| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| apprise |
to inform (often followed by "of"). |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |