| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| entreat |
to beg for something, or to do something. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |