| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| delectation |
enjoyment; delight; pleasure. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |