1. forfend — to protect by precautionary measures; to prevent, to fend off
Try as they might to forfend from her everything likely to bring Clarence back to mind, they were powerless to stop the lawyers with their evil videotaped depositions.
2. glabella — line of flat space on forehead between and above eyebrows; central part of the cephalic shield of a trilobite
Anthropologists and gentlemen scientists (if I am not being tautological) early noted that the glabella of most men and women is smooth and devoid of hair (hence the name), though there have always been exceptions to this rule (v. Kahlo).
3. borage — herbaceous plant with blue flowers, thought to have medicinal properties
Though in the English-speaking world it has been relegated to a mere garnish in a Pimm’s Cup (and often cucumber supplants it even in that role), the ancient Greek author Pliny identified borage as the ‘Nepenthe’ of Homer, which caused forgetfulness and erased trouble from the drinker’s mind when it was mixed with wine.
4. contemn — to treat as worth little, to view with contempt; to disdain, to scorn
Perhaps in his public words he does not contemn those craven sycophants or the deluded masses who have granted his every whim, but be sure that he despises both groups for their mean and base toadyism.
5. lantern — (architecture) open structure atop a roof permitting light to enter and smoke to leave
The beautiful lantern atop the imposing dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral has long held a fascination for tourists with strong thighs.
6. docetism — doctrine which holds that Jesus had no material existence, rendering his bodily suffering only apparent
Though some have argued that Philippians 2:7 (wherein it states that Jesus “was made in the likeness of men”) gives Biblical support for the heresy of doecetism, most scholars agree that the verse only refers to the fact that Jesus in his full Godly essence was much more than just a man.
7. doddle — (obsolete) to shake or nod (the head)
Aunt May finished the short letter, heaved a weary sigh, doddled her head for a long moment, and finally allowed a single hot tear to fall onto her apron before slowly placing Jack’s note back in its envelope.
8. eagre — very high tidal flood in a narrowing estuary
Either through particularly accurate planning or just dumb luck, all traces of the murderer were erased by the swollen eagre that flowed up the River Trent and washed over the crime scene at the base of the steep embankment.
9. panegyric — public oration or writing in praise of someone or something, encomium; laudation, eulogy
We were all surprised by this fervent panegyric in praise of someone for whom Señor Martí had previously expressed only disdain.
10. paregoric — camphorated tincture of opium, with anise and benzoic acid for flavoring
If you have to quiet him so that you can sleep, just give him three (or four) drops of paregoric in a teaspoon of water.
Bonus Vocabulary
(slang)
on the fiddle — of someone engaged in petty cheating
We were all shocked to learn that the school counselor Mr. Tulburne was on the fiddle and had been letting the Posey brothers store their drugs in his own office the whole time.