Page 58 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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C: SAT Words
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circumstance (SIR kuhm STAENS) n. 1. a fact or event that goes with another,
as an essential factor or incidentally; 2. any situation; event; 3. conditions affecting
a person
• When there is thunder, the presence of lightning is an inescapable
circumstance.
•A circumstance for buying cotton candy is a circus visit.
• Charles was in difficult financial circumstances.
cite (SYT) vt. 1. to demand an appearance before a court; 2. to quote (a passage,
book, writer, speech, etc.); 3. to refer to or bring up (as precedent)
• Henry was cited to appear in traffic court next Wednesday.
• Mary always cites some classical composer as the inspiration for her musi-
cal compositions.
• Brown v. Board of Education is a case lawyers often cite when arguing for
equal educational opportunities in court.
[-d, citing, citation n.]
civil (SI vil) adj. 1. of a citizen or citizens; 2. of a community of citizens or their
interactions; 3. cultured; 4. courteous or polite
• All citizens are entitled to certain civil rights.
• Civil war is an oxymoron, like military intelligence.
• Civil people should develop an appreciation for the arts.
• It is important to be civil, rather than rude, to one another.
clarifiy (KLA ri fy) vi., vt. 1. to make or become clear (especially liquids); 2. to
make or become easier to comprehend
• The chef passed the chicken soup through a strainer to clarify the broth.
• Jane clarified the point she was trying to get across.
• Often a map will serve to clarify the directions to a place.
[clarifies, clarified, -ing, clarification* n.]
classical (KLAS i kl) adj. 1. of the highest class; excellent; 2. having a balanced
and simple style; restrained; the name of an era bestowed by historians, such as the
Classical Era in music history, which preceded the Romantic Era; 3. typical of or
based on the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome; 4. well versed in Greek
and Roman literature and culture; 5. music in the European style, as distinct from
folk, popular, or jazz
• The Rolex watch is classical and worth every thousand.
• The Jaguar XJ6 has absolutely classical (or classic) lines.
• Shakespeare’s tragedies followed those of Sophocles and Euripides as being
both classical and timeless.
• Until the 1950s, the college graduates of modern Europe and those from
Ivy League colleges were given classical educations, with a knowledge of
Latin being essential.
• Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven are generally considered the greatest classi-
cal composers, although Beethoven bridges the Classical and Romantic eras.
[-ly adv., -ity n.]