The Birth-Mark

The Birth-Mark Glossary

Apprise

To inform or tell

Congenial

Personable, pleasant, and agreeable

Corrosive

of a chemical: acidic; abrasive and caustic.

Degrading

Debasing or downgrading to an inferior level; humiliating; provoking shame and a loss of self-esteem

Discord

A state of conflict; disagreement between people

Endowment

A bequest or bestowal; funding; a quality inherited by someone

Ephemeral

Fleeting and short-lived

Fastidious

Meticulous attention to detail; painstakingly precise to a fault

Grapple

To struggle with something; wrestle

Impetuous

Impulsive and rash; acting and making decisions without thought or care; moving forcefully

Inexorable

Inevitable; impossible to stop or persuade

Inestimable

Describing a thing whose worth cannot be determined because of its immense value; immeasurable

Kindred

adj: sharing a deep affinity; similar or related;

noun: one's blood relations

laborious

Arduous and painstaking; requiring a significant amount of effort; of writing, speech, and style: contrived or forced

Odious

Repellent; unpleasant to the point of repulsion

Practicability

The feasibility and logic of a plan

Pygmalion

A famous mythological figure most associated with Ovid's poem Metamorphoses, wherein Pygmalion is an artist who falls in love with one of his statues

Prophetic

Capable of foretelling future events

Placid

Serene and easygoing; calm and collected

Recondite

Academic and esoteric; not easily understood by the general public

Remonstrance

Animated and public disapproval; a vivid demonstration of opposition

Tedium

A state of dreary and monotonous boredom

Trifling

Of no consequence; trivial and undeserving of serious attention

Nostrum

An ineffective medicine prepared by an unqualified person

Elixir

A magical potion or medicinal potion that can prolong life or transform metals into gold

Folio

A single leaf of paper or parchment

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