SAT vocabulary 3/16/13 Flashcards
jettison
v. throw overboard
In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to JETTISON much of his cargo.
Throw overboard
jingosit
n. extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist
Always bellowing “America first!.” the congressman was such a JINGOIST you could almost hear the sabers rattling as he marched down the halls.
Extremely aggressive
jocose
adj. given to joking
The salesman was so JOCOSE that many of his customers suggested that he become a “stand up” comic.
Given to joking
jocular
adj. said or done in jest.
Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn’t resist making one JOCULAR remark.
Humorous
jollity
n. gaiety; cheeerfulness
The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general JOLLITY.
Cheerfulness
jovial
adj. good-natured; merry.
A frown seemed out of place on his invariably JOVIAL face.
Good-natured
jubilation
n. rejoicing
There was great JUBILATION when the armistice was announced.
Glorying, triumphant
judicious
adj. sound in judgement; wise
At a key moment in his life, her made a JUDICIOUS investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.
junta
n. group of men joined in political intrigue; cabal
As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered execution of all the members of the JUNTA.
jurisprudence
n. science of law
He was more of a student of JURISPRUDENCE than a practitioner of the law.
Science of law
kernel
n. central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn)
“Watson, buried within this of lies there is a KERNEL of truth;when I find it, the mystery will be solved.
Central part
kindle
v. start a fire; inspire
One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how to KINDLE a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together.
Start a fire
kindred
adj. related; belonging to the same family.
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were KINDRED spirits, born mischief makers who were always up to some new tomfoolery.
Related
kinetic
adj. producing motion
Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the KINETIC energy needed to proper the vehicle.
Producing motion
kleptomaniac
n. person who has a compulsive desire to steal
They discovered that the wealthy consumer was a KLEPTOMANIAC when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.
knave
n. trustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel
Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick clearly has the reputation of a KNAVE.
Person you can’t trust
knotty
adj. intricate; difficult; tangled
What to Watson had been a KNOTTY problem, to Sherlock Holmes was a simplicity itself.
Difficult, hard
laborious
adj. demanding much work or care; tedious
In putting together his dictionary if the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.
In need of a lot of work
labyrinth
n. maze
Hiding from Indiana Joe, Tom and Becky soon lost themselves in the LABYRINTH of secret underground caves.
laceration
n. torn, ragged wound
The stock car driver needed stitches to close up the LACERATIONS he received in the car crash.
lachrymose
adj. producing tears His voice has a LACHRYMOSE quality more appropriate to a funeral than a class reunion.
lackadaisical
adj. lacking purpose or zest; half-hearted; languid
Because Gatsby had his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very LACKADAISICAL job of managing his money.
lackluster
adj. dull
We were disappointed by the LACKLUSTER performance.
Boring
laconic
adj. brief and to the point
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are LACONIC types; strong men of few words.
laggard
adj. slow; sluggish
The sailor had been taught not to be LAGGARD in carrying out orders.
Slow, lazy, not putting in effort
lament
v. grieve, express sorrow
Even advocates of the war LAMENTED the loss of so many lives in combat.
lampoon
v. ridicule. This article LAMPOONS the pretensions of some movie moguls.
laguid
adj. weary; sluggish; listless
Her siege of illness left her LANGUID and pallid.
languish
v. lose animation; lose strength
Left at Miss Minchin’s school for girls while her father went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to LANGUISH; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended her less fortunate friends.
ced, cess
to yield, to go
recede: go back, withdraw
antecedent: that which goes before
process: go forward
celer
swift
celerity: swiftness
decelerate: reduce swiftness
accelerate: increase swiftness
cent
one hundred
century: one hundred years
centennial: hundredth anniversary
centipede: many- footed, wingless animal
chron
time
chronology: timetable events
anachronism: a thing out of time sequence
chronicle: register events in order of time
cid, cis
to cut, to kill
incision: a cut (surgical)
homicide: killing of a man
fratricide: killing of a brother
cit, citat
to call, to start
incite: stir up, start up
excite: stir up
recitation: a recalling (or repeating) aloud
civi
citizen
civilization: society of citizens, culture
civilian: member of community
civil: courteous
clam, clamat
to cry out
clamorous: loud
declamation: speech
acclamation: shouted approval
claud, claus, clos, clud
to close
claustrophobia: fear of close places
enclose: close in
conclude: finish
cognosc, cognit
to learn
agnostic: lacking knowledge, skeptical
incognito: traveling under assumed name
cognition: knowledge
compl
to fill
complete: filled out
complement: that which completes something
comply: fulfill
cord
heart
accord: agreement (from the heart)
cordial: friendly
discord: lack of harmony
corpor
body
incorporate: organize into a body
corporeal: pertaining to the body, fleshly
corpse: dead body
cred, credit
to believe
incredulous: not believing, skeptical
credulity: gullibility
credence: belief
