SAT Vocab Week 2 Flashcards
apprehend
- (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.)
- (v.) to perceive, understand, grasp (The student has trouble apprehending concepts in
math and science.)
approbation
(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)
appropriate
(v.) to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer’s land
without justification.)
aquatic
(adj.) relating to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic
creatures.)
arable
(adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on
which he will grow corn and sprouts.)
arbiter
(n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge
will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.)
arbitrary
(adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy’s decision to choose one
college over another seems arbitrary.)
arbitration
(n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official
arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)
arboreal
(adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits.)
arcane
(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane
Lithuanian literature.)
arrogate
(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order
executions to himself exclusively.)
ardor
(n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with
impassioned battle cries.)
archaic
(adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions
of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.)
archetypal
(adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some
believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature,
was the archetypal politician.)
arid
(adj.) excessively dry
artifact
(n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all
day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.)
artisan
(n.) a craftsman (The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks.)
ascertain
(v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that
some plants can live for weeks without water.)
ascribe
(v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and
dynamite to the Chinese.)
ascetic
(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The
priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)
aspire
(v.) to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse
someday.)
aspersion
(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast
aspersions on each others’ integrity.)
assail
(v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor.)
assess
(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)
assiduous
(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the
skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)
assuage
(v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)
astute
(adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his
ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions.)
atone
(v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife’s birthday
by buying her five dozen roses.)
asylum
- (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.)
- (n.) an institution in which the
insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an
asylum.)
atrophy
(v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will
soon atrophy and die.)
attain
(v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in
competition.)
audible
(adj.) able to be heard (The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not
audible.)
attribute
- (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother’s undying encouragement.)
- (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle’s most peculiar attributes is
its thorny protruding eyes.)
atypical
(adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.)
audacious
(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan’s
audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.)
augment
(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of
French vocabulary by reading French literature.)
auspicious
(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the
sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match.)
ballad
(n.) a love song (Greta’s boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar during their
walk through the dark woods.)
avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous
personal fortune.)
bard
(n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard
in the history of the English language.)