| bellicose |
easily incited to quarrel or fight; belligerent. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| jubilate |
to feel joyful; rejoice; exult. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| quadrant |
any of the four parts that result when an area is divided by two lines, real or imaginary, that intersect each other at right angles. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |