| baleful |
threatening harm; full of malice; ominous. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| noisome |
offensive or disgusting, especially in smell; foul. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |