Week 1:

adjunct (noun): an addition or supplement to something else

banality (noun): something commonplace or cliche, unoriginal or common

bellwether (noun): leader or indicator of something

caterwaul (noun): loud and unpleasant noise, to howl or screech like a cat

chimerical (adj): outrageous or crazy, absurd

effete (noun): weak, lacking in energy, exhausted, unable to produce

metaphor (noun): a NON-LITERAL comparison between two things in order to suggest a resemblance

Week 2:

Elegiac (adj)- expressing sorrow or lamentation, especially for the dead

Hidebound (adj)- narrow-minded and rigid in opinions or prejudices

Hierarchy (noun)- a system of things or people arranged in order of rank

Indignation (noun)- anger or annoyance provoked by what is seen as unfair treatment

Liturgy (noun)- a religious ritual or ceremony

Morass (noun)- a patch of low, soft, wet ground; confusing situation in which one is entrapped, a challenge

Simile (noun)- a comparison of two things using the words like and as

Week 3:

Lament(verb)- to mourn the loss of something

Noisome (adj)- suffocating, foul-smelling

Personification(noun)- manifestation of, embodiment of, giving human traits to a non human thing

Poltroon (noun)- coward, traitor,

Proselyte (noun)- follower or believer

Raillery (noun)- messing around, banter

Ribald(adj)- vulgar, obscene

Week 4: Etymology

Aegis- Under the wing or guidance of something.

Apprise- To inform someone

Bibulous - drunken or incoherent

Figurative language- non-literal language, language that represents something else.

Manifest- Obvious, clear, embodied

Supine- Laying up on your back, prostrate, weak, spineless

Vignette- a brief evocative description or small illustration/piece of writing

Week 5:

Claque- fanclub or (smaller, more personal) dedicated group of followers

Deracinate- decimate or destroy

Indigenous- native to something

Lachrymose- tear-inducing, given to weeping

Pernicious- having a harmful effect in a subtle way

Sardonic- mocking or cynical, sarcastic

Symbol- a real object that is a representation of something else and has a deeper meaning

Week 6:

Obfuscate- to darken/obscure or confuse/bewilder

Polarize- to cause concentration around 2 conflicting opinions, to divide

Lexicon- special vocabulary or dictionary of a language

Microcosm- a miniature world or universe; a group as a model of a larger group or system

Premonition- a strong feeling that something unpleasant is about to happen

Allusion- a reference to a recognizable element

Paternalism- policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children