| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| epigraph |
a pertinent quotation or motto, especially found at the beginning of a literary work or of a chapter. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| inflection |
change that occurs in the form of words to show a grammatical characteristic such as the tense of a verb, the number of a noun, or the degree of an adjective or adverb. |
| jejune |
lacking interest or liveliness; dull. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |