antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
emulous |
filled with the desire to equal or surpass. |
expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
mahatma |
(sometimes capitalized) in Buddhism and theosophy, any of a class of persons revered for their wisdom and love of humanity. |
oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |