| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| noisome |
offensive or disgusting, especially in smell; foul. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |