| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| argot |
the vocabulary or jargon characteristic of a specific group or class, especially of criminals. |
| centripetal |
forced or moving inward toward a center point or axis. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| delectation |
enjoyment; delight; pleasure. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| immiscible |
not able to be mixed or blended. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |