| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| debauch |
to lead or seduce into immorality or intemperance; corrupt. |
| desiccate |
to remove the moisture in (food) so as to preserve it. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| saturnine |
gloomy, sullen, or cynical in temperament or appearance. |
| woebegone |
displaying or full of distress. |