| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| augury |
the art or practice or an instance of predicting the future or obtaining hidden knowledge by interpreting omens. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| homily |
any discourse offering moral advice or admonitions. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| scabrous |
characterized by a rough or scaly surface, as the leaf of a plant. |