WordSkills: Lesson Nine

WordSkills: Lesson Nine

Part One

Word of the day: etymology

•From etumos (true) and logos ( word)

•The eytymology of a word is its literal meaning or definition as well as the origin and historical development

1 alt: other

• alterationalter (other) tion (act of)

• altercationalter (altercari [quarrel] from alter = other) tion (act of)

• alter egoalter (other) ego (self)

2 ann (enn): year• anniversary

ann (year) verse (turn) ary (related to)• perennial

per (through) enn (year) ial (related to)• millennium

mill (thousand) enn (year) ium (act, process)

3 ar (al): pertaining to, related to

• astralastr (star) al (related to)

• circular circ (circle) ar (pertaining to)

• bipolarbi (two) palis (stake) ar (related to)

4 carn: meat, flesh• carnivorous

carn (flesh) vor (eat) ous (full of)• incarnate

in (in, into) carn (flesh) ate (make, do]• carnage

carn (flesh) age (state, quality)

5 corp: body• corpse

corpus (body)• corporal

corp (body) al (pertaining to)• corpulent

corp (body) lent (full of)

• Note: Corporal, meaning lowest noncommissioned officer, derives from caporal<capit (head)

WordSkills: Lesson Nine

Part Two

Word of the day: tawdry• From tawdry lace, a shortened form

of St. Audrey’s lace. The term referred to cheap neclaces sold at a medieval English festival held in honor of St. Audry (or Etheldreda), the queen of Northumbria, who died in 679 of a throat tumor supposedly as punishment for wearing fancy neclaces as a young woman. Today tawdry describes that which is cheap and showy, gaudy, or sleazy in appearance.

6 duc (duct): lead• conduct

con (together, with) duct (lead)• deduce

de (down, from) duc (lead)• production

pro (forth, forward) duct (lead) ion (act of)

7 fact (fect, fic, fy): make, do

• manufacturemanu (hand) fact (make) ure (act of)

• deifydeus (god) fy (make)

• beneficentbene (good) fic (make) ent (full of)

8 ist: (one who)

• perfectionistper (thoroughly) fect (make,do) ion (act of)

ist (one who)• physicist

physi (nature) ist (one who)• linguist

lingu (language) ist (one who)

9 liter: word, letter• literal

liter (word) al (related to)• illiterate

il (not) liter (word,letter) ate (related to)• alliteration

al (very) liter (letter) tion (act of)

10 locut (loqu): talk• loquacious

loqu (talk) cious (having quality of)• eloquent

e (out) loqu (talk) ent (full of) • circumloqution

circum (around) locut (talk) ion (act of)

WordSkills: Lesson Nine

Part Three

Word of the day: ignoramus

• From the Latin legal term meaning “we do not know”. This phrase was written on a bill when the evidence was insufficient to send the case to a trial jury. It came to be used as a noun as a result of the name of a character, Ignoramus, who was an incompetent lawyer in a 1615 play by George Ruggle. Today an ignoramous is an ignorant person.

11 migr: move• migrate

migr (move) ate (make)• emigrant

e (out) migr (move) ant (one who)• immigrant

im (in, into) migr (move) ant (one who)

12 morph: shape• amorphous

a (not, lacking) morph (shape) ous (full of)• polymorphous

poly (many) morph (shape) ous (full of)• morphology

morph (shape) logy (study of)

13 nom: law, rule, principle

• astronomyastro (star) nom (law) y (result of)

• economicseco (house) nom (law) ics (science of)

• taxonomytax (arrange) nom (principle) y (result)

14 onym: name• anonymous

an (without) onym (name) ous (full of)• pseudonym

psudo (false) onym (name)• synonym

syn (same) onym (name)

15 ose: having quality of• bellicose bell (war, fight) ose (having quality of)• morose

moreosus (peevish) ose (having quality of)• verbose

verb (word) ose (having quality of)

WordSkills: Lesson NinePart Four

Word of the day: malapropism

• From the French phrase mal a propos, which means inappropriate. In his 1775 play The Rivals, George Sheridan created a character named Mrs. Malaprop who consistently used language that was inappropriate. For example, she says, “She’s as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile” and “He is the very pineapple of politeness.” Today the word means ludicrous misuse of language.

16 phobia: fear• hydrophobia

hydro (water) phobia (fear)• claustrophobia

claudere (to close) phobia (fear)• monophobia

mono (alone, single) phobia (fear)

17 pli (plic, ply) fold• complicate

com (together) plic (fold) ate (make, do)• pliable

pli (fold) able (capable of)• reply

re (back) ply (fold)

18 rogat: ask• interrogate

inter (between, among) rogat (ask) ate (make,do)

• prerogativepre (before) rogat (ask) ive (that which)

• rogationrogat ( ask) tion (act of) -- prayer or

supplication

19 sens (sent) feel

• sensitivesens (feel) ive (that which)

• insentientin (no, not) sent (feel) ent (full of)

• sentimentalsent (feel) ment (result, process) al

(related to)

20 somn: sleep• insomnia

in (no, not) somn (sleep) ia (state of)• somniferous

somn (sleep) fer (bear, produce) ous (full of)

• somnambulatesomn (sleep) ambul (walk) ate (make, do)

WordSkills: Lesson NinePart Five

Word of the day: effigy

•From the Latin e (out) and fingere (to form or fashion). An effigy is a representation of someone. Fingere is also the base for feign, figment, and figure.

21 spir: breathe• respiration

re (again) spir (breathe) tion (act of) • perspire

per (through) spir (breathe)• expire

ex (out) spir (breathe)• Note: “Perspire” is frequently mispronounced

“PREspire”. Understanding the prefixes should eliminate confusion. In expire the “s” in “spir” is dropped because “x” and “s” are difficult to say together.

22 tact (tang, ting): touch

• tactiletact (touch) ile (capable of, pertaining to)

• tangenttang (touch) ent (full of)

• contingentcon (together, with) ting (touch) ent (full

of)

23 tude: state of• solitude

sol (alone, single) tude (state of)• multitude

multi (many) tude (state of)• gratitude

grat (thanks) tude (state of)

24 vid (vis): see• visual

vis (see) al (related to)• revise

re (again) vis (see)• provident

pro (forth, forward) vid (see) ent (full of)

25 zylo: wood• xylophone

xylo (wood) phon (sound)• xylophagous

xylo (wood) phag (eat) ous (full of)• xylotomy

xylo (wood) tom (cut) y (result of)