| aberration |
a deviation from what is considered normal or right; irregularity. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| quotidian |
happening every day or once a day. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| voluble |
characterized by a steady flow of words; fluent; talkative. |