ado
noun a rapid active commotion
venture
noun any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome; a commercial undertaking that risks a loss but promises a profit; an investment that is very risky but could yield great profits; verb proceed somewhere despite the risk of possibl
ague
noun a fit of shivering or shaking; successive stages of chills and fever that is a symptom of malaria; a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
kinsman
noun a male relative
mortify
verb hold within limits and control; practice self-denial of one's body and appetites; undergo necrosis; cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
jaundice
noun yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood; can be a symptom of gallstones or liver infection or anemia; a rough and bitter manner; verb affect with, or as if with, jaundice; di
abridge
verb lessen, diminish, or curtail; reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
prodigal
adj. marked by rash extravagance; very generous; recklessly wasteful; noun a recklessly extravagant consumer
suitor
noun a man who courts a woman
commodity
noun articles of commerce
superfluity
noun extreme excess
smith
noun someone who works metal (especially by hammering it when it is hot and malleable); someone who works at something specified
vile
adj. morally reprehensible; causing or able to cause nausea
woo
verb make amorous advances towards; seek someone's favor
imputation
noun the attribution to a source or cause; a statement attributing something dishonest (especially a criminal offense)
gratis
adj. costing nothing; adv. without payment
fawn
noun young deer; a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color; verb have fawns; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; show submission or fear
fulsome
adj. unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
bondman
noun a male slave; a male bound to serve without wages
forfeiture
noun the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.; a penalty for a fault or mistake that involves losing or giving up something; something that is lost or surrendered as a penalty
burnish
noun the property of being smooth and shiny; verb polish and make shiny
scimitar
noun a curved oriental saber; the edge is on the convex side of the blade
livery
adj. suffering from or suggesting a liver disorder or gastric distress; noun the care (feeding and stabling) of horses for pay; uniform worn by some menservants and chauffeurs; the voluntary transfer of something (title or possession) from one party to an
impertinent
adj. characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality; improperly forward or bold; not pertinent to the matter under consideration
esteem
noun the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded); an attitude of admiration or esteem; a feeling of delighted approval and liking; verb look on as or consider; regard highly; think much of
demurely
adv. in a demure manner
mirth
noun great merriment
tediousness
noun dullness owing to length or slowness
heinous
adj. shockingly brutal or cruel
strife
noun bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension; lack of agreement or harmony
lodging
noun the act of lodging; structures collectively in which people are housed; the state or quality of being lodged or fixed even temporarily
whither
why
peruse
verb examine or consider with attention and in detail
drone
noun stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen; a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone; an aircraft without a pilot that is operated by remote contro
strumpet
noun a woman adulterer
inscription
noun the activity of inscribing (especially carving or engraving) letters or words; letters inscribed (especially words engraved or carved) on something; a short message (as in a book or musical work or on a photograph) dedicating it to someone or somethi
obscure
adj. not clearly understood or expressed; not drawing attention; not famous or acclaimed; marked by difficulty of style or expression; remote and separate physically or socially; difficult to find; verb make obscure or unclear; make difficult to perceive
carrion
noun the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food
amorous
adj. inclined toward or displaying love; expressive of or exciting sexual love or romance
miscarry
verb suffer a miscarriage; be unsuccessful
nuptial
adj. of or relating to a wedding
barbarous
adj. primitive in customs and culture; (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
presume
verb take liberties or act with too much confidence; constitute reasonable evidence for; take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof; take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
glean
verb gather, as of natural products
linger
verb take one's time; proceed slowly; remain present although waning or gradually dying; leave slowly and hesitantly; be about; move to and fro
heresy
noun a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion; any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position
prolixity
noun boring verbosity
betimes
adv. in good time
usury
noun the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest; an exorbitant or unlawful rate of interest
scorn
noun open disrespect for a person or thing; lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; verb reject with contempt; look down on with disdain
score
noun a set of twenty members
fortnight
noun a period of fourteen consecutive days
aloof
adj. remote in manner; adv. in an aloof manner
redeem
verb convert into cash; of commercial papers; pay off (loans or promissory notes); to turn in (vouchers or coupons) and receive something in exchange; restore the honor or worth of; exchange or buy back for money; under threat; save from sins
sober
adj. not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol); lacking brightness or color; dull; dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises; completely lacking in playfulness; verb cause to become sober; become sober a
eloquence
noun powerful and effective language
surfeit
noun the state of being more than full; eating until excessively full; the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall; verb indulge (one's appetite) to satiety; supply or feed to surfeit
pertain
verb be a part or attribute of; have to do with or be relevant to
constitution
noun the act of forming something; United States 44-gun frigate that was one of the first three naval ships built by the United States; it won brilliant victories over British frigates during the War of 1812 and is without doubt the most famous ship in th
interpose
verb introduce; be or come between; to insert between other elements; get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force
intercessor
noun a negotiator who acts as a link between parties
yoke
noun stable gear that joins two draft animals at the neck so they can work together as a team; fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment; a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together; support consisting of a w
accouter
verb provide with military equipment
fray
noun a noisy fight; verb wear away by rubbing; cause friction
quaint
adj. strange in an interesting or pleasing way; very strange or unusual; odd or even incongruous in character or appearance; attractively old-fashioned (but not necessarily authentic)
lewd
adj. suggestive of or tending to moral looseness; driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires
commendable
adj. worthy of high praise; adv. in an admirable manner
adversary
noun someone who offers opposition
obdurate
adj. showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
remorse
noun a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
commiseration
noun a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others; an expression of sympathy with another's grief
loathing
noun hate coupled with disgust
epitaph
noun an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there; a summary statement of commemoration for a dead person
cur
noun an inferior dog or one of mixed breed; a cowardly and despicable person
ravenous
adj. devouring or craving food in great quantities; extremely hungry
impediment
noun any structure that makes progress difficult; something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress
suffice
verb be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
precedent
adj. preceding in time, order, or significance; noun an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time; a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time); (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions; a system o
penance
noun a Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and satisfaction and absolution; voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing; remorse for your past conduct
entreat
verb ask for or request earnestly
infidel
noun a person who does not acknowledge your god
peril
noun a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury; a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune; a state of danger involving risk; verb put in a dangerous, disadvantageous, or difficult position; pose a threat to; pr
contrive
verb come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort; put or send forth; make or work out a plan for; devise
incur
verb make oneself subject to; bring upon oneself; become liable to; receive a specified treatment (abstract)
recant
verb formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
gallows
noun an instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging
mercenary
adj. used of soldiers hired by a foreign army; profit oriented; marked by materialism; noun a person hired to fight for another country than their own
proclamation
noun the formal act of proclaiming; giving public notice; a formal public statement
entreat
verb ask for or request earnestly
ere
before
shrew
noun small mouselike mammal with a long snout; related to moles; a scolding nagging bad-tempered woman
wanton
adj. casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; occurring without motivation or provocation; noun lewd or lascivious woman; verb behave extremely cruelly and brutally; engage in amorous play; spend wastefully; indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of l
perchance
adv. through chance, "To sleep, perchance to dream.."; by chance
stratagem
noun a maneuver in a game or conversation; an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade
brook
noun a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river); verb put up with something or somebody unpleasant
paltry
adj. contemptibly small in amount; not worth considering
vehement
adj. characterized by great force or energy; marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid
oath
noun a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury; a solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding your future acts or behavior; profane or obscene expressi
cuckold
noun a man whose wife committed adultery; verb be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage