Sat Vocabulary Prep

By Robert H Richards

500 plus words with the word origins. Sufixes and prefixes and their meanings are included. This is the absolute best way to gain word understanding to prepare for the SAT Exam

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359638208

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Sat Vocabulary Prep

SAT Vocabulary Prep

Copyright © 2019 by Robert H Richards

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing: 2019

ISBN #: 978-0-359-63820-8

The Words

apathy, apathetic

c. 1600, freedom from suffering, passionless existence, from French apathie (16c.), from Latin apathia, from Greek apatheia freedom from suffering, impassibility, want of sensation, from apathes without feeling, without suffering or having suffered, from a- without (see a- (3)) + pathos emotion, feeling, suffering (from PIE root *kwent(h)- to suffer). Originally a positive quality; sense of indolence of mind, indifference to what should excite is by 1733.

abate

c. 1300, put an end to (transitive); early 14c., to grow less, diminish in power or influence (intransitive); from Old French abatre beat down, cast down, strike down; fell, destroy; abolish; reduce, lower (Modern French abattre), from Vulgar Latin *abbatere, from Latin ad to (see ad-) + battuere to beat (see batter (v.)). The French literal sense of to fell, slaughter is in abatis and abattoir. Related: Abated; abating.

aberration

1590s, a wandering, act of straying, from Latin aberrationem (nominative aberratio) a wandering, noun of action from past-participle stem of aberrare to wander out of the way, lose the way, go astray, literally and figuratively, from ab off, away from (see ab-) + errare to wander, stray, roam, rove (see err). Meaning deviation from the normal type first attested 1846.

abhor, abhorrence

c. 1400, to loathe, regard with repugnance, dislike intensely, literally to shrink back with horror or dread, from Latin abhorrere shrink back from, have an aversion for, shudder at, from ab off, away from (see ab-) + horrere tremble at, shudder, literally to bristle, be shaggy, from PIE *ghers- start out, stand out, rise to a point, bristle (see horror).

abstruse

1590s, remote from comprehension, from Middle French abstrus (16c.) or directly from Latin abstrusus hidden, concealed, secret, past participle of abstrudere conceal, hide, literally to thrust away, from assimilated form of ab off, away from (see ab-) + trudere to thrust, push, from PIE root *treud- to press, push, squeeze (see threat). Related: Abstrusely; abstruseness.

accost

1570s, come side-by-side or face-to-face with, for any reason, from Middle French accoster move up to, come alongside (Old French acoster), from Late Latin accostare come up to the side, from assimilated form of Latin ad to (see ad-) + costa a rib, side (see coast (n.)). Now usually in the sense approach and speak to (1610s). Also picked up in newspaper articles as the verb for a prostitute's solicitation of a customer (1887). Related: Accosted; accosting.

acrimony

1540s, quality of being sharp or pungent in taste, from Middle French acrimonie or directly from Latin acrimonia sharpness, pungency of taste, figuratively acrimony, severity, energy, abstract noun from acer sharp (fem. acris), from PIE root *ak- be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce) + -monia suffix of action, state, condition. Figurative extension to personal sharpness or bitterness is by 1610s.

acumen

quickness of perception, keen insight, 1530s, from Latin acumen a point, sting, hence, figuratively, mental sharpness, shrewdness, from acuere to sharpen, literal and figurative (of intellect, emotion, etc.), related to acus a needle, from PIE root *ak- be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce. Related: Acuminous.

ad/

word-forming element expressing direction toward or in addition to, from Latin ad to, toward in space or time; with regard to, in relation to, as a prefix, sometimes merely emphatic, from PIE root *ad- to, near, at. Simplified to a- before sc-, sp- and st-; modified to ac- before many consonants and then re-spelled af-, ag-, al-, etc., in conformity with the following consonant (as in affection, aggression). Also compare ap- (1).In Old French, reduced to a- in all cases (an evolution already underway in Merovingian Latin), but written forms in French were refashioned after Latin in 14c. and English did likewise 15c. in words it had picked up from Old French. In many cases pronunciation followed the shift. Over-correction at the end of the Middle Ages in French and then English restored the -d- or a doubled consonant to some words that never had it (accursed, afford). The process went further in England than in France, where the vernacular sometimes resisted the pedantic, resulting in English adjourn, advance, address, advertisement (Modern French ajourner, avancer, adresser, avertissement). In modern word-formation sometimes ad- and ab- are regarded as opposites, but this was not in classical Latin.

adamant

Old English aðamans a very hard stone; the modern word is a mid-14c. borrowing of Old French adamant diamond; magnet or directly from Latin adamantem (nominative adamas) adamant, hardest iron, steel, also used figuratively, of character, from Greek adamas (genitive adamantos), name of a hypothetical hardest material, noun use of an adjective meaning unbreakable, inflexible, which was metaphoric of anything unalterable (such as Hades), a word of uncertain origin. Old English aðamans a very hard stone; the modern word is a mid-14c. borrowing of Old French adamant diamond; magnet or directly from Latin adamantem (nominative adamas) adamant, hardest iron, steel, also used figuratively, of character, from Greek adamas (genitive adamantos), name of a hypothetical hardest material, noun use of an adjective meaning unbreakable, inflexible," which was metaphoric of anything unalterable (such as Hades), a word of uncertain origin.

adept

an expert, one who as attained knowledge, especially one who is skilled in the secrets of an occult science, 1660s, from Latin adeptus (adj.) having attained (see adept (adj.)). The Latin adjective was used as a noun in this sense in Medieval Latin among alchemists. It implies natural and acquired ability, whereas expert implies more of experience and practice.

adroit

1650s, dexterous, originally rightly, from French adroit, which by Old French had senses upright (physically and morally); able, clever, skillful; well-formed, handsome; on the right-hand side; veritable, from adverbial phrase à droit according to right. This is from Old French à to (see ad-) + droit, dreit right, from Medieval Latin directum (contracted drictum) right, justice, law, neuter or accusative of Latin directus straight, past participle of dirigere set straight, from dis- apart (see dis-) + regere to direct, to guide, keep straight (from PIE root *reg- move in a straight line, with derivatives meaning to direct in a straight line, thus to lead, rule"). It expresses prominently the idea of a trained hand. Related: Adroitly; adroitness.

affected

to make a pretense of, 1660s, earlier to assume the character of (someone), 1590s; originally in English in a now-obsolete sense aim at, aspire to, desire (early 15c.), from Old French afecter (15c.), later affecter, from Latin affectare to strive after, aim at, aspire to, frequentative of afficere (past participle affectus) to do something to, act on, influence (see affect (n.)). Related: Affected; affecting.

alacrity

liveliness, briskness, mid-15c., from Latin alacritatem (nominative alacritas) liveliness, ardor, eagerness, from alacer (genitive alacris) cheerful, brisk, lively; a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps cognate with Gothic aljan zeal, Old English ellen courage, zeal, strength, Old High German ellian. But de Vaan suggests the root sense is to wander, roam and a possible connection with ambulare.

allocate

to set aside for a special purpose, 1630s, from Medieval Latin allocate (the common first word of writs authorizing payment), imperative plural of allocare allocate, allot, from Latin ad to (see ad-) + locare to place, from locus a place (see locus). It is a twin of allow. Related: Allocated; allocating. English allocate as an adjective from mid-15c. in legal use.

altruistic, altruism

having regard for the interest and well-being of others, 1853, from altruist + -ic. Related: Altruistically.

amenable

1590s, liable to make answer or defense, accountable, from Anglo-French amenable, from Old French amener bring, take, conduct, lead (to the law), from à to (see ad-) + mener to lead, from Latin minare to drive (cattle) with shouts, variant of minari to threaten, also to jut, project (from PIE root *men- (2) to project). Sense of tractable is from 1803, from notion of disposed to answer or submit to influence. Related: Amenably.

amiable

late 14c., kindly, friendly, also worthy of love or admiration, from Old French amiable pleasant, kind; worthy to be loved (12c.), from Late Latin amicabilis friendly, from Latin amicus friend, loved one, noun use of an adjective, friendly, loving, from amare to love (see Amy). The form and sense were confused in Old French with amable lovable (from Latin amare to love), and by 16c. the English word also had a secondary sense of exciting love or delight, especially by having an agreeable temper and a kind heart. The word was subsequently reborrowed by English in Latin form without the sense contamination as amicable.

amicable

early 15c., pleasant, from Late Latin amicabilis friendly, a word in Roman law, from Latin amicus friend, ultimately from amare to love (see Amy). In modern use characterized by friendliness, free from hard feelings, peaceable, socially harmonious. Compare amiable, which is the same word through French. Related: Amicableness.

antediluvian

before Noah's flood, 1640s, from Latin ante before (from PIE root *ant- front, forehead, with derivatives meaning in front of, before) + diluvium a flood (see deluge (n.)). Hence (humorously or disparagingly) very antiquated (1726). Coined by English physician Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682). As a noun meaning person who lived before the Flood, from 1680s. Related: antediluvial (1823).

anthropology

science of the natural history of man, 1590s, originally especially of the relation between physiology and psychology, from Modern Latin anthropologia or coined independently in English from anthropo- + -logy. In Aristotle, anthropologos is used literally, as speaking of man. Related: Anthropologic; anthropological.

antipathy

c. 1600, natural aversion, hostile feeling toward, from Latin antipathia, from Greek antipatheia, abstract noun from antipathes opposed in feeling, having opposite feeling; in return for suffering; also felt mutually, from anti opposite, against (see anti-) + pathein to suffer, feel (from PIE root *kwent(h)- to suffer). An abuse has crept in upon the employment of the word Antipathy. ... Strictly it does not mean hate,--not the feelings of one man set against the person of another,--but that, in two natures, there is an opposition of feeling. With respect to the same object