| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| 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. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| pneumatic |
of, using, or concerning air or other gases. |
| reprobate |
an evil or lawless person, often beyond hope of redemption. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |