| affectation |
falseness or superficiality of appearance or behavior; pretense. |
| allegory |
in art or literature, the use of concrete characters, events, or things, to represent abstract qualities or ideas, often to make a point about good and evil. |
| conscription |
compulsory enrollment in military service. |
| contagion |
the spreading of a disease by contact or close association. |
| embalm |
to treat (a corpse) with preservatives before burial. |
| hiatus |
a gap or break in activity, time, or space; interruption. |
| increment |
a rise or addition in number or value, often small. |
| inverse |
opposite or reversed in position, order, direction, nature, or effect. |
| kindred |
a group of related people, such as a tribe or clan. |
| obliterate |
to erase or make unrecognizable by erasing. |
| potable |
fit for drinking. |
| sedulous |
steady and persistent in an action or duty; diligent. |
| stringent |
rigorous or exacting; strict. |
| tenure |
the period of holding or possessing something. |
| trepidation |
a condition of anxiety or dread; alarm. |