Vocab

Motif

A distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.

Semiotics

The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

Indubitable

That which cannot be doubted; unquestionable.

Chortle

To make, or utter with, a gleeful chuckling or snorting sound.

Impugn

To attack by argument or criticism; oppose or challenge as false or questionable.

Polysyndeton

Repeated use of the same conjunction.

Participle

A word formed from a verb.

Epigram

A phrase expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.

Anaphora

The use of a word to replace a word used earlier in a sentence to avoid repetition.

Vitriolic

Filled with bitter criticism or malice.

Octogenarian

A person between the ages of 80 and 89.

Aboriginal

Existing in a land from the earliest times or before the arrival of colonists; indigenous.

Titular

Having a title without any real authority.

Octometer

A line of poetry with eight metrical feet.

Agentive

Denoting a word or part of a word that expresses the doer of an action.

Dalliance

A casual romantic or sexual relationship

Prolific

Producing a great number or amount of something.

Furtive

Acting in a stealthy manner as if to hinder observation.

Eiderdown

Soft feathers from the breast of the female eider duck, used as stuffing for quilts.

Provenance

The place of origin or earliest known history of something.

Ermine

the white fur of the stoat, used for trimming garments, especially in the ceremonial robes of judges or peers.

Construe

Interpret a word or action in a particular way.

Toque

A woman’s small hat, typically having a narrow, closely turned up brim.

Hemlock

A highly poisonous European plant of the parsley family, with a purple spotted stem, fernlike leaves, small white flowers, and an unpleasant smell.

Embalm

preserve a corpse from decay, originally with spices and now usually by arterial injection of a preservative

Perforce

Used to express necessity or inevitability.

Facetious

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Egalitarian

relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.