| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| glabrous |
having no hair or fuzz; bald; smooth. |
| lupine2 |
fierce; greedy. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| ontogeny |
the process of biological growth and development of a particular living organism. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| 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. |