| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| asterisk |
a sign (*). It is used to show that there is other information on the page that explains the information where the sign is placed. |
| caparison |
decorative trappings to cover a horse's saddle or harness. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |