SAT-3000-4 Flashcards
elliptical
ADJ. oval; ambiguous either purposely or because key words have been left out. An elliptical billiard ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is not perfectly clear.
eloquence
N. expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King’s eloquence. elo¬quentADJ.
elucidate
V. explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elu¬cidate the disputed points in his article.
elusive
ADJ. evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when the contractors would be finished remodeling the house Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies. eludeV.
emaciated
ADJ. thin and wasted. His long period of starva¬tion had left him emaciated.
emanate
V. issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring.
emancipate
V. set free. At first the attempts of the Aboli¬tionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well as in the South.
embargo
N. ban on commerce or other activity. As a result of the embargo trade with the colonies was at a standstill.
embark
V. commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey. In devoting herself to the study of gorillas Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life.
embed
V. enclose; place in something. Tales of actual his¬torical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends.
embellish
V. adorn; ornament. The costume designer embellished the leading lady’s ball gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace.
embezzlement
N. stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.
embody
V. personify; make concrete; incorporate. Cheer¬ing on his rival Mark McGwire’s efforts to break Roger Maris’s home run record Sammy Sosa embodied the spirit of true sportsmanship.
embrace
V. hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encir¬cle; include. Clasping Maid Marian in his arms Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest she had openly embraced their cause.
embroider
V. decorate with needlework; ornament with fancy or fictitious details. For her mother’s birthday Beth embroidered a lovely design on a handkerchief. When asked what made her late getting home Jo embroidered her account with tales of runaway horses and rescuing peo¬ple from a ditch. embroidery N.
embroil
V. throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle. He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.
embryonic
ADJ. undeveloped; rudimentary. The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embry¬onic state; otherwise it may grow to dangerous proportions. emend V. correct; correct by a critic. The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which he thought most appropriate to the text.
emendation
N. correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.
eminent
ADJ. high; lofty. After his appointment to this emi¬nent position he seldom had time for his former friends.
emissary
N. agent; messenger. The secretary of state was sent as the president’s special emissary to the conference on disarmament.
emollient
N. soothing or softening remedy. The nurse applied an emollientto the inflamed area. alsoADJ.
empathy
N. ability to identify with another’s feelings ideas etc. What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empa¬thy her ability to put herself in her client’s place and feel his emotions as if they were her own. empathizeV.
empirical
ADJ. based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.
emulate
V. imitate; rival. In a brief essay describe a person you admire someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.
enamored
ADJ. in love. Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.
encipher
V. encode; convert a message into code. One of Bond’s first lessons was how to encipher the messages he sent to Miss Moneypenny so that none of his other lady friends could decipher them.
enclave
N. territory enclosed within an alien land. The Vati¬can is an independent enclave in Italy.
encomium
N. high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.
encompass
V. surround. Although we were encompassed by enemy forces we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.
encroachment
N. /;”“/gradual intrusion. The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.
encumber
V. burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they take short trips.
endearment
N. fond statement. Your gifts and endear¬ments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.
endemic
ADJ. prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country. This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the popula¬tion are at one time or another affected by it.
endorse
V. approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. (secondary meaning) endorsement N.
enduring
ADJ. lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art which would outlast its cre¬ators’ brief lives.
energize
V. invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie dancing energized her.
enervate
V. weaken. She was slow to recover from her ill¬ness; even a short walk to the window would enervate her.
enfranchise
V. to admit to the rights of citizenship (espe¬cially the right to vote). Although Blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.
engage
V. attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. “Your case has engaged my interest my lord said Holmes. You may engage my services.”
engaging
ADJ. charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy’s pleasant manners and engaging personality.
engender
V. cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.
engross
V. occupy fully. John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.
enhance
V. increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application.
enigma
N. puzzle; mystery. “What do women want” asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was an enigma to him.
enigmatic
ADJ. obscure; puzzling. Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.
enmity
N. ill will; hatred. At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel.
ennui
N. boredom. The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ennui that made him moody and irritable.
enormity
N. hugeness (in a bad sense). He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.
enrapture
V. please intensely. The audience was enrap¬tured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.
ensconce
V. settle comfortably. Now that their children were ensconced safely in the private school the jet-setting parents decided to leave for Europe.
ensemble
N. group of (supporting) players; organic unity; costume. As a dancer with the Oakland Ballet Benjamin enjoyed being part of the ensemble. Having acted with one another for well over a decade the cast members have developed a true sense of ensemble: They work together seamlessly. Mitzi wore a charming two-piece ensemble designed by Donna Karan.
entail
V. require; necessitate; involve. Building a college¬level vocabulary will entail some work on your part.
enterprising
ADJ. full of initiative. By coming up with fresh ways to market the company’s products Mike proved him¬self to be an enterprising businessman.
enthrall
V. capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her picture he was enthralled by her beauty.
entice
V. lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.
entitlement
N. right to claim something; right to benefits. While Bill was entitled to use a company car while he worked for the firm the company’s lawyers questioned his entitlement to the vehicle once he’d quit his job.
entity
N. real being. As soon as the Charter was adopted the United Nations became an entity and had to be consid¬ered as a factor in world diplomacy.
entomology
N. study of insects. Kent found entomology the most annoying part of his biology course; studying insects bugged him.
entourage
N. group of attendants; retinue. Surrounded by the members of his entourage the mayor hurried into city hall shouting a brusque “No comment!” to the reporters lin¬ing the steps.
entrance
V. put under a spell; carry away with emotion. Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.
entreat
V. plead; ask earnestly. She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.
entrepreneur
N. businessman; contractor. Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepre¬neurs from trying new fields of business activity.
enumerate
V. list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.
enunciate
V. speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate
eon
N. long period of time; an age. It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.
ephemeral
ADJ. short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts little more than a day.
epic
N. long heroic poem or similar work of art. Kuro¬sawa’s film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the strug¬gle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. alsoADJ.
epicure
N. connoisseur of food and drink. Epicures fre¬quent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes. epicureanADJ.
epigram
N. witty thought or saying usually short. Poor Richard’s epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.
epilogue
N. short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.
episodic
ADJ. loosely connected; divided into incidents. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity’s Rainbow John found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed individual pas¬sages but had trouble following the work as a whole.
epistolary
ADJ. consisting of letters. Mark Harris’s Wake Up Stupid! is a modern epistolary novel that uses letters telegrams and newspaper clippings to tell the hero’s story. The movie You’ve Got Mail tells a story using e-mail; does that make it an e-pistolary movie epistle N.
epitaph
N. inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tomb¬stone.
epithet
N. word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets: Charles the Wise was someone far different from Charles the Fat.
epitome
N. perfect example or embodiment. Singing “I am the very model of a modern Major-General in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an officer and a gentleman.
epoch
N. period of time. The glacial epoch lasted for thou¬sands of years.
equable
ADJ. tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot sum¬mers and cold winters of New England he found the cli¬mate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.
equanimity
N. calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea’s equanimity.
equestrian
N. rider on horseback. These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds. alsoADJ.
equilibrium
N. balance. After the divorce he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.
equine
ADJ. resembling a horse. His long bony face had an equine look to it.
equinox
N. period of equal days and nights; the beginning of Spring and Autumn. The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.
equitable
ADJ. fair; impartial. I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute one that will be fair and acceptable to both sides.
equity
N. fairness; justice. Our courts guarantee equity to all.
equivocal
ADJ. ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate’s equivocal comments on tax reform the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue. equivocateV.
equivocate
V. lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.
erode
V. eat away. The limestone was eroded by the drip¬ping water until only a thin shell remained. erosion N.
erotic
ADJ. pertaining to passionate love. The erotic pas¬sages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.
erratic
ADJ. odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.
erroneous
ADJ. mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct but it was erroneous.
erudite
ADJ. learned; scholarly. Though his fellow students thought him erudite Paul knew he would have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider him¬self a scholar.
escapade
N. prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.
escapism
N. avoiding reality by diverting oneself with amusements. Before you criticize her constant reading as mere escapism note how greatly her vocabulary has improved since she began spending her days buried in books.
eschew
V. avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character he tried to eschew all the vices especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.
esoteric
ADJ. hard to understand; known only to the cho¬sen few. The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is if you are in the in-crowd you’ll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland you won’t.
espionage
N. Spying. In order to maintain its power the government developed a system of espionage that pene¬trated every household.
espouse
V. adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.
esteem
V. respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack’s taste in music but she deplored his taste in clothes.
estranged
ADJ. separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement N.
ethereal
ADJ. light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shake¬speare’s The Tempest the spirit Ariel is an ethereal crea¬ture too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.
ethnic
ADJ. relating to races. Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of infor¬mation.
ethos
N. underlying character of a culture group etc. Seeing how tenderly ordinary Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.
etymology
N. study of word parts. A knowledge of etymol¬ogy can help you on many English tests: if you know what the roots and prefixes mean you can determine the mean¬ings of unfamiliar words.
eulogy
N. expression of praise often on the occasion of someone’s death. Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny’s memorial service Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.
euphemism
N. mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. The expression “he passed away” is a euphemism for “he died.”
euphonious
ADJ. pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony. N.
euphoria
N. feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated). Delighted with her SAT scores sure that the university would accept her Allison was filled with euphoria. euphoricADJ.
evanescent
ADJ. fleeting; vanishing. Brandon’s satisfaction in his new job was evanescent for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks. evanescence N.
evasive
ADJ. not frank; eluding. Your evasive answers con¬vinced the judge that you were withholding important evi¬dence. evadeV.
evenhanded
ADJ. impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers or as recent studies suggest do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females
evince
V. show clearly. When he tried to answer the ques¬tions he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.
evocative
ADJ. tending to call up (emotions memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my daughter as a child.
ewe
N. female sheep. The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes together with only a handful of rams.
exacerbate
V. worsen; embitter. The latest bombing exac¬erbated England’s already existing bitterness against the IRA causing the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly.
exacting
ADJ. extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction N.
exalt
V. raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the queen.
exasperate
V. vex. Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.
exceptionable
ADJ. objectionable. Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly exceptionable thoroughly distasteful group or do you think they are exceptionally tal¬ented performers
excerpt
N. selected passage (written or musical). The cin¬ematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film. alsoV.
excise
V. cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree you not only improve its appear¬ance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit. exci¬sion. N.
exclaim
V. cry out suddenly. “Watson! Behind you!” Holmes exclaimed seeing the assassin hurl himself on his friend.
excoriate
V. scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill’s new pants his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight starched collar chafed and excoriated his neck rubbing it raw.
exculpate
V. clear from blame. He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.
execrable
ADJ. very bad. The anecdote was in such exe¬crable taste that it revolted the audience.
execute
V. put into effect; carry out. The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette. (sec¬ondary meaning) execution N.
exegesis
N. explanation; interpretation especially of a bib¬lical text. The minister based her sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job. exegeticalADJ.
exemplary
ADJ. /;;()/serving as a model; outstanding. At com¬mencement the dean praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president.
exemplify
V. serve as an example of; embody. For a gen¬eration of balletgoers Rudolf Nureyev exemplified the ideal of masculine grace.
exempt
ADJ. not subject to a duty obligation. Because of his flat feet Foster was exempt from serving in the armed forces. alsoV.
exertion
N. effort; expenditure of much physical work. The exertion spent in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.
exhaustive
ADJ. thorough; comprehensive. We have made an exhaustive study of all published SAT tests and are happy to share our research with you.
exhilarating
ADJ. invigorating and refreshing; cheering. Though some of the hikers found tramping through the snow tiring Jeffrey found the walk on the cold crisp day exhilarating.
exhort
V. urge. The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in his audience to reform. exhortation N.
exhume
V. dig out of the ground; remove from the grave. Could evidence that might identify the serial killer have been buried with his victim To answer this question the police asked the authorities for permission to exhume the victim’s body.
exigency
N. urgent situation. In this exigency we must look for aid from our allies.
exodus
N. departure. The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.
exonerate
V. acquit; exculpate. The defense team fever¬ishly sought fresh evidence that might exonerate their client.
exorbitant
ADJ. excessive. The people grumbled at his exor¬bitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly.
exorcise
V. drive out evil spirits. By incantation and prayer the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits which had taken possession of the young warrior.
exotic
ADJ. not native; strange. Because of his exotic headdress he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.