| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| eruct |
to belch forth. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| impermeable |
not permitting passage or penetration. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| tamp |
to compress and pack tightly by repeated light taps. |