Glossary of Terms
adjudicate: to settle as a judge
adriot: skillful under pressure
adumbrate: to disclose partially; to obscure
alder: a type of tree
Andante: a relatively slow part of a piece of music
anodyne: something soothing
antimacassar: a cover for a chair or sofa
apposite: relevant
asceticism: extreme self-denial
asperity: severity
balustrade: a railing with posts
banns: marriage announcement
brougham: closed carriage
bunkum: empty talk
cant: hypocritical language
celandine: an herb with yellow flowers
charnel-house: a place for the dead
charwoman: a woman hired to clean
chiffonier: a tall and thin chest of drawers
claret: a kind of red wine from Bordeaux
conclave: a meeting, often of family members
consternation: paralyzing dismay
contretemps: unforeseen disruption
coppice: a grove of small trees
cur: coward
daughtier: braver
denizen: inhabitant
descant: to comment extensively
disquietude: anxiety
draper: one who sells clothing or dry goods
dyspeptic: having disturbed digestion or a gloomy disposition
ferrule: a metal ring placed around a pole in order to reinforce it
gamboge: of reddish-yellow color
golliwog: a doll made to look like a caricature of an African-American male
gorse: a kind of shrub with yellow flowers
greengage: a type of plum
guelder-rose: a plant with white flowers and a red fruit
hansom: a covered carriage with two wheels
haycock: a British term meaning a mound of hay
hoarfrost: a kind of white frost
hump: British term meaning a feeling of depression
idee fixe: French term meaning a fixed idea
insolvency: the state of being bankrupt
insular: isolated
lees: sediment
lump: tolerate
lych-gate: a churchyard gateway with a roof
majolica: elaborate earthenware often produced in Italy
mater: a term for "mother" used by the British
maunder: to talk aimlessly
mawkish: absurdly sentimental
Mercia: a kingdom in England dating back to the Anglo-Saxon reign
mews: a group of residential apartments that once were private stables
milksop: a man with no bravery
morass: an area of low soggy ground
navvy: British term for a construction worker
nettled: annoyed
obdurate: stubborn
offscouring: an outcast
orris-root: a root, usually of the Iris, that is very fragrant
parapet: a low protective wall
pater: British term for father
perambulator: a baby carriage
percolate: to pass through
persiflage: banter
petulance: irritability
pince-nez: eyeglasses worn on the bridge of the nose
plinth: base or platform
pollard: to cut back tree branches
poste restante: a situation where letters are kept at the post office until the recipient comes to fetch them rather than being delivered straight to a private address
prevaricate: to evade the truth
quixotic: impulsive
rancour: British spelling of rancor, meaning deep resentment
repartee: witty conversation
repine: to complain
reticent: reserved, unwilling
reticule: a purse
rotter: British term for scoundrel
rum: British term for strange or odd
scurf: a loose crust
scythe: to cut using a long blade used for mowing
sedulous: trying relentlessly
serried: put together in rows
sine qua non: Latin term meaning an essential element
spate: a sudden outpouring
sultana: a type of green seedless grape
superannuate: to regard as old fashioned
termini: plural of terminus, meaning an end point on a transportation line
Teutonic: German
thane: lord or baron
thew: virtue
treacle: British term for molasses
trenchant: clear-cut
trundle: to push forward on wheels
tumuli: plural of tumulus, meaning a burial mound
vapid: dull
veldt: open areas for grazing in the southern part of Africa
vinaigrette: a small bottle that holds something such as smelling salts
vivify: to make someting come alive
vociferation: vehemence
warp and woof: foundation
wastrel: one who is idle or lazy
welter: turmoil
wych-elm: Eurasian elm usually planted to provide shade
yellowhammer: a bird with yellow accents
ClassicNote on Howards End
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