| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| commodious |
comfortably spacious; roomy. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |