| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| heinous |
extremely wicked or despicable; atrocious. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| ligature |
a band or tie. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| splenetic |
ill-tempered or spiteful. |