| appose |
to place next to or side by side; juxtapose. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| rodomontade |
puffed-up boasting or bravado. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |