| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| cognoscente |
someone who has exceptional knowledge in a given area, especially of fashion, literature, or the fine arts; connoisseur. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| frangible |
easy to break; breakable; fragile. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |