| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| castellated |
constructed with turrets and battlements like a castle. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| foment |
to encourage the development of; instigate or foster. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| immiscible |
not able to be mixed or blended. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |