| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| 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. |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| macrocosm |
a large unit or entity that represents on a large scale one of its smaller components. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| paroxysm |
a sudden strong outburst of feelings or actions. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |