Page 220 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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S: SAT Words
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sentence (SENT ins) n. 1. the judgment of a court of law; 2. a group of words
that express a complete thought —vt. to pronounce judgment; condemn; pro-
nounce punishment
• The court sentenced the criminal to a 20-year term.
• In grammar, a phrase is much like a sentence, except that a phrase does not
convey a complete thought.
• After a jury has found a person guilty, the judge may sentence that person
to anything from probation to death.
[-d, sentencing]
sentiment (SENT i mint) n. 1. a complex combination of opinions and feelings;
2. an emotional attitude; 3. the meaning behind something
• My sentiment tells me that you are a very discriminating person, but I’m
usually not a good judge of character.
• The retro look of some automobiles popular in the early part of this cen-
tury is a blatant appeal to the sentiment of cherishing the past.
• Gail told Gil that he could stay, but her tone of voice made it clear that her
sentiment was far from welcoming.
[Syn. opinion, feeling]
serendipity (SER in DIP it ee) n. 1. an apparent gift for discovering good things
by accident; 2. luck or good fortune in accidentally finding something good
• Hershey’s chocolate makers had the serendipity to discover both peanut
butter cups and the shape of the Hershey Kiss.
• Discovering that alloying copper and tin made the hard metal bronze was
a case of serendipity for early man because the two rarely occurred together
in nature.
[serendipitous adj., serendipitously adv.]
shun (SHUHN) vt. deliberately stay away from; scrupulously and consistently
avoid
• A recovering alcoholic must shun all contact with alcoholic beverages.
• It is a healthy idea for everyone to shun cigarette smoke, both first- and
secondhand.
[-ned, -ning]
simplicity (sim PLIS it ee) n. 1. freedom from complexity or intricacy; simple
state; simple quality; 2. plainness; lack of elegance or embellishment; 3. foolishness;
lacking sense
• Making a kite is simplicity itself and requires only two light sticks, some
paper, and some string.
• Jane’s wedding dress was elegant by its very simplicity, being just a shiny,
white, untooled satin.
• Jack demonstrated his simplicity when he said, “Nice kitty,” just prior to
sticking his head into the lion’s mouth.