| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| argot |
the vocabulary or jargon characteristic of a specific group or class, especially of criminals. |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| electuary |
a drug mixed with honey, syrup, or the like to form a paste to be smeared on the teeth or gums of a sick animal. |
| jubilate |
to feel joyful; rejoice; exult. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |