aristocratic
a member of the ruling class
aut Cesar aut nullus
from the Latin, "either Cesar or nobody;" a term used to designate the ability of a person to have power and control in a particular situation
calumny
The making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; slander
christening
the ceremony of baptizing and naming a child
derogate
to take away; detract
euchre
a trick-taking card game most commonly played with four people in two partnerships with a deck of 24 standard playing cards
Fortunatus
a heroic character in a German proto-novel from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
harangue
a lengthy and aggressive speech
Jim Crow Laws
state and local laws enacted in the U.S. South between 1876 and 1965 that mandated segregation in all public facilities.
Ku Klux Klan
an extremist organization first started in the nineteenth century U.S. South that violently advocated for white supremacy and racial segregation
loquacious
talking freely and uninhibitedly
malodorous
smelling very unpleasant
marrow
the inmost, best, or essential part.
miscegenation
the mixing of different racial groups through marriage, cohabitation, sexual relations, and procreation
mission school
a school founded by a religious order that combined religious and secular education for persons that would not otherwise be offered an education
noblesse oblige
a French phrase literally meaning "nobility obliges;" a phrase used to describe the necessity of a person to act in a particular way because of their high station in life
obdurate
stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action
Pontius Pilate
the Roman governor responsible for sentencing Christ to crucifixion; he famously washed his hands after the sentencing, abdicating his responsibility
prig
a person who demonstrates an exaggerated conformity or propriety, especially in an irritatingly arrogant or smug manner
primogeniture
the right, by law or custom, of the first-born to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings.
Procrustean
the act of fitting things of differing properties into an arbitrary standard; based upon the Greek mythological character Procrustes who stretched or cut off the legs of people in order to fit them into an iron bed
rector
a member of the clergy in charge of a church or parish
segregation
the separation of people based upon their race
tocsin
an alarm or warning bell
Vandyke Beard
a style of facial hair popular in the nineteenth century
