BREAKDOWN: CIS- (to cut) + -URA (state of)

• caesural means of or pertaining to a pause in a line of verse

See also: excise, rescind

“Tallis says that the greatest music ever written is the silence between the Crucifixus and the Resurrexus est in Bach’s Mass in B minor. Yes; and I would add that some of the greatest writing mankind has ever produced comes in the caesura, the pause between words.” —Madeleine L’Engle

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: PENS- (to consider or weigh) + -ANT (state of)

• pendant can mean a hanging piece of jewelry, a hanging light source, or anything hanging [SAME ROOTS]

See also: dispensation, pensive, propensity

“History, too, has a penchant for giving birth to itself over and over again, and those whom it appoints agents of change and progress do not always accept their destinies willingly.” —Aberjhani

• motley as an noun defers to the fancifully varicolored clothing of a jester or fool

BREAKDOWN: The word motley entered usage in the late 14th century, primarily to describe the mismatched and colorful costumes of court jesters and fools. Shakespeare solidified its place in English with his inclusion of the phrase “motley fool” in As You Like It. Motley can be clearly connected to the Anglo-French motteley and Middle English motle, but its true origins are uncertain. Some records connect motley to mote, meaning small particle or speck.

“The clown knows that life is cruel. The ancient jester’s motley colored costume turned his usually melancholy expression in to a joke. The clown is used to loss. Loss is his prologue.” —John Berger

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily or obviously derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: VIS- (to see) + -ION (act or state) + -ARY (pertaining to)

• a visionary is someone who either shows great foresight or is given to highly imaginative and impractical ideas

See also: visage

“The difference between a dreamer and a visionary is that a dreamer has his eyes closed and a visionary has his eyes open.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

BREAKDOWN: CON- (with) + JUG- (to join) + -ATE (to make or do)

• a conjugate in math is created by changing the sign between two terms in a binomial expression, usually to rationalize a denominator or eliminate an imaginary number [kon-juh-git]

• conjugation is the whole set of forms for a verb; the act of demonstrating verbal forms; a state of being joined together

See also: subjugation

“In life one must decide whether to conjugate the verb to have or the verb to be.” —Franz Liszt

WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. lumbering | 2. dichotomy | 3. procure | 4. beleaguer | 5. sullen | 6. meretricious

_______ To get or gain

_______ Grumpy or glum

_______ Ungainly and unwieldy

_______ Split or separation

_______ Showy or spurious

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. meretricious | 2. beleaguered | 3. procure | 4. dichotomy | 5. sullenness

“The great apparent _______ is that the more we give, the more we get.” —Stephen Covey

“An important job of the critic is to savage what is mediocre or _______.” —Susan Sontag

“All my life, people have taken my shyness for _______, snobbery, bad temper of one sort or another.” —Donna Tartt

“The wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to _______; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.” —Epicurus

“I can be alone without being lonely. In fact, those times of solitude are necessary respite for a _______ soul, set upon by the pressures of life. I need to take whatever moments I can to just be still.” —Steve Goodier

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

SOL- (_______) + -EN (relating to)

BE- (_______) + LEGER- (camp)

PRO- (in behalf of) + CUR- (_______)

MERIT- (_______) + -[R]ICIOUS (full of)

DI[CH]- (two) + TOM- (_______) + -Y (act or state)

Scroll down for answers. But first, make sure you know why SCRUPLES are like small stones in your shoe…

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BREAKDOWN: JURIS- (law) + DICT- (speak) + -ION (state or act of)

• jurisdictional means relating to the territory or sphere of activity over which legal decisions and judgements can be made

See also: benediction, valedictory, vindictive

“The people are what matter to government, and a government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best possible life.” —Frances Perkins

BREAKDOWN: MERIT- (value, share) + -[R]ICIOUS (full of)

• meretricious as a legal term also means cohabiting but having no legal marital relationship

“The causes of war are always falsely represented; its honor is dishonest and its glory meretricious, but the challenge to spiritual endurance, the intense sharpening of all the senses, the vitalizing consciousness of common peril for a common end, remain to allure those boys and girls who have just reached the age when love and friendship and adventure call more persistently than at any later time.” —Vera Brittain

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: BE- (around) + LEGER- (camp)

• beleaguered means experienced difficulty, harassment, or opposition

See also: allay

“What’s the point of being old if you can’t beleaguer the young with your vast stores of wisdom? And what’s the point of being young if you can’t ignore all advice?” —Laini Taylor

• lumbering as a noun refers to the industrial, economic activity of cutting, transporting, and processing timber

• lumber means to move in a slow, plodding, or stumbling manner or to cut down and process trees for commercial use

• lumber as a noun refers to timber prepared for building and construction

• lumbersome means heavy, bulky, and unwieldy

BREAKDOWN: The word lumber is formed from the Swedish loma meaning move slowly or walk heavily. There may be an original connection to the root LEM- meaning to break in pieces in words like lame. Interestingly, the usage of lumber to describe timber cut into planks and boards followed from the original meaning of heavy and clumsy movement on the basis of how awkward wood and furniture are to manage.

“A horse loves freedom, and the weariest old work horse will roll on the ground or break into a lumbering gallop when he is turned loose into the open.” —Gerry Rafferty

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily or obviously derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: SOL- (alone) + -EN (relating to)

sullenness is a state of gloom, resentment, or irritability

See also: desolate, solipsism

“Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance - the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.” —Thomas Carlyle

BREAKDOWN: DI[CH]- (two) + TOM- (to cut) + -Y (act or state)

• dichotomize means to regard or represent as contrasting, contradictory, or binary

• dichotomous means of, pertaining to, or marked by two distinct, mutually exclusive options or outcomes

See also: epitomize

“Never permit a dichotomy to rule your life, a dichotomy in which you hate what you do so you can have pleasure in your spare time. Look for a situation in which your work will give you as much happiness as your spare time.” —Pablo Picasso

WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. comestible | 2. inadvertent | 3. stipulate | 4. treachery | 5. disconsolate | 6. fortuity

_______ Distraught or dejected

_______ To specify or spell out

_______ Cuisine or chow

_______ Chance or kismet

_______ Unintended or unwitting

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. agent | 2. stipulation | 3. inconsolable | 4. inadvertently | 5. treacherous

“_______ people do not last; only memories of their treason last.” —Amit Abraham

“Any time a _______ on love is present, unconditional love is not.” —Molly Friedenfeld

“I tell people that I’ve now done one decent thing in my life. Albeit _______.” —Larry David

“We suffer for the simple reason that suffering is biologically useful. It is nature’s preferred _______ for inspiring change.” —Mark Manson

“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is _______.” —Sydney J. Harris

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

FORTU- (_______) + -ITY (state of)

COM- (with) + ES- (_______) + -IBLE (able to be)

IN- (not) + AD- (towards) + VERT- (_______) + -ENT (being)

DIS- (away) + CON- (with) + SOLA- (_______) + -ATE (being)

AG- (_______) + -ENT (one who does) + -IC (characterized by)

Scroll down for answers. But first, check out how many useful words are related to sheep, goats, cows, and other ruminants…

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BREAKDOWN: PRO- (in behalf of) + CUR- (care for)

• procurement is the act or process of finding and acquiring goods or services

• a procurator is someone appointed or employed to manage the affairs of another

“The way to procure insults is to submit to them. A man meets with no more respect than he exacts.” —William Hazlitt

Students taking the first SAT of the new year definitely encountered challenging vocabulary words, including many we’ve seen before. Thanks to all the self-prep superstars on the r/SAT subreddit—led by supermod yodatsracist—who shared the most perplexing vocabulary they encountered on the U.S. and International administrations of the March SAT.

✅ Here are the challenging March 2026 words we’ve already featured on Roots2Words:

amenable (adj) - ready and willing to accept, agree, or cooperate; suggestible, controllable, or yielding
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + MEN- (threaten) + -ABLE (able to be)

analogous (adj) - comparable in certain respects or similar in some way to something else 👉 second time in a row 👈
BREAKDOWN: ANA- (according to) + LOG- (reason) + -OUS (full of)

anomalous (adj) - abnormal, peculiar, or irregular; deviating or departing from the common order, form, or rule
BREAKDOWN: AN- (not) + HOMO- (same) + -AL (pertaining to) + -OUS (full of)

cryptic (adj) - hidden, concealed, secret, or mysterious; having hidden meaning
BREAKDOWN: CRYPT- (hidden) + -IC (characterized by)

hinder (verb) - to hold or set back; to impede, delay, or prevent
BREAKDOWN: HIND- (back) + -ER (to do)

iconoclasm (noun) - the belief in or act of attacking or destroying institutions, idols, and monuments
BREAKDOWN: ICON- (image or figure) + CLAS- (to break)

lethargic (adj) - feeling very listless, tired, or disinterested; torpid
BREAKDOWN: LETH- (forgetfulness) + ARG- (idle) + -IC (characterized by)

multifarious (adj) - varied, diverse, or manifold
BREAKDOWN: MULTI- (many) + -FARIOUS (in ways)

obstinate (adj) - stubbornly sticking to an opinion or course of action; inflexible; difficult to manage or control
BREAKDOWN: OB- (against) + STIN- (stand) + -ATE (inclined to)

occlude (verb) - to cause to become closed; to obstruct or hide; to shut in or out
BREAKDOWN: OC- (against) + CLUD- (shut)

perfunctory (adj) - performed with a minimum of effort or interest; cursory, hasty, or superficial
BREAKDOWN: PER- (through) + FUNCT- (perform) + -ORY (involving)

pertinent (adj) - relevant or applicable
BREAKDOWN: PER- (thoroughly) + TIN- (hold) + -ENT (being)

refute (verb) - to prove wrong or false through evidence or argument; to reject or deny
BREAKDOWN: RE- (back) + FUT- (to beat)

retrospect (noun/verb) - contemplation of the past; to look back on
BREAKDOWN: RETRO- (back) + SPEC- (look)

ubiquitous (adj) - seeming to appear or exist everywhere; omnipresent
—ubiquity is the act or the state of being or seeming to be everywhere
🔥🔥 Top 15 SAT Word of 2025 🔥🔥
BREAKDOWN: The Latin ubique meaning everywhere—UBI meaning where and QUE- which can mean many things but, in this case, means both every and also maybe where

unequivocal (adj) - unambiguous; clear; unquestionable
BREAKDOWN: UN- (not) + EQUI- (equal) + VOC- (speak) + -AL (pertaining to)

untenable (adj) - unable to be supported, maintained, or held; indefensible or unsustainable
BREAKDOWN: UN- (not) + TEN- (hold) + -ABLE (able to)

✅ Many of the challenging words we haven’t covered (yet) were based on word roots:

annihilate (verb) - to defeat or destroy utterly
BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + NIHIL- (nothing) + -ATE (make or do)

counterfactual (adj) - false or contrary to fact; an alternate or hypothetical scenario
BREAKDOWN: COUNTER- (opposed) + FACT- (state) +-UAL (pertaining to)

entanglement (noun) - the act or state of being ensnared in a complicated situation or relationship
BREAKDOWN: EN- (in) + TANGL- (to enmesh or disorder) + -MENT (state of)

ephemeral (adj) - lasting for a brief time; transitory; short-lived
BREAKDOWN: EPI- (on) HEMER- (day) + -AL (pertaining to)

exemplar (noun) - someone or something that serves as an ideal model or example
BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + EMP- (to take or buy) + -AR (pertaining to)

expedite (verb) - to accelerate the progress of or hasten; to accomplish quickly or efficiently 👉 second time in a row 👈
BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + PED- (foot) + -ITE (to make or do)

halt (noun/verb) - to suspend, cease, or abruptly stop; a sudden termination
BREAKDOWN: HOLD- (to grasp or contain)

haughty (adj) - proud and disdainful; arrogant and egotistical
BREAKDOWN: Based on the root ALI- (to grow)

misconstrue (verb) - to interpret inaccurately or misunderstand
BREAKDOWN: MIS- (wrong) + CON- (together) + STRUE- (to pile up)

multifaceted (adj) - having many sides, aspects, or characteristics; well-rounded and complex
BREAKDOWN: MULTI- (many) + FAC- (face) + -ET (little) + -ED (made of)

paradox (noun) - an idea or state that seems to contradict itself but may reveal a deeper truth
BREAKDOWN: PARA- (contrary to) + DOX- (belief)

protracted (adj) - extended or prolonged; lasting longer than expected
BREAKDOWN: PRO- (forth) + TRACT- (draw or manage) + -ED (state)

substantiate (verb) - to support with evidence or show to be true; to embody or give form to
BREAKDOWN: SUB- (under) + STAN- (stand, be firm) + -IATE (to make)

tantamount (adj) - equivalent in value, meaning, or effect
BREAKDOWN: TANT- (as much) + A- (on) + MOUNT- (mountain)

As usual, every challenging vocabulary word on this test possessed a clear connection to classical roots. Aren’t you glad you follow Roots2Words every day?

✨ If the SAT is in your future, you should learn all of these words. For more Vocab Audits, explore our SAT/ACT Resources page. ✨

“Don’t gobblefunk around with words.” —Roald Dahl

BREAKDOWN: COM- (with) + ES- (to eat) + -IBLE (able to be)

• comestible as an adjective means able to be eaten

See also: anodyne

“As comestibles nourish our bodies and ideas nourish our minds, so art nourishes our souls.” —Alexandra York

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: DIS- (away) + CON- (with) + SOLA- (comfort) + -ATE (being)

• inconsolable means unable to be cheered or comforted; disconsolate

See also: solace

“Envy is of all others the most ungratifying and disconsolate passion. There is power for ambition, pleasure for luxury, and pelf even for covetousness; but envy gets no reward but vexation.” —Jeremy Collier

• stipulate as an adjective means having small leaf-like outgrowths at the base of a leaf stalk

• stipulation is the act or result of reaching an agreement; a promise or provision in a contract

• a stipule is a small leaf-like outgrowth, often paired, found at the base of a petiole or leaf stalk

BREAKDOWN: The word stipulate has two very different meanings that may or may not come from the same place. There is no doubt that the term stipule derives directly from the Latin stipula meaning stalk or straw, which explains the use of stipulate as a modifier. The verb form clearly comes from the Latin stipulari meaning demanded as a formal promise. However, the connections between stipula and stipulari are speculative but possibly connected to an ancient Roman custom where negotiating parties, upon reaching an agreement, broke a straw as a sign of their compact.

“By a declaration of rights, I mean one which shall stipulate freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce against monopolies, trial by juries in all cases, no suspensions of the habeas corpus, no standing armies. These are fetters against doing evil which no honest government should decline.” —Thomas Jefferson

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily or obviously derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: FORTU- (chance or luck) + -ITY (state of)

• fortuitous means happening by accident; unplanned; lucky

“But is not an event in fact more significant and noteworthy the greater the number of fortuities necessary to bring it about? Chance and chance alone has a message for us. everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us.” —Milan Kundera

BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + AD- (towards) + VERT- (turn) + -ENT (being)

• advertent means heedful or attentive

“Whether clear or garbled, tumultuous or silent, deliberate or fatally inadvertent, communication is the ground of meeting and the foundation of community. It is, in short, the essential human connection.” —Ashley Montagu