| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |