1. Ninth Grade Vocabulary Unit One

2. Greek root: PHOS ‘LIGHT” PHOTOS

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

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

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

6. Latin root: LUX ‘LIGHT” LUCIS

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

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

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

10. Latin root: SPECERE TO LOOK AT SPECTUM

11. 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

12. 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.

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

14. Latin root: VIDERE TO SEE; TO LOOK VISUM

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

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

17. 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.