Ninth Grade Vocabulary

Unit One

Greek root:PHOS

‘LIGHT”PHOTOS

PhototropicAdjective—tending to grow or move towards

light.Sentence: Because they are phototropic, daisies

always grow towards the sun.

PhosphorescentAdjective—giving off light without heat.

Sentence: Harvey stuck phosphorescent stars on his ceiling so that it would resemble the

nighttime sky.

PhotogenicAdjective—attractive in pictures or photographs.

Sentence: Lucille Ball was so photogenic that strangers often asked to take her picture.

Latin root:LUX

‘LIGHT”LUCIS

LucidAdjective—easy to understand; clear

Sentence: Sophie’s explanation of quantum physics was so lucid that I understood

everything.

ElucidateVerb—to make clear by explaining

Sentence: The attorney asked the witness to further elucidate the information he had.

(synonym: clarify)

TranslucentAdjective—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

TO LOOK ATSPECTUM

CircumspectAdjective—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

ProspectNoun—that which is looked forward to; an

expectationSentence: The prospect of a trip to the dentist with my bratty kid brother was hardly thrilling.

SpecterNoun—a ghost or phantom

Sentence: Hattie seemed to see a specter in every corner of the dark house.

Latin root:VIDERE

TO SEE; TO LOOKVISUM

InvidiousAdjective—hateful or spiteful

Sentence: One candidate made an invidious speech against his opponent.

Synonym: defamatory Antonym: pleasant

ProvidentialAdjective—happening by good fortune; lucky

Sentence: Through a providential series of events; Nigel found himself manager of the

company.Synonym: fortunate Antonym: unlucky

ImproviseVerb—to create without any forethought or

preparationSentence: When Carl lost the cards with his speech on them, he was forced to improvise.