| cachet |
prestige. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |