forego, digress, surpass, amalgamate, deviate: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from SAT Vocabulary Level 2 set 262. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. forego · verb/fɔrˈɡoʊ/

   to decide not to do or have something

   Due to budget constraints, the company decided to forego the planned marketing campaign for this quarter.

   Synonyms: forgo, relinquish, omit

   Origin: Middle English 'forgān', from Old English 'forgān' meaning 'to go before, to precede', from 'for-' meaning 'before' plus 'gān' meaning 'to go'.

2. digress · verb/daɪˈɡrɛs/

   to deviate or wander away from the main topic in speech or writing

   During the lecture, the professor began to digress from the main topic, sharing personal anecdotes that were only loosely related to the subject matter.

   Synonyms: stray, deviate, wander

   Origin: Latin 'digressus', meaning 'to step aside' (from 'dis-' = away + 'gressus' = walked)

3. surpass · verb/sərˈpæs/

   to exceed or go beyond in degree or quality

   Her performance in the competition was so impressive that it managed to surpass everyone's expectations.

   Synonyms: exceed, outstrip, transcend

   Origin: Middle English 'surpassen', from Old French 'surpasser', from Latin 'superpagina', meaning 'to surpass' or 'to exceed'

4. amalgamate · verb/əˈmæl.ɡəˌmeɪt/

   to combine or unite to form one entity

   The two companies decided to amalgamate their resources to create a more competitive product line.

   Synonyms: merge, unite, consolidate

   Origin: from Latin 'amalgamare', meaning 'to combine' or 'to mix', which is derived from 'malagma', meaning 'to soften' or 'to mix together'.

5. deviate · verb/ˈdiːvieɪt/

   to depart from an established course or norm

   The team decided to deviate from the original plan when they realized it wasn't feasible.

   Synonyms: diverge, stray, depart

   Origin: from Latin 'deviatus', past participle of 'deviare', meaning to turn aside.