| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| garble |
to mix up, distort, or confuse (a message, translation, or the like); cause to be disordered or unintelligible. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| immaculate |
not dirty; completely clean. |
| inanition |
a state of exhaustion caused by a lack of nourishment. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| misfeasance |
a normally lawful act performed in an unlawful way. |
| 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. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| sylph |
a slender, graceful woman or girl. |
| veneration |
a feeling of great respect; awe; reverence. |