UNIT1
BELL COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD MEANING "WAR." BELLONA WAS THE LITTLE-KNOWN
ROMAN GODDESS OF WAR; HER HUSBAND, MARS, WAS THE GOD OF WAR.
ANTEBELLUM, BELLICOSE, BELLIGERENCE, REBELLION
PAC/PEAS IS RELATED TO THE LATIN WORDS FOR "AGREE" AND "PEACE." THE PACIFIC
OCEAN-THAT IS, THE "PEACEFUL OCEAN"-WAS NAMED BY MAGELLAN BECAUSE IT SEEMED
SO CALM AFTER THE STORMS NEAR CARP HORN. (HE OBVIOUSLY NEVER WITNESSED A
PACIFIC HURRICANE.)
PACIFY, PACIFIST, PACT, APPEASE,
HOSP/HOST COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD HOPES AND ITS STEM HOSPITAL- MEANING
BOTH 'HOST' AND 'GUEST.' MANY WORDS BASED ON IT CAME TO ENGLISH THROUGH
FRENCH, WHICH OFTEN DROPPED THE -PI-, LEAVING HOST-. HOSPITALITY WAS ONCE A
HOUSE FOR RELIGIOUS PILGRIMS AND OTHER TRAVELERS, OR A HOME FOR THE AGED.
HOSTAGE, HOSPICE, HOSTILE, INHOSPITABLE
AM/IM COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD AMARE, 'TO LOVE.' AMIABLE MEANS 'FRIENDLY
OR GOOD-NATURED, ' AND AMIGO IS SPANISH FOR 'FRIEND.'
AMICABLE, ENAMORED, INIMICAL, PARAMOUR
CRIM COMES FROM THE LATIN FOR 'FAULT OR CRIME' OR 'ACCUSATION,' AND
PRODUCES SUCH ENGLISH WORDS AS CRIME AND CRIMINAL.
CRIMINOLOGY, DECRIMINALIZE, INCRIMINATE, RECRIMINATION
PROB/PROV COMES FROM THE LATIN WORDS FOR 'PROVE OR PROOF' AND 'HONESTY OR
INTEGRITY.' TO PROVE A STATEMENT IS TO 'MAKE IT HONEST,' AND PROBATE COURT
IS WHERE THE GENUINENESS OF THE WILLS OF DECEASED PEOPLE MUST BE PROVED.
APPROBATION, DISPROVE, PROBITY, REPROBATE
GRAV COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD MEANING 'HEAVY, WEIGHTY, SERIOUS.' THUS, A
GRAVE MATTER IS SERIOUS AND IMPORTANT.
GRAVID, GRAVITIES, GRAVITATE, GRAVITY
LEV COMES FROM THE LATIN ADJECTIVE LEVIS, MEANING 'LIGHT' AND THE VERB
LEAVER, MEANING 'TO RAISE OR LIGHTEN.' LEVITATION IS THE MAGICIAN'S TRICK
IN WHICH A BODY SEEMS TO RISE INTO THE AIR BY ITSELF. AND A LEVER IS A BAR
USED TO LIFT SOMETHING BY MEANS OF LEVERAGE.
ALLEVIATE, ELEVATE, LEAVENING, LEVITY
UNIT2
AG COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD FOR 'DO, GO, LEAD, AND DRIVE’. AN AGENDA IS A
LIST OF THINGS TO BE DONE. AN AGENT IS USUALLY SOMEONE WHO DOES THINGS ON
BEHALF OF ANOTHER, JUST AS AN AGENCY IS AN OFFICE THAT DOES BUSINESS FOR
OTHERS.
AGITATE, LITIGATE, PRODIGAL, SYNAGOGUE
VEN/VENT COMES FROM VENIRE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'COME'. TO INTERVENE IN
A CASE OR AN ARGUMENT IS TO 'COME BETWEEN' THE TWO OPPONENTS. AN AVENUE IS
A STREET, OR ORIGINALLY AN ACCESS ROAD BY WHICH TO 'COME TOWARD' SOMETHING.
GROUPS 'COME TOGETHER' AT A CONVENTION.
ADVENT, PROVENANCE, VENTURESOME, VENUE
CAP/CEP/CIP COMES FROM CAPERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'TAKE, SEIZE.'
CAPTURE, WHICH IS WHAT A CAPTOR DOES TO A CAPTIVE, BUT NOW MEANS ONLY TO
CAPTURE MENTALLY THROUGH CHARM OR APPEAL. IN SOME OTHER ENGLISH WORDS THIS
ROOT PRODUCES, ITS MEANING IS HARDER TO FIND.
RECEPTION, INCIPIENT, PERCEPTIBLE, SUSCEPTIBLE
FIN COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD FOR 'END' OR 'BOUNDARY.' FINAL DESCRIBES LAST
THINGS, AND A FINALE OR A FINISH IS AN ENDING. BUT IT’S MEANING IS HARDER
TO TRACE IN SOME OF THE OTHER ENGLISH WORDS DERIVED FROM IT.
AFFINITY, DEFINITIVE, INFINITESIMAL, FINITE
JAC/JEC COMES FROM JACERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'THROW' OR 'HURL.' TO
REJECT SOMETHING IS TO THROW (OR PUSH) IT BACK. TO EJECT SOMETHING IS TO
THROW (OR DRIVE) IT OUT. TO OBJECT IS TO THROW SOMETHING IN THE WAY OF
SOMETHING ELSE.
ADJACENT, CONJECTURE, DEJECTED, TRAJECTORY
TRACT COMES FROM TRAHERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'DRAG OF DRAW'. SOMETHING
ATTRACTIVE DRAWS US TOWARD IT. A TRACTOR DRAGS OTHER VEHICLES BEHIND IT,
WITH THE HELP OF THE TRACTION OF ITS WHEELS.
DETRACT, PROTRACTED, RETRACTION, INTRACTABLE
DUC, FROM THE LATIN VERB DUCERE, 'TO LEAD,' SHOWS UP CONSTANTLY IN ENGLISH.
DUKE MEANS BASICALLY 'LEADER.' THE ITALIAN DICTATOR MUSSOLINI WAS KNOWN
SIMPLY AS 'II DUCE.' BUT SUCH WORDS AS PRODUCE AND REDUCE ALSO CONTAIN THE
ROOT, EVEN THOUGH THEIR MEANINGS SHOW IT LESS CLEARLY.
CONDUCIVE, DEDUCTION, INDUCE, SEDUCTION
SEC/SEQU COMES FROM THE LATIN VERB SEQUI, MEANING 'TO FOLLOW.' A SEQUEL
FOLLOWS THE ORIGINAL NOVEL, FILM, OR TELEVISION SHOW. THE SECOND FOLLOWS
THE FIRST. BUT A NON SEQUITUR IS A CONCLUSION THAT DOES 'NOT FOLLOW' FROM
WHAT WAS SAID BEFORE.
CONSEQUENTIAL, EXECUTE, OBSEQUIOUS, SEQUENTIAL
UNIT3
AMBI/AMPHI MEANS 'ON BOTH SIDES' OR 'AROUND'; AMBI- COMES FROM LATIN AND
AMPHI- FROM GREEK. AN AMBIDEXTROUS PERSON CAN USE THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT
HAND EQUALLY WELL. AN AMPHIBIAN, SUCH AS A FROG OR SALAMANDER, IS ABLE TO
LIVE AND BREATHE BOTH ON LAND AND IN THE WATER.
AMBIGUOUS, AMBIENT, AMBIVALENT, AMPHITHEATER
EP/EPI COMES FROM GREEK AND MEANS VARIOUSLY 'UPON,' 'BESIDES,' 'ATTACHED
TO', 'OVER,' 'OUTER,’ OR 'AFTER'. AN EPIPHENOMENON IS A PHENOMENON THAT
OCCURS AS A RESULT OF THE ORIGINAL PHENOMENON. AN EPICENTER IS THE PORTION
OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE DIRECTLY OVER THE FOCUS OF AN EARTHQUAKE. THE
EPIDERMIS IS
THE OUTER LAYER OF THE SKIN, OVERLYING THE INNER LAYER OR 'DERMIS.'
EPHEMERAL, EPIPHYTE, EPITAPH, EPITHET
HYPO/HYP AS A PREFIX CAN MEAN VARIOUSLY 'UNDER,' 'BENEATH,' 'DOWN,'
OR 'BELOW NORMAL.' MANY HYPO- WORDS ARE MEDICAL. A HYPODERMIC NEEDLE
INJECTS MEDICATION UNDER THE SKIN. HYPOTENSION, OR LOW BLOOD PRESSURE, CAN
BE JUST AS UNHEALTHY AS HYPERTENSION, AND HYPOGLYCEMIA, LOW BLOOD SUGAR,
JUST AS UNHEALTHY AS DIABETES.
HYPOCHONDRIAC, HYPOCRISY, HYPOTHERMIA, HYPOTHETICAL
THERM/THERMO COMES FROM THE GREEK WORD MEANING 'WARM'. A THERMOMETER
MEASURES THE AMOUNT OF WARMTH IN A BODY, THE AIR, OR AN OVEN; A THERMOSTAT
MAKES SURE THE TEMPERATURE STAYS AT THE SAME LEVEL. IN A THERMODYNAMIC
PROCESS, HEAT AFFECTS THE BEHAVIOR OF ATOMS, PARTICLES, OR MOLECULES.
THERMOELECTRICITY IS PRODUCED BY THE DIRECT ACTION OF HEAT ON CERTAIN
COMBINATIONS OF METALS.
THERMAL, THERMO CLINE, THERMOCOUPLE, THERMONUCLEAR
POLY COMES FROM POLYS, THE GREEK WORD FOR 'MANY,' POLYSYLLABIC WORDS, OF
WHICH THERE ARE A FEW IN THIS BOOK, ARE WORDS OF MANY SYLLABLES. POLYGAMY
IS MARRIAGE IN WHICH ONE HAS MANY SPOUSES, OR AT LEAST MORE THAN THE LEGAL
LIMIT OF ONE. A POLYGRAPH IS AN INSTRUMENT FOR RECORDING VARIATIONS IN MANY
DIFFERENT BODILY PULSATIONS SIMULTANEOUSLY TO REVEAL WHETHER SOMEONE IS
LYING.
POLYCHROMATIC, POLYGLOT, POLYMER, POLYPHONY
PRIM COMES FROM PRIMUS, THE LATIN WORD FOR 'FIRST'. SOMETHING THAT IS
PRIMARY IS FIRST IN TIME, DEVELOPMENT, RANK, OR IMPORTANCE.
A PRIMER IS A BOOK OF FIRST INSTRUCTIONS ON A SUBJECT. A PRIMATE IS A
BISHOP OR ARCHBISHOP OF THE FIRST RANK-BUT ALSO A MONKEY OR APE.
SOMETHING PRIMITIVE IS IN ITS FIRST STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT. SOMETHING
PRIMEVAL HAD ITS ORIGIN IN THE FIRST PERIOD OF WORLD OR HUMAN HISTORY.
PRIMAL, PRECIPITOUS, PRIMOGENITURE, PRIMORDIAL
HOM/HOMO COMES FROM HOMOS, THE GREEK WORD FOR 'SAME.' IN AN ENGLISH WORD IT
CAN MEAN 'ONE AND THE SAME' OR 'SIMILAR' OR 'ALIKE', A HOMOGRAPH IS ONE OF
TWO OR MORE WORDS SPELLED ALIKE BUT DIFFERENT IN MEANING OR DERIVATION OR
PRONUNCIATION. A HOMOSEXUAL IS A PERSON WHO EXHIBITS SEXUAL DESIRE TOWARD
OTHERS OF THE SAME SEX.
HOMONYM, HOMOGENEOUS, HOMOLOGOUS, HOMOPHONE
DIS COMES FROM LATIN, WHERE IT MEANS 'APART.' IN ENGLISH, ITS MEANINGS HAVE
INCREASED TO INCLUDE 'DO THE OPPOSITE OF '(AS IN DISESTABLISH), 'DEPRIVE
OF ' (AS IN DISFRANCHISE), 'EXCLUDE OR EXPEL FROM’ (DISBAR), 'THE OPPOSITE
OR ABSENCE OF '(DISUNION, DISAFFECTION),
'NOT’ (DISAGREEABLE), AND ‘COMPLETELY’ (DISANNUL). THE ORIGINAL MEANING
CAN STILL BE SEEN IN A WORD LIKE DISSIPATE, WHICH MEANS ' TO BREAK UP AND
SCATTER.'
DIFFRACTION, DISSENSION, DISSEMINATE, DISSIPATE
UNIT4
VOR, FROM THE LATIN VERB VORARE, MEANS 'TO EAT'. THE ENDING
-IVOROUS SHOWS UP IN WORDS THAT REFER TO EATERS OF CERTAIN KINDS OF FOOD.
FRUGIVOROUS (FOR 'FRUIT-EATING') ARE SOMEWHAT COMMON. SOME -IVOROUS WORDS
SUCH AS INSECTIVOROUS AND NECTARIVOROUS, ARE EASY TO UNDERSTAND AT A
GLANCE. OTHERS CAN GET PRETTY COMPLEX; INSECTS THAT FEED ON THE SAP OF
PLANTS, FOR INSTANCE, ARE PHYTOSUCCIVOROUS.
CARNIVOROUS, HERBIVOROUS, OMNIVOROUS, VORACIOUS
CARN COMES FROM THE LATIN CARN-, THE STEM OF CARO, 'FLESH,' AND WORDS
INCLUDING THIS ROOT USUALLY REFER TO FLESH IN SOME FORM. THE WORD
CARNIVORE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH WE MET IN THE PRECEDING SECTION, MEANS 'AN
EATER OF MEAT.'
CARNAGE, CARNAL, CARNIVAL, INCARNATION
CRED COMES FROM CREDERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'TO BELIEVE.' IF SOMETHING
IS CREDIBLE IT IS BELIEVABLE, AND IF IT IS INCREDIBLE IT IS ALMOST
UNBELIEVABLE. WE HAVE A GOOD CREDIT RATING WHEN INSTITUTIONS BELIEVE IN OUR
ABILITY TO REPAY A LOAN, AND WE CARRY CREDENTIALS SO THAT OTHERS WILL
BELIEVE WE ARE WHO WE SAY WE ARE.
CREDENCE, CREDITABLE, CREDULITY, CREED
FID COMES FROM FIDES, THE LATIN WORD FOR FAITH. FIDELITY IS ANOTHER WORD
FOR 'FAITHFULNESS.' CONFIDENCE IS HAVING FAITH IN SOMEONE OR SOMETHING. AND
AN INFIDEL IS SOMEONE WHO LACKS A PARTICULAR KIND OF RELIGIOUS FAITH.
AFFIDAVIT, DIFFIDENT, FIDUCIARY, PERFIDY
CURR/CURS COMES FROM CURRERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'TO RUN'. ALTHOUGH THE
SENSE OF SPEED MAY BE LACKING FROM WORDS BASED ON THIS ROOT, THE SENSE OF
MOVEMENT REMAINS. CURRENT, FOR INSTANCE, REFERS TO RUNNING WATER IN A
STREAM OR RIVER. AND AN EXCURSION IS A TRIP FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
CONCURRENT, CURSORY, DISCURSIVE, PRECURSOR
PED COMES FROM THE LATIN PED-, THE STEM OF PES, MEANING 'FOOT,' WHICH IS
RELATED TO THE GREEK POD- AND POUS, WITH THE SAME MEANING. FROM PED- WE GET
PEDICURE, 'CARE OF THE FEET, TOES, AND TOENAILS. ' FROM POD- WE GET
PODIATRIST, 'A FOOT DOCTOR.'
EXPEDIENT, EXPEDITE, IMPEDIMENT, PEDESTRIAN
FLECT/FLEX COMES FROM FLECTERE, THE LATIN VERB MEANING 'TO BEND.' THINGS
THAT ARE FLEXIBLE CAN BE BENT. WHEN LIGHT IS REFLECTED, IT IS BENT AND
BOUNCES BACK TO US.
DEFLECT, FLEXOR, GENUFLECT, INFLECTION
POST COMES FROM A LATIN WORD MEANING 'AFTER' OR 'BEHIND.' A POSTSCRIPT IS A
NOTE THAT COMES AFTER AN OTHERWISE COMPLETED LETTER, USUALLY AS AN
AFTERTHOUGHT. POSTPARTUM REFERS TO THE PERIOD FOLLOWING CHILDBIRTH AND ALL
OF ITS RELATED EVENTS AND COMPLICATIONS. TO POSTDATE A CHECK IS TO FIVE IT
A DATE AFTER THE DAY WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN.
POSTERIOR, POSTHUMOUS, POSTMODERN, POSTMORTEM
