SAT Vocabulary Lesson 1:

1. ACME(ACK me), n.

the highest point

The little village was built at the acme of

Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka.

2. CASTIGATE(KAS tuh gate), v.

to punish or criticize severely

Simon Cowell, a judge from the

television reality show “American

Idol,” frequently castigates the

contestants if their performances are

less than impressive.

3. CLEMENCY(KLEM en see), n.

1. show of forgiveness

2. mildness as in weather

After Theresa’s boyfriend forgot her

birthday, he begged her for

clemency.

4. DESOLATE(DES uh lit), adj.

1. lonely, sad

2. deserted

The desolate town was completely

empty except for a few tumbleweeds.

SAT Vocabulary Lesson 1:

5. FETTER(FEH tur), n.

a chain put on the ankle;a binding tie

When prisoners are very dangerous, it is

a good idea to have a fetter put around

their ankle(s) to prevent an escape.

6. FLEDGLING(FLEJ ling), n.

1. a young bird ready to fly

2. a beginner

All fledglings start out shaky, but by the

end of the day are flying strong.

7. GUFFAW(guh faw), n.

a loud burst of laughter

(a belly laugh)

Grandpa’s guffaw surprised all of us

because we didn’t think that the joke

was his kind of humor.

8. HUSBAND(HUZ buhnd), v/n.

1. to use cautiously, frugally

2. a married man

James husbands his money every month and has done so for many

years, so now he has enough money

to buy a house for his family.

SAT Vocabulary Lesson 1:

9. INFAMOUS(IN fuh muss), adj.

having a bad reputation

Charles Brown made himself

infamous by robbing all of the major

jewelry stores in the tri-state area.

10. LEXICON(LEKS ih con), n.

1. the vocabulary of a

person, language, or branch

of knowledge

2. a dictionary

It is hard to understand what teenagers

say because their lexicon is constantly

changing.

11. NADIR(NAY dur), n.

the lowest point

The stock market’s nadir was the

crash in 1929.

12. REDOLENT(REH duh lent), adj.

1. having a pleasant odor

2. strongly reminiscent of something

The cherry blossoms that line the

avenue to our house are quite redolent in

the springtime.

SAT Vocabulary Lesson 1:

13. SALUBRIOUS(sal OO bree uhss), adj.

healthy

The food guide pyramid gives serving

suggestions for a more salubrious

lifestyle.

14. TREMULOUSLY(TREM yoo luhss lee), adv.

1. timidly

2. fearfully

The chihuahua sat tremulously under the

unstable chair.

15. ULULATED(UL yuh lay tid), v.

howled, wailed

The wolf ululated over the pack’s recent

kill.