| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |