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This morning, I sat on my bed with a looong list of vocabulary words I intended to cram into my brain by the end of the day. Of course, pure memorizing got boring really quickly (and it didn't work too well, either), so I wrote this up to help me and other crammers remember the words more easily. So it is without further ado that I present:
The SAT vocabulary de-muggleized
CAUTION Spoilers from all five books.
words and definitions are taken from 10 Real SATs and this site http://www.soundkeepers.com/SAT/
Abrogate To Annul;repeal; abolish; cancel.
The students at Hogwarts wished that Dumbledore could intervene and abrogate Umbridge's oppressive "educational decrees."
Acquiesce v. Assent, agree passively.
When summoned by Lord Voldemort, the death eaters would lose their intimidating aura and acquiesce to their leader's commands.
Acrimony Harshness or bitterness of speech or manner; expression of great dislike or deep resentment.
Snape's manner and voice brimmed with acrimony while conversing with Sirius Black.
Aggrandizement That which makes richer or greater; the state results of such.
Peter Pettigrew was nothing but a fair-weathered friend; he became friends with the Marauders for personal aggrandizement, and when they proved unsatisfactory, he joined Voldemort's and the dark wizards.
Ambiguous adj. Unclear or doubtful inmeaning.
In fandom, Draco's nastiness is interpreted ambiguously - to some, he's a death eater in the making, and to others, he's a abuse victim starved for attention and love.
Ameliorate v. Improve.
During her fourth year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger pushed to ameliorate working conditions for house-elves.
Aplomb Self assurance; self confidence; self possession; poise.
Lily Evans saw James Potter as an overconfident, cocky, aplomb who had nothing better to do than pursue her while showing off.
Arbitrary adj. Unreasonable or capricious; imperious; tyrannical.
The majority of the Hogwarts population resented Dolores Umbridge's arbitrary commands, decrees, and punishments.
Ascendancy n. Controlling influence;domination
Lord Voldemort established his ascendancy by recruiting those who believed his promises of power and by terrorizing those who didn't.
Astute adj. Wise; shrewd; clever
Slytherin students are known for their ambition and astuteness.
Augment v. Increase.
After returning to power, Voldemort strove to augment his forces by recruiting the dementors and the giants.
Austerity n. Sternness; severity; lackof luxuries.
Tough, forceful, and often intimidating, Professor McGonagall was known and admired for her austerity and no-nonsense ways.
Banal adj. Trite; ordinary; common.
After Ron led the Gryffindor Quidditch team into victory, the Slyterins' taunting and version of "Weasley is Our King" quickly regressed into banality.
Bequeath v. Leave to someone by a will;hand down.
Little did Harry know that the map bequeathed to him by the Weasley twins was actually a creation of his father and the other Marauders.
Brevity n. Conciseness.
The first time Harry traveled by Floo, his lack of brevity in giving the name of his location landed him in Knockturn Alley rather than in Diagon Alley.
Capitulate To surrender on certain terms;to give in; to acquiesce.
Many fanfiction writers redeem the Malfoys by making them capitulate to Dumbledore's side after sensing Voldemort's eventual downfall.
Capricious adj . Fickle; arbitrary
After jumping from Harry to Michael Corner to Dean Thomas, Ginny was seen by some critics as a capricious lover.
Censure v. Blames; criticize.
Sirius Black was wrongfully censured for the betrayal of the Potters and the murder of Peter Pettigrew and a streetful of muggles.
Clemency n. Disposition to be lenient;mildness, as of the weather.
Though Neville's clemency was initially seen as weakness, his later display of quiet inner strength rectified his true character.
Commensurate Equal in measures; properly proportionate.
A wizard or witch's wand is unique and should commensurate his inner qualities and talents.
Commodious spacious; roomy.
Hogwarts is a commodious castle that accommodates students, professors, ghosts, and perhaps many other unknown occupants.
Corroborate v. Confirm; support.
After learning the truth of Sirius' situation, Harry, Ron, and Hermione corroborated his case in front of Dumbledore.
Criterion n. Standard used in judging.
During Harry's career meeting, Umbridge gleefully pointed out the strict criterion required to become an Auror.
Cursory adj. Casual; hastily done.
Under the influence of veelas, scores of wizards made cursory moves toward them.
Debacle A sudden and utter breakdown; an overwhelming and ruinous turn of events; a rout; a calamity.
Pettigrew's betrayal of the Potters led to a horrific debacle that both ruined Harry's childhood and made him famous.
Debilitate v. Weaken; enfeeble.
Imprisonment in Azkaban causes one's spirit and body to slowly and agonizingly debilitate.
Decadence A process, condition or time of cultural or moral decline; deterioration; decay.
Tom Riddle's moral decadence led to his new identity as Lord Voldemort.
Delineate Portray.
Severus Snape is often wrongfully delineated as a handsome aristocrat with slick, raven-colored hair and an elegant nose.
Depravity n . Corruption; wickedness.
Tom Riddle can be seen as the series' most tragic character because of his gradual recession from an unloved orphan to a depraved tyrant.
Didactic adj. Teaching; instructional.
Dumbledore's Army was formed largely because the members felt that Umbridge's class was brainwashing and useless rather than didactic.
Dilatory Causing or characterized by delay; tardy; slow.
Harry's dilatory realization that his vision of Sirius was a trick caused him guilt.
Disinclination n . Unwillingness.
During the summer holidays, Harry felt a great disinclination to return to the Dursley's home.
Disparity n. Difference; condition of inequality.
The disparity between Dumbledore's age and the age of the students gives Dumbledore/student ships a slight feeling of squickiness.
Dissonance n. Discord; disagreement.
Voldemort's alleged return caused about a year of dissonance between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic.
Divergent adj . Differing; deviating.
Wizarding tabloid articles were often filled with divergent accounts of Harry's personal life.
Effervescent adj. Exuberant; bubbly and excited.
Blaise Zabini fans felt effervescent when J.K. Rowling announced that he'd play a stronger role in the upcoming books.
Emaciated adj. Thin and wasted from lack of nourishment.
Snuffles' lifestyle and status as a runaway convict left him emaciated for a long period of time.
Emulate v. Rival; imitate.
Secretly and subconciously, Draco sought to emulate Harry in fame and prestige.
Enervate v. Weaken.
Being given the Cruciatus Curse enervates its victims in addition to afflicting them with terrible pain.
Ephemeral adj. Short
Death by Avada Kedavra is ephemeral but fatal nonetheless.
Esoteric adj. Known only to the chosen few.
The esoteric prophecy made for Voldemort and Harry was hidden from both of them until Dumbledore chose to reveal it.
Evanescent Tending to fade like vapor;vaporous ephemeral.
The romance between Harry and Cho was evanescent and full of drama.
Exonerate v. Acquit; free from guilt or responsibility.
Though innocent, Sirius Black died before he could be exonerated.
Exorbitant Beyond reasonable limits; excessive.
Draco Malfoy enjoys flaunting his family's exorbitant wealth and affluence.
Expedient adj . Suitable;practical; politic.
Remus Lupin's expedience contrasted great to Sirius' and James' opposite nature, yet the three of them got along harmoniously.
Fallacious adj . Misleading; false.
Several Slytherins took advantage of the fallacious claims that Harry and Hermione were an item to make fun of the Golden Trio.
Fortuitous Happening by chance;accidental.
Cedric Diggory's death was fortuitous event.
Hackneyed adj. Commonplace; trite.
After Harry's marvelous performance in the first task, Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badges became hackneyed and overused.
Histrionic Related to acting or actors;theatrical; overly dramatic.
Gilderoy Lockhart's histrionic mannerisms charmed witches and annoyed wizards.
Immutable adj. Unchangeable.
Percy's seemingly immutable loyalty to his family was challenged by his convictions.
Impervious Completely resistant topenetration; unaffected; unreceptive; immune.
With the protection of his mother's love, Harry was impervious to the fatal curse Voldemort put on him.
Implicit adj. Understood but not stated.
Ron/Hermione shippers take pride in Ron and Hermione's implicit attraction to each other.
Incarcerate To imprison; to confine
Harry is incarcerated to a lifetime of fame for something he wishes had never happened.
Incessant adj. Uninterrupted;continuous.
Hermione was disappointed that no one took her incessant demands for house-elf rights seriously.
Incidental adj. Not essential; minor.
What are first perceived as incidental events in the Harry Potter series often turn out to be central to the plot.
Incongruous adj. Not fitting; absurd.
The incongruity of a romance between Draco and Hermione is what makes the ship so appealing to some people.
Incontrovertible adj. Indisputable.
Sadly, a comment made by JKR dismissing any chance of a romance between Draco and Hermione serves as incontrovertible evidence that the pairing will never happen in canon.
Incorrigible adj . Uncorrectable.
Voldemort is empty of love and therefore an incorrigible villain.
Ingenuous adj . Na