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
| 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