1. celt — unhafted bladed tool, usu. of stone or bronze, used as chisel or handleless axe
The similarity of celts found in Europe and the New World, however, has been claimed by some as evidence for earlier connections between the peoples found in the Americas and those of the Old World, or—as some would have it—the missing Lost Tribes of Israel.
2. anterior — occurring earlier in time, preceding; [biology] nearer the front, the head, or further from the mainstem
But this whole argument depends upon Lord Chillithane’s contention that the excursion to the mountains described by Antylus was anterior to the development of the structures discovered in the distant Novya Spletya colony, a doubtful logical leap at best.
3. chide — to rebuke, to find fault
“I won’t be chid for my dress by a man whose socks do not even match!”
4. sluff (also slough) — to shed; to ignore, to discard; to goldbrick
But Triers had sluffed off all the talk about Emma’s frivolities, and refused to hear any comments about her all evening.
5. troy weight — system of measurement with a pound of 12 ounces, an ounce of 20 pennyweights, with a pennyweight of 24 grains
Though one can be easily confused, remember always that the ‘grain’ is the same measure whether one uses avoirdupois or troy weight.
6. candid — frank, straightforward; unposed
The best attribute he brought to his profession was the candid expression in his honest face; from this, all the other ills followed.
7. otaku — obsessive fanboy, esp. of computers, anime, or manga
Otaku can be quite intelligent, experience pleasure and absorbing interest more easily, and are usually more focused and centered than the median in the societies in which they are found.
8. aspergillum — holy water sprinkler
We offer silver and gold aspergillums for all your sprinkling needs. (Note: not actual gold or silver.)
9. muslin — plain weave cotton fabric
How do I repair a book bound in green muslin-covered boards with tearing at the spine?
10. inselberg — monadnock, hill remaining on peneplain created by erosion
Most of the flora (taking the term in its most expansive meaning) found on these isolated inselbergs were acrocarpous mosses.
Bonus Vocabulary
(historical)
Tityre-tu — member of criminal youth gang first seen in 1620s
More recent scholarship has cast doubt on the supposed anti-Catholic bent of most Tityre-tus.