abjure
To formally renounce a person or belief
adieu
French for "goodbye." Often used when one is about to take a journey or will not see the addressee for a long time.
chaise
A small horse-drawn carriage with an open top
chimera
A flight of fancy
Circe
From The Odyssey. An evil enchantress who seduced Odysseus and then transformed his men into pigs
dissemble
To lie about or disguise one's true motivations
encomium
A speech or written tract that is created to praise a particular person
Ensign
The lowest rank of infantry officer in the British army
extirpation
To remove something surgically, often a limb or body part
fallacious
Based on wrong assumptions or beliefs
farthing
An archaic unit of British currency. Very small in value, equal to one-fourth of a penny
gimcrack
A cheap but fancy-looking knickknack or item of clothing
habiliments
Clothing
hartshorn
A liquid solution made from deer horns, used as smelling salts
Hymen
In Charlotte Temple, "Hymen" refers not to the word's anatomical definition, but rather the Greek god of marriage for whom it is named
je ne sais quoi
In French, this phrase literally means, "I don't know what." It often refers to an intangible, indescribable quality of a person or thing
pellucid
Clear; transparent
picquet
A card game popular in the eighteenth century
prithee
An archaic way to put a request, equivalent to "please." From "pray thee"
sweetmeats
Any kind of candy or sweet food. Does not usually include meat, although some meat dishes, like mince pie, could be called sweetmeats
