| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| despoil |
to forcefully take belongings or goods from; plunder. |
| eruct |
to belch forth. |
| fealty |
faithfulness or loyalty. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| salvo |
the firing of guns or other firearms simultaneously or in succession, especially as a salute. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |