| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |