| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| delectation |
enjoyment; delight; pleasure. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |