| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |