Ninth Grade Vocabulary Unit One Greek root PHOS

Ninth Grade Vocabulary Unit One

Greek root: PHOS PHOTOS ‘LIGHT”

Phototropic Adjective—tending to grow or move towards light. Sentence: Because they are phototropic, daisies always grow towards the sun.

Phosphorescent Adjective—giving off light without heat. Sentence: Harvey stuck phosphorescent stars on his ceiling so that it would resemble the nighttime sky.

Photogenic Adjective—attractive in pictures or photographs. Sentence: Lucille Ball was so photogenic that strangers often asked to take her picture.

Latin root: LUX LUCIS ‘LIGHT”

Lucid Adjective—easy to understand; clear Sentence: Sophie’s explanation of quantum physics was so lucid that I understood everything.

Elucidate Verb—to make clear by explaining Sentence: The attorney asked the witness to further elucidate the information he had. (synonym: clarify)

Translucent Adjective—allowing light to pass through. Sentence: Through a translucent blue cloth draped over the window, we could see the sun. Synonym: transparent

Latin root: SPECERE SPECTUM TO LOOK AT

Circumspect Adjective—careful; mindful of rules and consequences. Sentence: The marchers in the protest tried to be circumspect and not break any laws. Synonym: prudent Antonym: reckless

Prospect Noun—that which is looked forward to; an expectation Sentence: The prospect of a trip to the dentist with my bratty kid brother was hardly thrilling.

Specter Noun—a ghost or phantom Sentence: Hattie seemed to see a specter in every corner of the dark house.

Latin root: VIDERE VISUM TO SEE; TO LOOK

Invidious Adjective—hateful or spiteful Sentence: One candidate made an invidious speech against his opponent. Synonym: defamatory Antonym: pleasant

Providential Adjective—happening by good fortune; lucky Sentence: Through a providential series of events; Nigel found himself manager of the company. Synonym: fortunate Antonym: unlucky

Improvise Verb—to create without any forethought or preparation Sentence: When Carl lost the cards with his speech on them, he was forced to improvise.