SAT Vocabulary Level 3 — Set 309

Set 309 of SAT Vocabulary Level 3 covers 5 words: pulchritude, wastrel, purveyor, reexamination, aphasia. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. pulchritude · noun/ˈpʌl.krɪ.tuːd/

   beauty or physical attractiveness

   The pulchritude of the landscape took my breath away as I stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing at the vibrant sunset.

   Synonyms: beauty, attractiveness, comeliness

   Origin: from Latin 'pulchritudo', based on 'pulcher' meaning 'beautiful'.

2. wastrel · noun/ˈweɪstrəl/

   a person who spends resources foolishly and wastefully

   Despite his wealthy background, he turned out to be a wastrel who squandered his inheritance on lavish parties and extravagant vacations.

   Synonyms: profligate, spendthrift, squanderer

   Origin: The word 'wastrel' originates from the Middle English 'wastre,' which means 'waste' or 'to waste,' derived from Old French 'wastre' and from the Latin 'vastare,' meaning 'to lay waste.'

3. purveyor · noun/pərˈveɪər/

   a person or company that supplies goods or services

   The local bakery was known as the best purveyor of artisan breads in the entire city.

   Synonyms: supplier, vendor, retailer

   Origin: Middle English 'purveior', from Old French 'purveor', from 'purveoir' meaning 'to provide'.

4. reexamination · noun/ˌriˌɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən/

   the act of examining something again

   The committee decided on a reexamination of the policy to ensure it met the current needs of the community.

   Synonyms: review, reassessment, reevaluation

   Origin: The word 'reexamination' is derived from the prefix 're-' meaning 'again' and 'examination' from Latin 'examinare', meaning 'to weigh or test'.

5. aphasia · noun/əˈfeɪ.ʒə/

   a disorder affecting speech and language skills due to brain damage

   After his stroke, he was diagnosed with expressive aphasia, which made it difficult for him to communicate his thoughts clearly.

   Synonyms: language impairment, speech disorder, verbal disability

   Origin: from the Greek 'aphasia', meaning 'speechlessness', from 'a-' meaning 'without' and 'phasia' meaning 'speaking'