Rebecca Glossary

Glossary of Terms

ablution

ritual washing

aloof

distant

anemone

a plant belonging to the buttercup family

antidote

something that counteracts the effect of something negative

ardent

full of passion

aspic

a savory jelly used as a garnish

austerity

severity or sternness

bezique

a card game, usually played with 64 or 128 cards

boorish

uncouth or ill-bred

bougainvillaea

a type of tropical shrub with red or purple flowers

bracken

a cluster of ferns

brazen

insolent or shameless

brusque

abrupt or curt

callous

unsympathetic

citronade

lemonade

complacent

self-satisfied

contingency

an uncertain event

degrade

to reduce in quality

deride

mock

desolate

deserted or lifeless

diffidence

timidity

dingy

shabby

discordant

dissonant

discretion

freedom of choice

disquiet

anxiety

divan

a long sofa

dubious

doubtful

encroach

to advance or trespass gradually

engender

produce

ennui

boredom

exult

to rejoice

farce

sham

fastidious

particular

faux-pas

a social blunder

forlorn

unhappy or sad

furtive

sly

futility

uselessness

gaucherie

social awkwardness

gaunt

thin or bony

genial

pleasant

gossamer

a delicate kind of gauze

impediment

barrier

impervious

impossible to injure or influence

incredulous

skeptical

indifferent

not caring

ineffectual

not effective; unsuccessful

infinitesimal

very small

ingratiating

charming

inquest

a legal investigation into the cause of a death

inscrutable

mysterious

insidious

deceitful

interloper

someone who meddles in someone else's affairs

interminable

unending

inviolate

untouched

jocular

playful or witty

jowl

the lower jaw and cheek

languorous

characterized by a lack of energy

lanky

straight and flat

listless

showing little interest in anything

lolling

to lounge in a lazy way

lorgnette

a pair of glasses mounted on a handle

mackintosh

a raincoat

malevolent

evil

mauve

a gray purple color

milieu

cultural or social surroundings

myriad

various

notorious

well-known in an unfavorable way

obstinate

stubborn in terms of one's opinion or beliefs

odious

hateful

ominous

foreboding

ornate

elaborately decorated

ostentatious

showy

pallid

pale

panacea

a remedy

perjure

to make a false statement under oath

placid

tranquil

pompous

arrogant

prim

formal or stiff

prodigal

wasteful

punctilious

precise in conduct and action

purge

to remove or empty

puritanical

strictly moral

querulous

complaining

sardonic

mocking

satyr

a lecherous man

scuttle

to sink a ship on purpose

sepulchre

a place for burial

spurious

phony

staccato

abrupt or disconnected

stockinette

a type of stretchy fabric

stolid

unemotional

succour

support or help

sullen

sulky or moody

tact

a sensitivity to the right thing to say or do

tedious

boring or tiresome

tenacious

persistent or stubborn

trousseau

a bride's possessions, i.e. clothing and linens

uncanny

odd or inexplicable

unobtrusive

not noticeable

unscathed

unharmed

vice

a fault or moral defect

winkle

an edible mollusk

writhe

to squirm or twist