| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| concur |
to share the same opinion; agree. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| debouch |
to advance out of a confined or narrow space such as a canyon into open country. |
| deterge |
to cleanse, wash, or wipe off. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| facsimile |
an exact copy or duplicate of something printed or of a picture. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| 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. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |