501 SAT VOCAB TEST

eleemosynary(a)

pertaining to charity

They were receiving eleemosynary aid.

zodiac(n)

an imaginary belt encircling the heavens within which are the larger planets

volitive(a)

exercising the will

Eureka

used to show that you have suddenly realized or understood something that you did not realize or understand before

“Eureka!" she shouted as the engine started. (eureka moment)

concerto

a musical composition

Mozart's concerto for flute and harp.

venerable

deserving respect because of age, high position, or religious or historical importance

She has worked at such venerable institutions as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York.

Arthurian(a)

relating to King Arthur and his court

retrench(v)

If governments, companies, etc. retrench, they start spending less money, or reducing costs

The Government began to retrench on its nuclear programmes.

retrench(v)

to remove a worker from his or her job as a way of reducing costs

The government is to retrench 30,000 public servants in the next three years.

furbish(v)

to make something, especially a room or building, look clean, new and in good condition

The homes are already furbished or in the process of being refurbished.

knight errant(n)

a medieval knight who travelled around doing brave things and helping people who were in trouble

An enthusiastic soldier, he has been called the last knight errant because of his devotion to the chivalrous ideal.

magistrate(n)

an official who acts as a judge in the lowest courts of law

reverent(a)

showing great respect and admiration

A reverent silence fell over the crowd.

grotesque(a)

strange and unpleasant, especially in a silly or slightly frightening way

By now she'd had so much cosmetic surgery that she looked quite grotesque.

Adieu

goodbye

She bade him adieu and left. (bid sb adieu)

inlet

a narrow strip of water that goes from a sea or lake into the land or between islands

platitude(n)

a remark or statement that may be true but is boring and has no meaning because it has been said so many times before

He doesn't mouth platitudes about it not mattering who scores as long as the team wins. (mouth a platitude)

elude(v)

If something that you want eludes you, you do not succeed in achieving it

The gold medal continues to elude her.

reimburse(v)

to pay back money to someone who has spent it for you or lost it because of you

The airline reimbursed me for the amount they had overcharged me.

vituperative(a)

A vituperative spoken or written attack is full of angry criticism

Miss Snowden yesterday launched a vituperative attack on her ex-boss and former lover.

genteel(a)

• being very polite, gentle, or graceful

• typical of a high social class

• calm and gentle

• polite and correct in manner, or trying to be polite and correct in order to appear to be of a high social class

genital(a)

of the reproductive organs of animals

obnoxious(a)

very unpleasant or rude

When she's in a bad mood she's obnoxious to everyone. (be obnoxious to)

puissant(a)

very strong, powerful, and effective

The king introduced some of his most significant reforms as an advertisement of his own ever more puissant authority.

abominable(a)

very bad or unpleasant

The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions.

Achillean(a)

like Achilles (as in strength, invincibility, or moody and resentful wrath)

hydraulic(a)

operated by or involving the pressure of water or some other liquid

The plane’s hydraulic systems can withstand incredibly high temperatures.

stupendous(a)

very surprising, usually in a pleasing way, especially by being large in amount or size

He ran up stupendous debts through his extravagant lifestyle.

promenade(v)

to walk slowly along a street or path, usually where you can be seen by many people, for relaxation and pleasure

surfeit(n)

an amount that is too large, or is more than is needed

The country has a surfeit of cheap labour.

resplendent(a)

having a very bright or beautiful appearance

I saw Anna at the other end of the room, resplendent in a red cocktail dress.

inapt(a)

not suitable for the situation

His comments were perhaps inapt.

inveterate(a)

someone who does something very often and cannot stop doing it

I never trust anything he says - the man's an inveterate liar.

furtive(a)

(of people) behaving secretly and often dishonestly, or (of actions) done secretly and often dishonestly

I saw him cast a furtive glance at the woman at the table to his right. (furtive glance)

He made one or two furtive phone calls.

There was something furtive about his behaviour and I immediately felt suspicious. (furtive about)

cudgel(n)

a short, heavy stick used for hitting people

→ to think very hard or try to remember something you have forgotten (cudgel your brains)

→ to argue strongly in support of, or against, someone or something (take up the cudgels for/against someone/something)

rigmarole(n)

a long set of actions or words without any real purpose

The customs officials made us go through the (whole) rigmarole of opening up our bags for inspection.

miscreant(n)

someone who behaves badly or does not obey rules

We need to discourage miscreants.

Gordian knot(n)

a difficult problem or situation

to cut the Gordian knot (= to deal with problems by taking forceful action)

scabbard(n)

a long, thin cover for the blade of a sword, usually attached to a belt

precursor(n)

a forerunner or herald

Sulphur dioxide is the main precursor of acid rain. (precursor of)

Biological research has often been a precursor to medical breakthroughs. (precursor to)

turpitude(n)

evil

acts/crimes of moral turpitude

purport(v)

• to pretend to be or to do something, especially in a way that is not easy to believe

• to claim that something is true, but without proof

purport(n)

the general meaning of someone's words or actions

I didn't read it all but I think the purport of the letter was that he will not be returning for at least a year.

apostle(n)

someone who strongly supports a particular belief or political movement

an apostle of world peace/liberty

reciprocity(n)

behaviour in which two people or groups of people give each other help and advantages

We offer to all our trading partners a commitment to reciprocity and fairness.

curtsy(v)

to bend quickly at the knees, with one foot in front of the other, especially to show respect. This is traditionally done in formal situations, especially by women and girls:

She curtsied to the Queen. (curtsy to)

curtsy(n)

She gave a curtsy before presenting the flowers to the princess. (give a curtsy)

potentate(n)

a ruler who has a lot of power, especially one whose power is not limited

proletariat(n)

the class of people who do unskilled jobs in industry and own little or no property

Industrialism had created a proletariat in Russia.

skiff(n)

a small, light boat for rowing or sailing, usually used by only one person

moat(n)

a long, wide hole that is dug all the way around a place such as a castle and usually filled with water, to make it more difficult to attack

massacre(n)

• the killing of a large number of people especially in a cruel way

the bloody massacre of innocent civilians

• a very big defeat in a game or competition

The game was a 10–0 massacre for our team.

depravity(n)

the state of being morally bad; morally bad acts

anticyclone(n)

an area of high air pressure that produces calm weather conditions with clear skies

The anticyclone brought bright sunshine and calm conditions to most areas.

vogue(n)

a fashion for something

the vogue for child-centred education (vogue for sth)

Black is in vogue again. (in vogue)

mania(n)

an extremely strong desire or enthusiasm for something, often shared by a lot of people at the same time

This is another example of Hollywood’s new mania for ghost movies. (mania (for something/for doing something))

felony(n)

the act of committing a serious crime such as murder or rape; a crime of this type

stigma(n)

negative feelings that people have about particular circumstances or characteristics that somebody may have

There is no longer any stigma attached to being divorced.

vie(v)

to compete strongly with somebody in order to obtain or achieve something

She was surrounded by men all vying for her attention. (vie (with somebody) (for something))

Screaming fans vied to get closer to their idol. (vie (to do something))

protuberance(n)

a round part that sticks out from a surface

The diseased trees are marked by protuberances on their trunks.

irrigate(v)

to supply water to an area of land, typically through pipes or channels, so that crops will grow

circumscribe(v)

to limit somebody/something’s freedom, rights, power, etc.

The power of the monarchy was circumscribed by the new law.(be circumscribed (by something))

They are still highly circumscribed in their authority. (be circumscribed in something)

braze(v)

to join pieces of metal using a mixture of metals that has been heated and melted

appall(v)

to make somebody feel extremely shocked and feel very strongly that something is bad

It appalled me that they could simply ignore the problem. (it appals somebody that…/to do something)

inure to(phr v)

to make somebody/yourself get used to something unpleasant so that they/you are no longer strongly affected by it

He gradually inured himself to her absence.

tranquillise(v)

to make a person or an animal calm or unconscious, especially by giving them a drug (= a tranquillizer)

A gamekeeper tranquillized the rhinoceros with a drugged dart.

castigate(v)

to criticize somebody/something/yourself severely

He castigated himself for being so stupid. (castigate somebody/something/yourself (for something))

importune(v)

to ask somebody for something many times and in a way that is annoying

obvert(v)

to turn so as to present a different surface to view : to change the appearance or seeming of

coddle(v)

to treat somebody with too much care and attention

She coddles him like a child.

endemic(a)

regularly found in a particular place or among a particular group of people and difficult to get rid of

Malaria is endemic in many hot countries.

cartilage(n)

the strong white tissue that is important in supporting and connecting parts of the body, and especially in joints to prevent the bones rubbing against each other

potency(n)

the power that somebody/something has to affect your body or mind

If you keep a medicine too long, it may lose its potency.

transgress(v)

go beyond the limit of what is morally or legally acceptable

to transgress against God/your neighbour/natural law (transgress (against somebody/something))

disparage(v)

to suggest that somebody/something is not important or valuable

I don't mean to disparage your achievements.

aboveboarḍ(a)

easily seen, honest, not trying to deceive

The discussions were completely open and aboveboard.

darkling(adv)

in the dark

athwart(a)

• across; from one side to the other

They put a table athwart the doorway.

• not agreeing with; opposite to

His statement ran athwart what was previously said.

gaily(a)

• with a bright and pleasant appearance

• without worrying about what might happen

precipitately(adv)

in a way that is too sudden and done without thinking:

Scientists are annoyed that the research programme has been abandoned so precipitately.

aye

another word for "yes

"Would you prefer not to work?" "Oh aye, I'd stop tomorrow if I could."

alias(prep)

used when giving the name that a person is generally known by, after giving their real name

Malcolm Little, alias Malcolm X

stanchion(n)

a long thin vertical piece of wood or metal used to support something

If this stanchion is removed, the stairs will collapse.

peerage(n)

the position of being a peer

He was raised to the peerage after distinguished service in industry. (be raised to the peerage)

epithet(n)

an adjective added to a person's name or a phrase used instead of it, usually to criticize or praise them

The singer's 104-kilo frame earned him the epithet of "Man Mountain" in the press.

aviary(n)

a large cage or closed space in which birds are kept as pets

tactic(n)

the particular method you use to achieve something

Confrontation is not always the best tactic.

barcarole(n)

a song sung by a gondolier (= a person who controls a boat on the canals of Venice) that has a strong beat followed by a weak beat, suggesting the rhythm of the boat's movement, or a piece of classical music based on this

piecemeal(n)

done or happening gradually at different times and often in different ways, rather than carefully planned at the beginning

Alterations have been carried out on a piecemeal basis.

unanimity(n)

​complete agreement about something among a group of people

There is no unanimity of opinion among the medical profession on this subject.

prodigy

a young person whose intelligence or skill is unusually good for their age

apogee(n)

the highest point of something, where it is greatest or most successful

a religious community that was at its apogee in the twelfth century

sidereal(a)

of or calculated by the stars

sidereal day/time

discursive(a)

(of a style of writing or speaking) moving from one point to another without any strict structure

submersible(a)

that can be used underwater

a submersible camera

assent(n)

official agreement to or approval of something

The director has given her assent to the proposals. (assent to sth)

acquiesce(v)

to accept something without arguing, even if you do not really agree with it ​acquiesce (in/to something)

• She explained her plan and reluctantly he acquiesced.

emblazon(v)

to decorate something with a design, a symbol or words so that people will notice it easily

mercenary(n)

a soldier who will fight for any country or group that offers payment

jocose(a)

humorous

His jocose manner was unsuitable for such a solemn occasion.