| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| innocuous |
not capable of causing damage; harmless. |
| interdict |
to deter or impede by the steady use of firepower. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |