| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| parvenu |
a person who has suddenly acquired wealth or status, without acquiring the tastes, manners, customs, or the like of his or her new station. |
| redoubtable |
inspiring fear; formidable. |
| repine |
to express or feel unhappiness; complain; fret. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |