| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| corporeal |
having to do with a physical body; bodily. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |