| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| recessional |
a piece of music that accompanies the exit of participants in a program or religious ceremony. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |