SCARLET LETTER CICCONE

venerable

Worthy of respect

progenitor

originator, forefather, ancestor, in a direct line

nonentity

a person or thing of no importance

voluminous

(adj.) of great size; numerous; writing or speaking at great length

tempestuous

stormy, raging, furious

evanescent

(adj.) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy

besom

noun a broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle

indolent

habitually lazy or idle

polemcial

of, relating to, or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech.

emoluments

payment, compensation

salaries

vicissitude

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

esoteric

Hard to understand

(adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

sepulcher

a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried

heterodox

not in agreement with accepted beliefs, esp. religious dogma

deportment

a person's behavior or manners

iniquity

(n.) wickedness, sin; a grossly immoral act

Utopia

(n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to live in a utopia, but no one can agree how to go about building one.)

A work that presents a revolutionary view of society and describes an ideal socialistic community on an island somewhere off the mainland of the New World. He created the name utopia as a good place which is no place

infamy

(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.)

countenance

Facial expression

tremulous

quivering

edifice

a building, especially one of imposing appearance or size

autumnal

fall-like in age, old, elderly

phantasmagoric

fantastic, dreamlike imagery

illusive, illusory, imaginary

physiognomy

facial features

(n.) - the art of judging human character from facial features

ignominy

Public shame, disgrace, or dishonor

visage

A face or facial expression

sagamores

a subordinate chief of the Algonquin Indians of the north Atlantic coast

ascetic

Abstinent or austere in lifestyle; a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons

contumacious

Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient

peremptory

an order or command that does not allow discussion or refusal; an arbitrary order

penitence

the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance

amenable

(adj.) willing to follow advice or authority, tractable, submissive; responsive; liable to be held responsible

paramour

lover, esp. an adulterous one

reviled

verbally abused, scolded

caprice

impulse, whim, an impulsive change of mind; capricious: fickle, impulsive and unpredictable; wanton, wilful behavior, without rational motivation

vivify

enliven; make vivid

exhortation

(noun) a communication intended to urge or persuade the recipients to take some action

anathema

(n.) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article)

ludicrous

(adj.) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

cabalistic

having a secret or hidden meaning

expatiating

explaining in great detail

importunate

Extremely demanding; insistent

intrinsic

Belonging to the essential nature of a thing (natural?)

leech

archaic for physician--because of the practice of using bloodsucking worms to take amounts of blood from patients in hopes of some cure--be aware that the word was used like we use "doc," and did not necessarily have a disgusting connotation

mountebank

a phony; a fraud; a charlatan

a trickster

a fraud

sagacity

wisdom

imperious

(adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling

panoply

(n.) a diverse range or display; (n.) a whole suit of armor;

vindicate

(v.) to clear from hint or charge of wrongdoing; to defend successfully against opposition; to justify

diabolical

diabolic; devilish; fiendish

dauntless

fearless

bold

eldritch

eerie; weird

chirurgical

Of or pertaining to surgery

askance

(adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

vestment

A garment that indicates position or authority, especially the robes worn by clergy

impalpable

that which cannot be felt by touching; not easily understood

decorous

Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite

eccentricities

oddities or peculiarities in conduct

etherealized

Adjective: made light, airy, or heavenly

verb to make extremely delicate or refined or heavenly or celestial

somnambulism

the condition of walking or performing some other activity without awakening; also known as sleepwalking

impute

represent (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone; attribute.

palliate

Make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness

imbued

stain, spread all the way through

inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality

inextricable

hopelessly tangled or entangled

malevolence

bitter hatred, ill will, wishing (and acting) bad of someone

somniferous

causing sleep

infirmity

(n.) a weakness or ailment (physical, mental, moral, etc.)

expiation

the act of redemption (saving) and atonement (repairing)

erudite

Learned, scholarly, bookish

prolix

(of speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy.

vicissitude

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

augured

predict, forecast the future

efficacy

The quality of being able to produce the intended effect

Effectiveness

caprice

impulse, whim, an impulsive change of mind; capricious: fickle, impulsive and unpredictable; wanton, wilful behavior, without rational motivation

emoluments

payment, compensation

salaries

preternatural

supernatural; beyond the normal use of nature

inauspicious

(adj.) unfavorable, unlucky, suggesting bad luck for the future

imbibed

took in (drink, ideas)

to absorb or take in as if by drinking

ascetic

Abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons

plebeian

(adj.) common, vulgar; belonging to the lower class; (n.) a common person, member of the lower class

abased

shamed, disgraced

speculation

A guess or theory

retribution

(n.) a repayment; a deserved punishment

petulant

Easily irritated or annoyed

pristine

(adj) in an original, pure state; uncorrupted

stigmatized

to characterize or brand as disgraceful or ignominious

sedulous

diligent; persistent; hard-working

asperity

(n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness

despots

A person who rules alone and has absolute power and are cruel and oppress the rights of people.

obviated

to anticipate and prevent or eliminate

deleterious

(adj.) harmful, injurious

propensity

A natural inclination or tendency

acquiescing

to agree or consent quietly without protest

nuptial

of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony

scrofula

form of tuberculosis, infectious disease

contiguity

closeness

Proximity.

denizens

inhabitants or occupants

loquacity

the quality of being wordy and talkative

Excessive talkativeness

malignity

Intense ill will, a strong desire to inflict harm

choleric

(adj.) easily made angry, bad-tempered