| assail |
to attack with vigor or violence; assault. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| coir |
the fiber made from coconut husks, used for matting, rope, or the like. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| hagiography |
an admiring and uncritical biography of anyone. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| mirabile dictu |
(Latin) wonderful to say or relate. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |
| vitiate |
to harm the quality of; mar; spoil. |