| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |