| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| eruct |
to belch forth. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| 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. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| omnibus |
concerning or including a large collection of things. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |