigmentation of the skin, tissues, and body fluids caused by the deposition of bile pigments 2 : a disease or abnormal condition characterized by jaundice 3 : a state or attitude characterized by satiety, distaste, or hostility |
| vertigo | n 1 a: a sensation of motion in which the individual or the individual's surroundings seem to whirl dizzily b: a dizzy confused state of mind2: disordered vertiginous movement as a symptom of disease in lower animals ; also : a disease (as gid) causing this |
| penumbra | n 1 a: a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse) between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light b: a shaded region surrounding the dark central portion of a sunspot2: a surrounding or adjoining region in which something exists in a lesser degree : fringe3: a body of rights held to be guaranteed by implication in a civil constitution4: something that covers, surrounds, or obscures : shroud <a penumbra of secrecy> <a penumbra of somber dignity has descended over his reputation — James Atlas> |
| Universalist | n 1often capitalized a: a theological doctrine that all human beings will eventually be saved b: the principles and practices of a liberal Christian denomination founded in the 18th century originally to uphold belief in universal salvation and now united with Unitarianism2: something that is universal in scope3: the state of being universal : universality |
| idolum | n Appearance or image; a phantasm; a spectral image; also, a mental image or idea. |
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