| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| iatrogenic |
caused by a physician or medical treatment, especially from drugs or surgery. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |