Pride And Prejudice· Chapter 13
rail: to complain angrily
eg. And she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling an estate from a family of five daughters, in favour of a man whom nobody cared any thing about.
iniquitous: very wrong and unfair
eg. It certainly is a most iniquitous affair.
Indeed, he does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear.
filial: of a son or daughter
scruple: a feeling that prevents you from doing something that you think is morally wrong or makes you uncertain about doing it
ordination: the act or ceremony of making someone a priest or other religious leader
bounty: great kindness or willingness to give
beneficence: generous giving, or the quality of being generous and doing good
Elizabeth was chiefly struck with his extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine, and his kind intention of christening, marrying, and burying his parishioners whenever it were required.
christen: to give a bady a name at a Christian ceremony and make him or her a member of the Christian Church
parishioner: a member of a particular parish under the care of a priest, especially one who often goes to its church
oddity: someone or something that is strange and unusual
eg. He must be an oddity.
pompous: too serious and full of importance
eg. There is something very pompous in his style.
servility: the quality of being servile (= too eager to serve and please someone else)
eg. There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter which promises well.
stately: formal, slow and having a style and appearance that causes admiration
eg. His air was grave and stateky, and his manners were very formal.
destitute: without money, food, a home, or possessions
eg. I wish with all my heart it may prove so; for else they will be destitute enough.
allude to someone/ something: to mention someone or something without talking about him, her, or it directly
eg. You allude, perhaps, to the entail of this estate.
precipitate: if an action is precipitate, it is done sooner or faster than expected and without enough thought or preparation
eg. But I am cautious of appearing forward and precipitate.
asperity: the quality of being severe in the way that you speak and behave
eg. But here he was set right by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him, with some asperity, that they were very well able to keep a good cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in the kitchen.