Set 213 · Study 1 / 5

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famish

verb/ˈfæmɪʃ/

to suffer from extreme hunger or starvation

After wandering in the desert for days, I began to famish, my stomach growling louder with each passing hour.

starvehungerlanguish
word origin — From Middle English 'famisshen', from Old French 'faimir', from Latin 'fames' meaning 'hunger, famine'

SAT Vocabulary Level 3 — Set 213

Set 213 of SAT Vocabulary Level 3 covers 5 words: famish, occlude, undulate, berate, stratify. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. famish · verb/ˈfæmɪʃ/

    to suffer from extreme hunger or starvation

    After wandering in the desert for days, I began to famish, my stomach growling louder with each passing hour.

    Synonyms: starve, hunger, languish

    Origin: From Middle English 'famisshen', from Old French 'faimir', from Latin 'fames' meaning 'hunger, famine'

  2. occlude · verb/əˈkluːd/

    to block or close off an opening or passage

    The thick layer of smoke began to occlude the view of the city skyline, making it difficult to see anything clearly.

    Synonyms: block, close, obstruct

    Origin: Late Middle English: from Latin 'occludere', from 'ob-' meaning 'against' + 'claudere' meaning 'to close'

  3. undulate · verb/ˈʌndʒəleɪt/

    to move or cause to move in a smooth wavelike motion

    The fields of wheat began to undulate in the breeze, creating a mesmerizing wave-like effect across the landscape.

    Synonyms: wave, ripple, fluctuate

    Origin: from Latin 'undulatus', meaning 'to wave'

  4. berate · verb/bɪˈreɪt/

    to scold or criticize someone angrily

    The manager berated the employee for missing the deadline, expressing his frustration loudly in front of everyone.

    Synonyms: rebuke, reprimand, scold

    Origin: From the prefix 'be-' (about, around) + 'rate' from Middle English 'renuden' (to scold), related to Old French 'bereter' (to scold).

  5. stratify · verb/ˈstrætɪˌfaɪ/

    to divide or arrange into strata or layers

    The researchers decided to stratify the data into different age groups to analyze the trends more effectively.

    Synonyms: layer, categorize, rank

    Origin: from the Latin word 'stratum' meaning 'layer'