Vocabulary list for high school admissions tests

From A+ Club Lesson Planner & Study Guide

This list is derived from HSPT, COOP, SSAT, etc. practice tests

Best practices for memorizing vocabulary[edit | edit source]

  • human memory works through connections
  • one-to-one memorization requires repetitive "encoding"
  • more effective than brute-memorization is memorization through connections
    • visual (imagery, visualization)
    • spatial (in relation to something else)
    • experiential (memory or personal experience)
    • emotional (attachment to a positive or negative experience or memory)

High school admissions tests words to know vocabulary list[edit | edit source]

  • notes
    • italicized word origins are Latin or Greek
    • PIE = proto-Indo-European language
      • = the common origin language for modern Indo-European languages

Vocabulary list[edit | edit source]

Words to Know from high school admissions practice tests
Word Part of Speech / Definition Word Origin Etymology/ Connection/ Other
confident adj
conceited   adj. exaggerated view of oneself; thinking highly of oneself past participle of conceit (v)

“to conceit” = to flatter, so conceited = to flatter oneself

conceive = capere = con- “with” + PIE *kap- “to grasp” = “w/ understanding”

click Expand for words related to PIE *kap- (to grasp, run after, hunt)

to grasp:
accept; anticipate; anticipation; behave; behoof; behoove; cable; capable; capacious; capacity; caption; captious; captivate; captive; captor; capture; case.
to run after, hunt:
catch; catchpoll; cater; chase; conceive; cop; copper; deceive; emancipate; except; forceps; gaffe; haft; have; hawk; heave; heavy; heft; incapacity; inception; incipient; intercept; municipal; occupy; participation; perceive; precept; prince; purchase; receive; recipe; recover; recuperate; sashay; susceptible.
sage adj. wise, knowledgeable, learned

n. a wise person

sabius, sapere for "have taste, be wise" PIE *sap "to taste"

as a noun sage = an herb, but has different PIE origin *sol- fo "whole, well-kept", thus called for its healing properties > which makes a good connection to adj. "sage" for "wise"

sagacious adj. perceptive, discerning, wise -ous = adjective

related to "seek", thus "perceptive, discerning"

has different PIE root from "sage" : *sag- for "to track down, trace, seek"
brittle adj. stiff, breaks easily from Old English *brytel from PIE *bhreu- to break or cut up (from which "bruise" is derived)

something that is brittle breaks apart easily, breaks and doesn't bend

content v. to make happy

adj. happy, satisfied with the way things are n. what is contained, what is in (pl. "the contents")

v. from contentare for "to give satisfaction)

adj. from contentus for "contained, satisfied" n. from contentum for "that which is contained"

con- (with) + tenere (to hold)

from PIE *ten- (to stretch) click Expand for words related to PIE *ten- (to stretch > to incline > to offer > shelter/bulding):

abstain; abstention; abstinence; abstinent; atelectasis; attend; attenuate; attenuation; baritone; catatonia; catatonic; contain; contend; continue; detain; detente; detention; diatonic; distend; entertain; extend; extenuate; hypotenuse; hypotonia; intend; intone; lieutenant; maintain; monotony; obtain; ostensible; peritoneum; pertain; pertinacious; portend; pretend; rein; retain; retinue; sitar; subtend; sustain; temple; temple; temporal; tenable; tenacious; tenacity; tenant; tend; tendency; tender; tendon; tenement; tenet; tennis; tenon; tenor; tense; tension; tensor; tent; tenuous; tenure; thin; tone; tonic.
gaunt adj. lean, haggard possibley from Old Norse (viking) gand for "a thin stick" so a gaunt man could mean "a tall thin man who is bent over"

"gand" makes it connected to "gander" which means "a male goose" due to its long neck; and the verb "to gander" for to take a long look at something

ladle n. utensil to serve liquids from Old English hladan for "to load; to draw up water" from related to "handle"

also related to verb "lade" for "to load, to heap" or "to draw water"; from PIE *klā- "to spread out flat"

hamper v. to impede, imprison, or confine

n. large basket (used to confine or hold something)

from Old/Middle English hampren possibly connected to Middle English hamelian for "to maim"
hinder v. to harm, injure, repress or "stop from happening" Old English hindrian ("back, behind") and hindan ("from behind) related to adj. hind for "rear, back, posterior"
incredulous adj. not believing, unbelieving in- (not) + credo (belief)

-ous makes an adj.

"credo" comes from PIE *kerd- for heart (accord, cardio, cordial, courage, credence, credible, credit; credo; credulous; creed; discord; grant; heart; miscreant; myocarditus; record;
stout adj. having large or strong body; bulky physique from Old French "estout" for "brave, fierce, proud"

from PIE *stel- "to put, stand, put in order" n: apostle; epistle; forestall; install; installment; pedestal; peristalsis; peristaltic; stale stalk; stall (noun); stall (verb); stallion; stele; stell; still; stilt; stole; stout; stultify

svelte adj. thin, slender French "svelte" from Latin exvellere for "out" + "plucked" as in :pulled out, stretched"
wry adj. marked by dry or sarcastic humor; also a facial expression of disgust or disappointment

adv. wryly

from OE wrigian for "twist, distort"

PIE *wer- means "to turn"

"wry humor" = "dry" for ironic, sardonic ("grim, mocking, or cynical")

ex. As I held my mouth closed from exploding, he said wrly, "Here, have another piece of liquorish, it's great!"

words to add:

stupefy

despondent

lasx

fallacy

disingenuous

dis- = not

in-

      genous

incipient

solicitous

fallacy

aghast

presumptous

repugnant

dismal

etymology

virulent

vexing

banal

trite

formidable

daunting

languid

stupor

lassitude

accrue

sanguine

belligerent

bel- = war

contentios

haphazard

mandate

fortitude

odious

tempestous

subservience

insomnia

lethargy

inundation

idiosyncrasy

frailty

coridal

hiatus

panacia

innuendo

astute

amenable

succulent

deciduous

tussock

perrenial

callous

nonplussed

impromtu

distraught

dogmatic

livid

emaciated

delectable

logic:

heiricachy

opposite

synonymous

causal

fiddlehead

afrobeat

deliberately

disdain

fowl