| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| impermeable |
not permitting passage or penetration. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |