| affidavit |
a written statement that is sworn in the presence of an authorized official to be true, used as legal evidence. |
| agog |
highly excited and full of anticipation. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| blithe |
indifferent or casual; unconcerned. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| macrocosm |
a large unit or entity that represents on a large scale one of its smaller components. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| parturient |
giving birth or about to give birth; in labor. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |