vocabulary words

Noun

vocabulary word (plural vocabulary words)

1. (US) A word which a student is expected to learn; a word included in a test of one's general vocabulary or of subject-specific terminology
   • The teacher then held up a real food item of each vocabulary word and asked the students to repeat each word in Spanish.2010 June, Stella Erbes et al., "Understanding How Cognitive Psychology Can Inform and Improve Spanish Vocabulary Acquisition in High School Classrooms." Journal of Instructional Psychology v.37 n.2...

   Synonyms:

   vocabulary item

2. (US, broadly, informal) A newly learned word; a sophisticated or pretentious word
   • They are — here's a new vocabulary word — anadromous, which means that when it's time for them to spawn, they return to the fresh water where they were born.2013 February 27, Bonny Wolf, “The Shad Are Running”, in National Public Radio
3. An ordinary dictionary word, as opposed to a name or neologism
   • Donna—Of recent origin (not found as a name before the 1920s). Derived from the Italian vocabulary word donna "lady" and also used as a feminine form of Donald.2014 July 1, Hayley Hudson, “Here's The Original Meaning Of 100 Common English Names”, in Business Insider