| alchemy |
an ancient exploration and practice of chemistry which flourished particularly during medieval times. Practitioners used chemical processes in the hope of, for example, producing gold from base metals, finding the key to eternal life, and uncovering a single cure for all disease. |
| clan |
a group of people from the same family. |
| contaminate |
to make dirty, polluted, or not usable by touching or by adding something to. |
| decline |
to refuse to do, in a polite way. |
| deteriorate |
to become less in value or quality; decline. |
| discard |
to throw out or away; cast off. |
| discernment |
the ability to keenly perceive and judge. |
| furlough |
a vacation for a person in the military. |
| hardheaded |
not easily moved, manipulated, or duped; shrewd; pragmatic. |
| hospitable |
open and receptive. |
| infusion |
the act, process, or result of infusing. |
| opus |
a work of fine or literary art, especially a musical composition numbered to indicate its chronological place in the composer's works. |
| ration |
a fixed share or portion. |
| separation |
the act of dividing or keeping apart or the condition of being kept apart. |
| swoon |
to lose consciousness; faint. |