| appellation |
a name, title, or other designation. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| encomium |
a formal expression of praise. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| 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. |