Vanity Fair Glossary

Glossary of Terms

amour-propre

love of the self that is specifically informed by one's perception of the opinions of others

bandy

in reference to legs, exhibiting a curve outwards at the knee area

baronet

a British ranking directly below that of baron

claret

a red wine from the French region Bordeaux

dawdle

to fool around and waste time

diffident

lacking self-esteem; shy

dragoon

European term for a cavalryman of a heavily armed troop

ebullition

an overflowing of emotion

egad

an interjection; used as an oath

genteel

having an aristocratic air; related to the nobility; refined, stylish

gimcrack

a flashy, useless trinket

heathen

someone who is irreverent, uncouth and inappropriate

ingenue

french for "ingenuous"; specifically refers to the role of an inexperienced and artless young woman

jointure

a piece of property given to a women in anticipation of marriage that she will own after her husband's death

lexicographer

someone who writes, edits or compiles dictionaries

marchioness

the wife or widow of a marquis; the feminine equivalent of marquis

mulatto

an outdated word for someone who is mixed race

nabob

a wealthy, influential or powerful person

otiosity

laziness, slothfulness; futility

plenipotentiary

a person who is authorizes to engage in business dealings on behalf of another person

sate

archaic past tense and past participle form of the verb "to sit"

toxophilite

a person who loves archery