| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| exceptionable |
likely to be objected to; objectionable. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| perilous |
causing or involving great danger; risky; hazardous. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |