High_Probability_Vocab_List (copy)

SAT stuff

Astronomy

Astronomy

The study of stars and planets

Botany

The study of plants

Cognitive Science, Neuroscience

The science of the brain

Ecology

The study of the natural world

Entomology

The study of insects

Geology

The study of rocks

Ornithology

The study of birds

Zoology

The study of animals

Anthropology

The study of human behavior and social organization

Archaeology

The study of historical human activity through physical objects

Economics

The study of monetary systems

Ethnography

The study of individual cultures

Folklore

The study of traditional stories and myths

Sociology

The study of everyday human social behaviors

Advantageous

Providing an advantage

Charge

In electricity, positive or negative

Control group

In an experiment, the group where the variable being tested is not changed

Empirical

Relying on hard data

Hierarchy

System of rank; opposite of egalitarian

Isotope

Alternate form of an element

Indigenous

Native

Inhibit

Prevent, impede a response

Innovative

New and revolutionary

Metabolism

The process of converting food to energy

Microbial

Relating to microscopic organisms

Predisposed

Having a tendency toward

Regenerate

Regrow

Replicate

Repeat an experiment and obtain the same results

Saturate

To become completely soaked with

Stimulus

Something that provokes a specific response

Symbiosis

Interaction between two organisms living close together, benefiting both

Trait

Characteristic

Velocity

Speed

Critic/Criticism

A critic is a person who writes commentary - either positive or negative - about a subject, such as art, music, or sports.

Discern/Discerning

To recognize or distinguish; perceptive.

Ineffable

Indescribable, sublime, beyond words.

Infallible

Unable to be wrong.

Ingenious

Clever, brilliant.

Ingenuous

Naive.

Inimitable

Unique, one-of-a-kind.

Innate, inherent, intrinsic

Inborn, natural.

Innocuous, benign

Harmless.

Invaluable

Having immense value, priceless.

Unassuming

Modest

Unqualified

Absolute

Adversary

Opponent

Align (oneself with)

Support or adopt the position of

Authentic

Genuine

Centrality

State of being central or essential

Complement

To complete or perfect

Comprehensive

Thorough, complete (NOT to be confused with comprehensible, which means "understandable)

Contingent

Dependent upon

Confer

Give, grant

Corollary

A statement or condition that logically results from a proven argument

Contemporary

Current

Cultivate

Grow, raise, e.g., crops

Displace

To force someone or something from its home or habitat

Disposition

Personality

Ideology

Belief system

Taxonomy

Classification system

Pigment

Color

Judicial

Related to the law

Marginal

Unimportant

Mitigate

Make less severe

Preliminary

Occurring before the main event

Prevail

Win

Prevalent, Prevailing

Widespread; generally accepted, e.g., the prevailing theory

Reciprocate

Respond to an action or behavior with the same action/behavior

Successor

Person who inherits another’s position

Afford

Grant (e.g., an opportunity)

Appreciate

To take into account, recognize the merits of, OR to increase in value

Arrest

To stop (not just put handcuffs on a criminal)

Assume

To take on responsibility for, acquire (e.g., to assume a new position)

Austerity

Financial policy to reduce excess spending on luxury or non-essential items

Badger

To pester or annoy (e.g., reporters repeatedly badgered the candidate after the scandal broke)

Bent

Liking for. Synonym for penchant, predilection, proclivity

Capacity

Ability

Chance

To attempt

Channel

To direct something (e.g., energy, money) toward a specific purpose

Check

To restrain, control, or reduce (e.g., the vaccine checked the spread of the disease)

Coin

To invent (e.g., coin a phrase)

Compromise

To endanger or make vulnerable (e.g., to compromise one's beliefs)

Constitution

Build (e.g., a football player has a solid constitution)

Conviction

Certainty, determination. Noun form of convinced

Couch

To hide

Discriminating

Able to make fine distinctions (e.g., a discriminating palate)

Doctor

To tamper with

Economy

Thrift (e.g., a writer who has an economical style is one who uses few words)

Embroider

To falsify, make up stories about

Execute

To carry out

Exploit

Make use of (does not carry a negative connotation)

Facility

Ability to do something easily (e.g., a facility for learning languages)

Foil

v. To put a stop to (e.g., to foil a robbery)

Grave/Gravity

Serious(ness)

Grill

To question intensely and repeatedly (e.g., the police officers grilled the suspect thoroughly)

Hamper

To get in the way of. hinder

Harbor

To possess, hold (e.g., to harbor a belief)

Hobble

Prevent, impede

Plastic

Able to be changed, malleable (e.g., brain plasticity)

Provoke

Elicit (e.g., a reaction)