_definitions.md

[^mean-vicissitudes]: _vicissitude_: The fact of change or mutation taking place
in a particular thing or within a certain sphere; the uncertain changing or
mutability of something.

[^mean-gourmet]: _gourmet_: A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table.

[^mean-tipple]: _tipple_: Drink, liquor for drinking; especially strong drink.

[^mean-melancholy]: _melancholy_: Sadness and depression of spirits; a condition
of gloom or dejection, especially when habitual or constitutional.

[^mean-repose]: _repose_: Relief or respite from exertion, toil, trouble, or
excitement.

[^mean-meekness]: _meekness_: The quality of being meek; gentleness of spirit;
humility.

[^mean-good-stead]: _in good (etc.) stead_: in good (etc.) circumstances.

[^mean-esoteric]: _esoteric_: Of philosophical doctrines, treatises, modes of
speech, etc.: Designed for, or appropriate to, an inner circle of advanced or
privileged disciples; communicated to, or intelligible by, the initiated
exclusively. Hence of disciples: Belonging to the inner circle, admitted to the
esoteric teaching. Opposed to exoteric.

[^mean-inimical]: _inimical_: Adverse or injurious in tendency or influence;
harmful, hurtful.

[^mean-magnanimity]: _magnanimity_:Nobility of feeling; superiority to petty
resentment or jealousy; generous disregard of injuries.

[^mean-immortality]: _immortality_:The condition of being celebrated through all
time; enduring fame or remembrance.

[^magpie]: _magpie_: A common European bird, _Pica caudata_, of the family
Corvidæ, having a long pointed tail and black-and-white plumage. It is well
known for its noisy chatter, and is often taught to speak; its habits of
pilfering and hoarding are proverbial, and it is popularly regarded as a bird of
ill omen.

[^sandgrouse]: The pin-tailed sandgrouse is a robust, medium-sized bird about
31--39\ cm (12--15 in.) in length. The general colouring is cryptic, a blend of
barred and flecked olive green, brown, buff, yellow, grey, and black. The
underparts and the feathered legs are dull white. The nominate race, _Pterocles
alchata_, breeds in Iberia and southern France. (Wikipedia)

[^mean-guile]: _guile_:Insidious cunning, deceit, treachery.

[^mean-remonstrance]: From _remonstrate_: To urge strong reasons _against_ a
course of action, to protest _against_; to expostulate _with_ a person, _on_ or
_upon_ an action.

[^mean-debauched]: _debauched_: Seduced or corrupted from duty or virtue;
depraved or corrupt in morals; given up to sensual pleasures or loose living;
dissolute, licentious.

[^mean-amorous]: _amorous_: Of persons: Inclined to love; habitually fond of the
opposite sex.

[^mean-delirium]: _delirium_: A disordered state of the mental faculties
resulting from disturbance of the functions of the brain, and characterized by
incoherent speech, hallucinations, restlessness, and frenzied or maniacal
excitement.

[^mean-piquant]: _piquant_: That acts upon the mind as a piquant sauce, or the
like, upon the palate; that stimulates or excites keen interest or curiosity;
pleasantly stimulating or disquieting.

[^mean-obstinacy]: _obstinacy_: The quality or condition of being obstinate;
inflexibility of temper or purpose; pertinacity, obduracy, stubbornness;
persistency. Rarely in neutral or good sense.

[^mean-inconstancy]: _inconstancy_: Of persons (or things personified, as
Fortune): Fickleness of conduct or purpose; changeableness of character or
disposition; unsteadfastness.

[^mean-ineptitude]: _ineptitude_: Want of aptitude; inaptness, unsuitableness,
unfitness to or for something; incapacity.

[^mean-fidelity]: _fidelity_: The quality of being faithful; faithfulness,
loyalty, unswerving allegiance to a person, party, bond, etc.

[^mean-temperance]: _temperance_: The practice or habit of restraining oneself
in provocation, passion, desire, etc.; rational self-restraint. (One of the four
cardinal virtues.)

[^mean-drily]: _drily_: Without emotion, sympathy, or cordiality, coldly,
frigidly.

[^mean-turpitude]: _turpitude_: Base or shameful character; baseness, vileness;
depravity, wickedness.

[^mean-licentious]: _licentious_: Lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal
restraint, especially in sexual conduct.

[^mean-frivolous]: _frivolous_: Unworthy of serious attention; trivial.

[^mean-despots]: _despot_: A person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.

[^mean-repentance]: _repentance_: ...sorrow, regret, or contrition for past
action or conduct.

[^mean-ignominy]: _ignominy_: Dishonour, disgrace, shame; infamy; the condition
of being in disgrace, etc.

[^mean-presumptuousness]: _presumptuousness_: Characterized by presumption in
opinion or conduct; unduly confident or bold; arrogant, presuming; forward,
impertinent.

[^mean-haughtiness]: _haughtiness_: High in one's own estimation; lofty and
disdainful in feeling or demeanour; proud, arrogant, supercilious. (Of persons,
their action, speech, etc.)

[^mean-inveterate-sot]: _inveterate_: Of evil feelings, prejudices, and the
like.

    _sot_: A foolish or stupid person; a fool, blockhead, dolt.

[^mean-vivacity]: _vivacity_: Intellectual or mental animation, acuteness, or
vigour; quickness or liveliness of conception or perception.

[^mean-implacable]: _implacable_: That cannot be appeased; irreconcileable;
inexorable: of persons, feelings, etc.

[^mean-precipitious]: _precipitious_: Involving risk of sudden fall or ruin.

[^mean-sniveller]: _snivel_: To make a sniffing or snuffling sound expressive of
real or assumed emotion; to be in, or affect, a tearful state.

[^mean-impassive]: _impassive_: Deficient in, or void of, mental feeling or
emotion; not susceptible to mental impressions; unimpressionable, apathetic;
also, in good sense, not liable to be disturbed by passion, serene.

[^mean-comportment]: _comportment_: Personal bearing, carriage, demeanour,
deportment; behaviour, outward conduct, course of action.

[^mean-salutary]: _salutary_: Conducive to well-being; calculated to bring about
a more satisfactory condition, or to remedy some evil; beneficial, ‘wholesome.’

[^mean-riposte]: _riposte_: To reply or retaliate; to answer (one).

[^mean-credulous]: _credulous_: Over-ready to believe; apt to believe on weak or
insufficient grounds.

[^mean-opulence]: _opulence_: Wealth, riches, affluence.

[^mean-opprobrium]: _opprobrium_: The disgrace or evil reputation attached to
conduct considered shameful; the imputation or expression of this disgrace;
infamy, reproach.

[^mean-perfidious]: _perfidious_: ...deliberately faithless; basely treacherous.

[^mean-ingot]: _ingot_: as _ingot-copper_, _ingot-gad_, _ingot-holder_,
_ingot-mould_, _ingot-silver_, _ingot-steel_, etc. _ingot iron_, iron which
contains too little carbon to temper and is nearly pure by industrial standards,
differing from wrought iron in containing no slag.

[^mean-libeller]: _libeller_: One who libels another; one who publishes a libel
or libels. _Libel_: (n.) In popular use: Any false and defamatory statement in
conversation or otherwise. (v.) To make libellous accusations or statements; to
spread defamation.

[^mean-perspicacious]: _perspicacious_: Of persons, their faculties, etc.: Of
clear or penetrating mental vision or discernment.

[^mean-drivelling]: _drivelling_: Characterized by or given to silly childish
talk or weak action; idiotic.

[^mean-servility]: _servility_: Mean submissiveness, degradingly obsequious
demeanour, cringing.

[^mean-provenance]: _provenance_: The fact of coming from some particular source
or quarter; origin, derivation.

[^mean-goad]: _goad_: To assail or prick as with a goad; to irritate; to
instigate or impel by some form of mental pain or annoyance; to drive by
continued irritation _into_ or _to_ some desperate action or uncontrolled state
of mind.

[^mean-vain]: _vain_: Given to or indulging in personal vanity; having an
excessively high opinion of one's own appearance, attainments, qualities,
possessions, etc.; delighting in, or desirous of attracting, the admiration of
others; conceited.

[^mean-guttersnipe]: _guttersnipe_: A child brought up ‘in the gutter’; one of
the lowest class; an urchin.

[^mean-nadir]: _nadir_: The lowest point (of anything); the place or time of
greatest depression or degradation.

[^mean-wallow]: _wallow_: To roll the body about indolently or clumsily in or as
if in water, snow, or mud.

[^mean-knavish]: _knavish_: Roguish, rascally, mischievous, impertinent.

[^mean-palaver]: _palaver_: Applied contemptuously to (what is considered)
unnecessary, profuse, or idle talk; ‘jaw.’

[^mean-placidity]: _placidity_: The quality of being placid; mildness, calmness,
tranquillity, peacefulness.