| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| lupine2 |
fierce; greedy. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| regicide |
the murderer of a king. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| stickler |
one who must observe or conform to something (usually followed by "for"). |