Vocabulary list for high school admissions tests

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

Best practices for memorizing vocabulary

• 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

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

Vocabulary list

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.
servile	adj. belonging to a class of servants or subordinates; under, beneath in rank	from servilis for "slave" root: "serve", as in "to serve"	from PIE *seruo- "guardian", which gives us "shepherd", so the shepherd serves the sheep
obsequious
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, strong"	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!"

Other words to know

accrue

afrobeat

aghast

amenable

astute

banal

bel- = war

belligerent

callous

causal

contentious

cordial

daunting

deciduous

delectable

deliberately

despondent

dis- = not

disdain

disingenuous

dismal

distraught

dogmatic

emaciated

etymology

fallacy

fallacy

fiddlehead

formidable

fortitude

fowl

frailty

haphazard

hiatus

hierarchy

idiosyncrasy

impromptu

incipient

ingenious

innuendo

insomnia

inundation

languid

lassitude

lax

lethargy

livid

logic:

mandate

nonplussed

odious

opposite

panacea

perennial

presumptuous

repugnant

sanguine

solicitous

stupefy

stupor

subservience

succulent

synonymous

tempestuous

trite

tussock

vexing

virulent