1. barracoon — temporary holding place for prisoners, esp. slaves
The king wished to drive the emigrants away from Port Cresson so that the barracoon could be reopened and his lucrative trade in human souls could recommence.
2. caftan (also kaftan) — loose-fitting, full-length garment with long wide sleeves, worn throughout the Middle East, the Maghreb, and parts of Asia
The landlord met us at the door wearing an expensive periwinkle caftan with rich brocade, though Agatha pointed out to me later that the hem had been repaired many times, and that the material was thin at spots due to repeated washings.
3. conn (also con) — to steer a ship or sailing vessel
You’ll have need of a man very familiar with these islands to conn your craft through the treacherous reefs to the hidden inlet where they’ve beached the Rockaway Beech to repair their damage from the storm.
4. con — (obsolete) to know, to understand
But the best I can say of William Tinker is that though he neither cons his craft nor has innate skill, still he is quite persevering in his ignorant attempts to fashion useful tools.
5. acclivity — rising slope
Before Bernhard’s forces grouped in the oaks along the river’s edge rose a gentle acclivity to the treeless ridge.
6. stews — brothel, brothels, neighborhood in which brothels predominate
The taverns, playhouses, and the stews are his natural element, and I doubt much that this nouveau ‘Lord’ will fare well beneath the cutting eyes and biting tongues of the gentlemen and women of the court.
7. huggle — (obsolete) to hug
Just as a mother huggles her newborn to her breast, so did Dylan hold the mewling kitten in his arms.
8. periphrastic — overly wordy, circumlocutory, characterized by use of many words for a single word or a shorter phrase
Though the document was boldly stamped across its face ‘Not A Bill’, I struggled in vain through the periphrastic prose to determine just what this seemingly official paper actually was.
9. doxology — short formula of words in praise of God
Pieter was the loveliest, kindest man I ever met, and every word he uttered seemed to me a doxology, full of joy and never an ounce of rancor.
10. bittern — wading bird related to, though smaller than, the heron
Suddenly the boom of a bittern seeking a mate startled me out of my twilight reverie on the dock.