| abdicate |
to officially give up a position of power or a right. |
| adversary |
a person, group, or thing that is against another; opponent; enemy. |
| brevity |
shortness of duration. |
| contagion |
the spreading of a disease by contact or close association. |
| courier |
someone who delivers messages, packages, and the like, especially for a government, military organization, or business. |
| deferential |
respectfully submissive to the desires, opinions, or judgments of others. |
| impregnate |
to make (a female animal or human) pregnant, or to make (an egg) fertile. |
| indigence |
lack of means to live; poverty. |
| macabre |
of, pertaining to, depicting, or evoking death or the horrors of death; gruesome; ghastly. |
| opalescent |
exhibiting a spectrum of colors or changing colors; iridescent. |
| piety |
worshipful devotion to and veneration of God or family. |
| progenitor |
an ancestor or forebear. |
| scathing |
harshly condemning; brutal. |
| solicit |
to try to obtain (business, recruits, donations, help, or the like) by persuasion, formal request, or pleading. |
| supercilious |
showing an arrogant disregard, as a look, manner, or person. |