| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| boorish |
rude; ill-mannered; crude. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| epicene |
sharing the traits of both sexes. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| 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. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| iatrogenic |
caused by a physician or medical treatment, especially from drugs or surgery. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |