| aleatory |
pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| cognomen |
a last name; surname. |
| despoil |
to forcefully take belongings or goods from; plunder. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| impinge |
to encroach. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |