| arduous |
entailing great difficulty, exertion, or endurance; laborious. |
| collusion |
action undertaken in secret partnership or collaboration, usually for illicit purposes. |
| communal |
of or belong to members of a group; public; collective. |
| counterfeiter |
one who makes fraudulent imitations or copies, especially of money. |
| deity |
a god or goddess. |
| engulf |
to cover entirely, as if by a flood. |
| financier |
a person skilled in or occupied in financial operations, usually on a large scale. |
| flail |
to cause to move wildly. |
| pessimism |
the belief that events will turn out badly; tendency to expect the worst. |
| poignant |
deeply touching; arousing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy; piercing; penetrating. |
| potable |
fit for drinking. |
| projectile |
any object that is thrown, fired, or shot by an outside force or weapon. |
| savory1 |
having a pleasant taste or smell; appetizing. |
| slough2 |
to shed or discard; rid oneself of. |
| vestige |
a visible trace or sign of something no longer present or existing. |