SAT Gruber Flashcards
1
Q
Abeyance
A
a temporary postponement
2
Q
Aborigine
A
original inhabitant
3
Q
Abrogate
A
to abolish; to repeal
4
Q
Abstruse
A
hard to understand
5
Q
Accoutrement
A
additional equipment; outfit
6
Q
Adduce
A
to cite as evidence
7
Q
Adventitious
A
not expected, innate, or inherent; accidental
8
Q
Alacrity
A
cheerful readiness
9
Q
Albatross
A
a constant burden
10
Q
Aloft
A
up in the air; high
11
Q
Animadversion
A
criticism; comment that opposes
12
Q
Animus
A
hostile feeling
13
Q
Annuity
A
income sums; specified income payable at stated intervals
14
Q
Aphasia
A
loss of the ability to speak
15
Q
Aphorism
A
brief saying; proverb
16
Q
Apocryphal
A
doubtful; not authentic;
17
Q
Apoplexy
A
non-functionality; unconsciousness; incapacity; speechlessness from stroke or extreme anger ex.apoplexy caused by anger
18
Q
Apothegm
A
brief instructive saying
19
Q
Appall
A
to horrify, dismay
20
Q
Apprise
A
to inform
21
Q
Appurtenance
A
an accessory associated with a certain style of living
22
Q
Apropos
A
relevant; appropriate; fitting
23
Q
Aquiline
A
like an eagle; curved or hooked
24
Q
Aria
A
a solo in an opera
25
Arraign
to accuse
26
Arrant
(adj. ) complete and utter
| ex. what arant disrespect
27
Arroyo
a deep ditch caused by running water
28
Aseptic
without bacteria
29
Asinine
stupid; silly; foolish
30
Asperity
harshness; roughness
31
Atavistic
primitive (behavior); going back to behavior found in a remote ancestor
32
Au courant
('in the current) up-to-date; fully informed
33
Audit
to examine
34
Augur
to predict the future
35
Auroral
pertaining to the dawn
36
Bacchanalian
wild with drunkenness
37
Badinage
witty conversation
38
Bagatelle
a thing of little importance; an easy task
39
Balk
to hesitate or be reluctant
40
Balmy
pleasantly warm
41
Bandy
to exchange/ trade (as words)
42
Barrister
lawyer
43
Bauble
a small, showy trinket
44
Bawdy
dealing with sexual matters in a comical way; humorously obscene
45
Bayou
marshy body of water
46
Bedlam (2)
a noisy uproar, a madhouse
47
Begrudge
to envy another's success or enjoyment
48
Beholden
(beholden to __) indebted; owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service.
49
Beleaguer
to cause constant or repeated trouble for (a person, business, etc.)
50
Bereave
(of) to deprive; to take away by force
51
Bestial
savage; brutal
52
Bevy
a large group
53
Bibulous
absorbent; fond of alcoholic beverages
54
Bilk
to cheat; to swindle
55
Bivouac
temporary shelter
56
Blazon
to display prominently; to proclaim
57
Bluster
to speak loudly and (ineffectively)
58
Bon mot
witty remark
59
Boon
a benefit; a blessing
60
Boreal
northern
61
Bowdlerize
to censor; to remove offensive passages of a play, novel, etc.
62
Brigand
a robber
63
Browbeat
to bully; to intimidate
64
Bruit
to spread the news
65
Bucolic
pertaining to the countryside; rural
66
Bulbous
swollen; shaped like a bulb
67
Bumptious
self-promoting (self-assertive) (annoying degree)
68
Buoy (2)
a floating object; to encourage
69
Burlesque
a speech or action that treats a serious subject with ridicule and exaggeration
70
Cabal
a small, secret group
71
Cadaverous
pale; ghastly; corpselike
72
Cadence
rhythm; beat
73
Caesura
break, pause
74
Calumny
rumor or rumor-making to damage reputations
75
Canard
false report
76
Canon
rule; law; standard
77
Canter
gallop of a horse, speed
78
Captious
faultfinding; tending to raise petty objections
79
Carapace
shell; hard, protective covering
80
Careen
to lean over; to swerve; to dip to one side
81
Carouse
to engage in a noisy, drunken party
82
Carte blanche
freedom to use one’s own judgment; full dicretionary power
83
Cathartic
cleansing; releasing of emotions (catharsis)
84
Caucus
a meeting (often governmental)
85
Cauterize
to burn to destroy infected tissue
86
Cavalcade
a procession; a series of events/ objects (things moving along the same direction) "cavalcade of natural disasters"
87
Caveat
a warning
88
Cavil
petty/ unnecessary objection (noun or verb)
89
Cavort
to frolic (jump around excitedly); to leap about
90
Chafe
to irritate; to annoy
91
Chaff
trash
92
Charnel
place to deposit bodies; associated with death "charnel smell"
93
Chattel
property
94
Cherub
angel; an innocent person
95
Choleric
easily angered
96
Cipher
person or thing of no value; zero
97
Clangor
continuous loud ringing sound
98
Clarion
clear and shrill
99
Cleave (2)
to split apart; to cling to something ex. she cleaved the side of the mountain
100
Coadjutor
assistance; helper
101
Coffer
a strongbox
102
Cognomen
family name; last name
103
Cohort
colleague; associate; partner
104
Collate
to put together in order
105
Collusion
conspiracy; agreement to commit a wrongful act
106
Concourse
a crowd; a large open space ex. Rockefeller concourse
107
Condign
deserved; suitable
108
Conducive
(conducive to) make an outcome possible ex. the bright lights were conducive to a stunning play
109
Conduit
pipe or tube through which fluid or electricity passes
110
Conjure
to call upon or to command a devil or spirit to practice magic; cast a spell upon
111
Connive
to secretly partake in conspiracy
112
Connote
to suggest or imply
113
Contemn
to regard with scorn or contempt
114
Contiguous
Continuous; neighboring
115
Contingent
subject to change; (contingent to) dependent on
116
Contretemps
an embarrassing occurrence
117
Contumacious
disobedient; obstinate
118
Contumely
(Noun) rudeness ex. The church disapproves of contumely
119
Conveyance
The process of transporting
120
Convoke
to call together
121
Coquetry
flirtation
122
Corona
crown; bright circle
123
Corrugated
wrinkled; ridged; furrowed
124
Cortege
funeral procession; group of followers
125
Countermand
to revoke
126
Coy
shy; modest (pretend)
127
Cozen
to obtain through deception;
| ex. she managed to cozen a slice of cake
128
Crotchety
irritable
129
Cynosure
center of attention (or guide)
130
Dais
platform (for lecture)
131
Dale
valley
| ex. travel across hills and dales
132
Dank
chilly and wet
133
Dappled
spotted
134
Dastardly
wicked and cruel
135
Dawdle
to waste time; to idle
136
Debonair
confident, stylish, and charming
137
Deciduous
not permanent; transitory; (having leaves that fall off)
138
Decry
to denounce
139
Defalcate
to embezzle
| ex. they were charged for defalcating government money
140
Defoliate
to strip of leaves
141
Defray
to pay for
142
Delectable
delicious; very pleasing
143
Delineate
to describe; to depict
144
Delirium
condition of mental disturbance; wild excitement
145
Demur
raise doubts/ objections/ hesitations
146
Denigrate
to ruin the reputation of; to blacken
147
Denouement
the final outcome or resolution
148
Depilate
to remove hair from
149
Deplore
to disapprove
150
Derelict (3)
abandoned; negligent; a vagrant or bum
151
Descry
to discover (to find out, to understand)
152
Desiccate
to dry up; to wither
153
Despoil
to rob; to plunder
154
Desuetude
condition of disuse; a state of extinction
155
Desultory
unfocused; without a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
| ex. a desultory search for something interesting on tv
156
Diadem
crown
157
Diaphanous
transparent; very sheer and light
158
Dicker
bargain; to argue over prices
159
Dictum
a short statement; a noteworthy statement about an important idea, opinion, or principle
160
Dilatory
intended to cause delay
| ex. they resorted to dilatory tactics to avoid the meeting -- he had been dilatory in choosing
161
Dilettante
an amatuer; a dabbler with superficial interest/ knowledge not very deep or serious; a dabbler in the fine arts
162
Dipsomania
a uncontrollable craving for alcohol
163
Disconcert
disturb the composure of; unsettle; upset, embarass, confuse
164
Discrete
separate; not attached
165
Dissimulate
to dissemble; to hide one's feelings or motives
166
Dissipate
to waste; to scatter
167
Dissolute
(to describe a person) indulgent, unrestrained, sinful (esp. sexual matters + alcoholism)
168
Divers
several ex, divers articles
169
Doff
to remove (a hat or piece of clothing), sometimes as a sign of respect ex. He doffed his cap as he introduced himself
170
Doldrums
(in the doldrums ) a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression (from doldrums around equator which was too calm as to trap sail-powered boats)
171
Donnybrook
uncontrolled public fight or arguement
172
Dorsal
pertaining to the back
173
Dossier
a file, report, case history
174
Dotage
declining years (where one is old and weak) ex. take care of me in my dotage
175
Doughty
brave, persistent
176
Dowdy
unfashionable
177
Doyen
the most respected or prominent person
178
Dross
rubbish; worthless matter
179
Dudgeon
anger, resentment
180
Dulcimer
a type of musical instrument
181
Dyspepsia
indigestion
182
Echelon
rank of authority; level of power
183
Éclat
brilliance; style, confidence; flamboyance
184
Educe
to develop or infer
| ex. educe a sense of morality
185
Effete
worn-out; lacking strength e. the effete aristocracy in the republican government
186
Effluent
(adj) emanating; (n) liquid waste
187
Ellipsis
the omission in a sentence of a word or words
188
Elucidate
to make clear
189
Elysian
blissful; delightful (Elysium)
190
Emendation
correction, revision
191
Emetic
causing vomiting
192
Emolument
profit; salary
193
Emulous
(emulous of) seeking to emulate or imitate
194
Enrapture
to delight (beyond measure)
195
Entourage
a group of personal attendants
196
Equivocate
to confuse by speaking in ambiguous terms
197
Ersatz
(adj/ noun) artificial; inferior replacement ex. an ersatz coffee made from wheat
198
Escarpment
steep cliff (scarp = line of cliffs)
199
Escrow
(preceded by in) money deposited with a third person pending fulfillment of a condition
200
Estival
pertaining to summer
201
Evict
to expel; to throw out
202
Evince
to reveal, indicate, be evidence of (ex, his letters evince the excitement)
203
Excoriate (2)
to criticize sharply; to scrape the skin off
204
Exhort
to strongly encourage; urge ex, he writes to exhort his readers towards charity
205
Exhume
to dig out; to reveal/ expose
206
Exigent
urgent; demanding
207
Exiguous
very small in amount; inadequate ex. the exiguous mineral resources of the middle east
208
Expatiate
to expand, to elaborate; to speak or write at length (exspatiatus to wander) ex. you have room in your paper to expatiate your arguement
209
Expectorate
to spit out; to eject matter from throat or lungs (literal translation- to expel from the chest)
210
Expedient
convenient but possibly immoral
211
Expedite
(expidite a process) to accelerate, to speed up; to make easy
212
Extirpate
to destroy; to remove completely; to eradicate ex. the law is designed to extirpate evils
213
Extort
to obtain by force
214
Extradite
to give up a prisoner to the country where the crime was commited
215
Extricate
to set free ex. meditation will extricate people from daily stress
216
Facsimile
a copy; a duplicate document
217
Factitious
fake
218
Factotum
an employee who does all kinds of work ex. the renaissance man is considered a factotum
219
Fanfare
publicity or advertising in a noisy display
220
Fatuous
silly and pointless
221
Fauna
animals of a certain area
222
Fealty
loyalty; devotion
223
Febrile
feverish
224
Fecund
capable of producing new growth; fertile; fruitful; productive ex. a lush and fecund garden
225
Fester
to rot; to generater pus ex. a gully full of garbage that festered in the shade
226
Fête
(noun or adj) a celebration, to celebrate, honor (pronounce = fāt)
227
Fiat
a decree; an order, an official order
228
Filch
to steal (something small) ex. he filched a cookie out of famishment
229
Firmament
sky; heavens
230
Fitful
sporadic; irregular; occurring in spurts
231
Flaccid
soft or hanging loosely, weak ex. flaccid governmental system
232
Flair
a knack; a natural talent
233
Fleece (2)
to swindle; wool of a lamb ex. he fleeced the executives of their lifes' savings
234
Flotilla
small fleet of ships
235
Flotsam
floating cargo or wreckage
236
Fluster
to upset; to confuse
237
Foist
(on) to force someone to accept (something that is not good or not wanted)
238
Folderol
trivial or nonsensical fuss (nonsense) ex. I want to meet without the folderol of a formal conference
239
Fop
a man who cares too much about how he looks or dresses
240
Frailty
a weakness; a defect
241
Frowzy
dirty; unkempt ex. frowzy nightclub
242
Fugacious
tending to disappear; fleeting ex. acutely conscious of her fugacious youth
243
Fulminate
to denounce, criticize angrily or loudly ex. fulminating about the dangers of smoking
244
Fulsome
exceeding the bounds of good taste; overdone ex. embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation
245
Gaff
a spear or hook for catching fish
246
Gambol
to frolic; to run or jump playfully
247
Garish
tastelessly gaudy; flashy, excessive
248
Gauche
(go--shhh) socially awkward; tactless
249
Gazebo
a roofed structure that offers an open view
250
Gelid
very cold; frozen
251
Genuflect
to kneel; show deference or servility
252
Germane
relevant, pertinent, appropriate
| ex. That comment is not germane to this discussion
253
Gossamer
light; delicate; spidewebs
254
Gouge (2)
to dig out; to swindle or overcharge
255
Grotto
an articfical cave (esp indoors)
256
Gumption
(noun) shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness ex. she had the gumption to ...
257
Halcyon
happy, golden, idyllic
258
Hallow
honor as holy, to revere
259
Harlequin
a clown
260
Hegira
flight; escape; Muhammad's departure from Mecca to Medina
261
Heinous
hateful; abominable
262
Hermetic
airtight; tightly sealed
263
Hiatus
break, pause or gap
264
Hircine
goat-like
265
Hoi polloi
common people; the masses
266
Homily
sermon for relgious education
267
Horticulture
the science of gardening
268
Hospice
a home providing care for the sick, especially the terminally ill
269
Humbug
something designed to deceive and mislead
270
Hymeneal
pertaining to marriage
271
Ichthyology
study of fish
272
Idolatry
worship of idols; excessive or blind adoration
273
Idyllic
extremely happy, peaceful, and ideal/ unsustainable
274
Imbroglio
a difficult or confusing situation
275
Impecunious
poor, without money; penniless (from pecunia money)
276
Impinge
to strike; to collide; to encroach
277
Imprecation
a curse
278
Impugn
to challenge ex. are you impugning my judgement?
279
Inchoate
undeveloped; at an early stage; just beginning ex. a still inchoate democracy
280
Incontrovertible
certain; undeniable
281
Incubus
nightmare
282
Incur
to bring upon oneself; to run into some undesirable consequence ex. What did he do to incur such wrath?
283
Indemnify
to insure; to repay
284
Inebriate
to make someone drunk
285
Ineluctable
inevitable; inescapable
286
Iniquity
wickedness; turpitude
287
Injunction
a command; an order
288
Insolvent
bankrupt; unable to pay creditors (insolent means rude)
289
Insouciant
nonchalant, untroubled ex. insouciant shrug
290
Interdict
to prohibit; to ban
291
Interpolate
to insert between; to estimate
292
Intransigent
stubborn; refusing to give in
293
Inured
(to) accustomed to (esp something negative) ex. these children are inured to violence
294
Inveigle
persuade; lure; deceive with flattery
295
Invidious
causing resentment; offensive
296
Jaunt
short trip ex. "her little jaunt in France was over"
297
Jilt
to reject; to cast off
298
Jugular
pertaining to the throat or neck
299
Junket
a pleasure trip; an excursion
300
Junta
a small group ruling a country
301
Jurisprudence
science of law
302
Kismet
destiny; fate "what chance did I stand against kismet?"
303
Knoll
a small rounded hill
304
Laden
burdened; loaded
305
Laity
religious worshipers who are not clergy
306
Lambent
softly bright or radiant; running or moving lightly over a surface
307
Lampoon
publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm; use of satire
308
Lank
slender, insufficient, thin
309
Lapidary
elegant and concise, suitable for engraving on a stone; a person who cleans, engraves gems (lapidarius of stone, lapid-, lapis stone)
310
Largess
generosity in or actual money or gifts
311
Lassitude
physical or mental weariness ex. she was overcome by lassitude and retired to bed
312
Laureate
a person who is honored with an award for outstanding creative or intellectual achievement
313
Lave
to wash or bathe ex. she ran cold water in the basin, laving her face and hands
314
Legerdemain
sleight of hand 9skill in using your hands); deception, skillful use of one's hands when performing conjuring tricks (leger de main light of hand)
315
Leonine
Lion-like; fierce; authoritative
316
Liaison
a bond; connection; an illicit relationship between a man and a woman
317
Libation
a drink; a beverage (esp poured for a diety) (libare to pour as an offering)
318
Libertine
one who leads an immoral life
319
Libretto
the words of an opera
320
Lilliputian
tiny; narrow minded; ex. "America's banks no longer look Lilliputian in comparison with Japan's"
321
Lineaments
facial features (distinctive or characteristic)
322
Lionize
To treat as a celebrity (through attention and approval) ex. "modern athletes are lionized"
323
Lissome
(of a person or their body) thin, supple, and graceful
324
Lode
A rich source of something or supply such as a mineral deposit ex. a rich load of scandal
325
Loll
hang loosely; droop, to lean or lounge about
