Page 200 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

17_571656 ch13.qxd 11/10/04 12:39 PM Page 191
P – Q: SAT Words
191
preservation (PREZ ir VAY shin) n. 1. protected from harm; 2. kept from spoil-
ing or rotting; 3. maintaining by regulating
• Acid-free sleeves help with the preservation of photographs.
• Food preservation began with vacuum packaging in the nineteenth century.
• The preservation of wildlife is just one assignment of the U.S. Forest Service.
presumptuous (pri ZUMP shoo uhs) adj. overconfident or arrogant; taking too
much for granted
• How presumptuous was the guest at the cocktail party to take a plastic bag
from her purse and start filling it with jumbo cocktail shrimp?
• It was rather presumptuous of the wedding guest to take a seat at the head
table.
[-ly adv., -ness n.]
pretense (PREE tens) n. 1. an unsupported claim of having accomplished some-
thing; 2. a false claim; 3. a pretending, as in make-believe
• It was quite by accident that a former vice president made a pretense to
having invented the Internet.
• A major pretense of a certain U.S. president is that he can pronounce the
word “nuclear.”
• Children often learn proper behavior through pretense to be adult role
models.
pretentious (pree TEN shis) adj. 1. claiming some importance or distinction;
2. ostentatious; showing off; self-important
• George of the Jungle was a rather pretentious character, considering that
Ape was the brains of the outfit.
• The triple loop performed by the roller boarder was a very pretentious dis-
play of his/her skills.
previous (PREE vee uhs) adj. before the present; prior; at an earlier time; preceding
• The previous administration enjoyed more popularity than the current one.
• Mary was convinced that she had been a sheep in a previous incarnation.
primarily (pry MER i lee) adv. at first; originally; principally; mainly
• Primarily, vacations seemed more important than school to Ian, but that
came to change.
• Alice went to space camp primarily to learn more about the solar system.
primary (PRY mer ee) adj. 1. first in order or first to have been developed; 2.
primitive; fundamental; basic; 3. in the first level of a series or sequence; 4. chief;
principal; main
• The primary polio vaccine was the Salk vaccine, with Sabin’s coming along
later.
• Primary school is where a child develops fundamental reading and math
skills.
• In the primary elections, the final candidates are selected.
• The president is the primary executive officer in the United States.