| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| caparison |
decorative trappings to cover a horse's saddle or harness. |
| castellated |
constructed with turrets and battlements like a castle. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| oblivious |
not conscious or paying attention; unknowing or unaware (usually followed by "to" or "of"). |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |