Page 126 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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F: SAT Words
frugal (FROO gil) adj. 1. economical; thrifty; not wasteful; 2. inexpensive; 117
not costly
• Frugal shoppers consider house brands when buying food.
• Cars with good gas mileage are built with the frugal in mind.
• Frugal watches tell time as well as those in gold cases.
[-ly adv., -ity n.] [Syn. thrifty]
frustrate (FRUH strayt) vt. 1. to cause to not have an effect; nullify; 2. to block;
to prevent from attaining an objective
• Burglar alarms are designed to frustrate those who would hope to break and
enter without detection.
• The large number of false alarms from automotive burglar alarms could
frustrate the reason they were installed.
• Destroyers and antisubmarine bombers frustrated the U-boat captains of
Germany’s Kriegsmarine.
[-d, frustrating, frustration n.] [Syn. thwart, baffle, foil]
function (FUHNK shin) vi. 1. to act in the usual or expected way; 2. to serve or
be used (as) —n. 1. the usual action or use of something; 2. a special use or action
of something; 3. one’s job; 4. something that depends on and changes with some-
thing else
• Fred’s bicycle functions just the way a bicycle should.
• The doorman functions as both greeter and gatekeeper.
• It is the function of a bottle opener to (duh!) open bottles.
• When jacking up a car for a tire change, a brick or block of wood should
function as a cross block for its diagonally opposite tire.
• Joanne’s function at the office is public relations.
• In graphing an algebraic function, or equation, the value of the dependent
variable, y, changes with the value of the independent variable, x.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. capacity, use]
fundamental (FUHN di MENT il) adj. 1. basic; at the root of; essential; 2. radical;
3. chief; most important —n. 1. a principle, theory, etc.; 2. an essential
• The fundamental rights of all humans are the rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.
• The new law makes fundamental changes in the tax rates.
• The fundamental principle of America is that all men are created equal.
• The fundamentals of safe operation of the tool are in the owners’ manual.
• Getting a license is a fundamental of driving an automobile.
[-ly adv.]