| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| inadvertent |
not planned or intended; unintentional. |
| insinuate |
to suggest (something derogatory) subtly and indirectly. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| macerate |
to soften (food or the like) by soaking, as in digestion. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |