| abrogate |
to abolish, repeal, or nullify by authority. |
| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |