Sentences: The ____ of the motion was that the student who had been expelled should be ____. He ____ in his ____ resolution to go on the ____. She could not ____ the pleas of ____ people. He ____ her to alight at the ____. In an ____ you shall ____ what the ____ was that drove me to tempt ____ thus. We had gone but a little ____ when I perceived by the hungry working of his jaws that his ____ was the ____ in the next block. No ____ could cause him to ____. She was ____ in a ____ at the bazaar.
Sentences: ____ of resting in a harbor, the ships were tossed about in an open ____. Little did it ____ him to cling to the old ____. A ____ nestled by the highway. To be known as ____ now stood him in good ____.
Sentences: We ____ them by means of ____ regulations. He ____ them to this course by his mere example. He attended ____ to his duties. You should not ____ your pleasures in this way. The ____ of long effort was telling on him.
Sentences: His appointment is ____ upon his removing this ____ from his name. His ____ is such that no ____ with evil could leave any ____ upon him. The contents were ____. With ____ he hopes to ____ the ____ approval of his auditors. It was a dark ____. The reason is ____.
Sentences: He held the property in ____. He kept the reckoning straight by means of ____ cut in a shingle. He resolved to ____ expenses by visiting the ____ less often. We need not go into ____. The profit lies in the difference between wholesale and ____ prices.
Sentences: Village life and things ____ thereto I shall willingly ____ from. I ____ that precepts of this kind in no sense ____ to public morals. If the gentleman can ____ the consent of his second, the chair will ____ the motion as he restates it. Though your forces may ____ heavy losses, they must ____ their position and ____ the enemy.
Sentences: At the ____ of the railroad stands a beautiful ____ station. The manner in which we may ____ the agreement remains ____. He ____ that rather than yield he would make the negotiations ____. During the second ____ they ____ all the rodents about the school.
Sentences: By the light of the ____ he saw a ____ fowl by the fireside and a ____ in the cupboard. The ____ of his countenance was due to the ____ he was undergoing. ____ his face into a very knowing look, he ____ that a man with a ____ in his buttonhole and ____ shell glasses on his nose had leered at the girls as he passed.
Sentences: In an ____ manner he drove the ____ across a large ____ of ground. He ____ his gaze at the ____ girl. The ____ was now willing to ____ his statement that in the house as it stood there was no ____ of departure from the specifications. Down the weary ____ of the pioneer dashes the palatial modern ____. To be ____ was one of his ____. The artist ____ her as in a ____ state. The ____ of his forces ____ but little from his fame.
Sentences: The legislature ____ in order to pass a measure regarding the public ____. At the ____ the wily old politician was able to ____ his enemies. The ____ saw no means of ____ this infringement of his patent right. In that ____ we are likely to have an ____. Through the long, shaded ____ they strolled together.
Sentences: Though he carried a large ____ of goods, he was ____ to ____ them. He had ____ forgotten that it was his wedding ____. The ____ was on ____ subjects. They ____ a broad area where nothing had been done to ____ the danger that threatened them. With ____ stubbornness he held to his ____ of the story. He held that the reading of ____ is ____ of masculine qualities. His professors at the ____ soon ____ him to new social and economic theories. Her husband was such a ____ creature that she resolved to secure a ____. Americans are the most ____ people in the ____. The anecdote ____ his ____ himself. Her answer not only was ____, it revealed her ____. He had undergone grave ____ in his time.
Sentences: He was ____ that the campaign against the rebels in the ____ could not be ____. He ____ a lively interest in my theory that the fugitive could not be ____. He felt an ____ repugnance to ____ the man, and this in spite of his ____ that the man was guilty.
Sentences: He was a ____ ____ of the measure, but no sooner was the order issued than he wished it ____. In ____ the assembly he ____ the enthusiasm of his followers. That he should give ____ utterance to this thought ____ me; but the words, once spoken, were ____.
Sentences: It ____ upon me to put down the ____. In this ____ the heroine is ____ and the hero handy with a ____. He was ____ in a ____ uprising. He had laid the papers away in a ____. The ____ of civilization is a tedious story.
Copy both sections (the first consists of fairly familiar terms, the second of less familiar terms) of each of the following word-groups. Find the key-syllable, underscore it in each word, observe any modifications in its form. Decide for yourself what its meaning is; then verify or correct your conclusion by reference to the dictionary. Study the influence of the key-syllable upon the meaning of each separate word; find the word's original signification, its present signification. Add to each word-group as many cognate words as you can (1) think of for yourself, (2) find in the dictionary by looking under the key-syllable. Fill the blanks in the sentences after each word-group with terms chosen from the first section of words in that group.
(1) Animosity, unanimous, magnanimity; (2) animate, animadvert, equanimity.
Sentences: It was the ____ opinion that to so noble a foe ____ should be shown. The spiteful man continued to display his ____.
(1) Annual, annuity, anniversary, perennial, centennial, solemn; (2) superannuate, biennial, millennium.
Sentences: The amateur gardener made the ____ discovery that the plant was a ____. The ____ celebration of the great man's birth took a ____ and imposing form in our city. By a happy coincidence the increase in his ____ came on his wedding ____.
(1) Audit, auditor, auditorium, audience, inaudible, obey; (2) aurist, auricular, auscultation.
Sentences: His voice may not have been ____, but it certainly did not fill the ____. Not one ____ in all that vast ____ but was willing to ____ his slightest suggestion. He was not willing that they should ____ his accounts.
(1) Automatic, automobile, autocrat, autobiography; (2) autograph, autonomy.
Sentences: The ____ dictated to his secretary the third chapter of his ____. The habit of changing gear properly in an ____ becomes almost ____.
(1) Cant, descant, incantation, chant, enchant, chanticleer, accent, incentive; (2) canto, canticle, cantata, recant, chantry, chanson, precentor.
Sentences: He ____ upon this topic in a queer, foreign ____. Such utterances are mere sanctimonious ____; I had rather listen to the ____ of a voodoo conjurer. The little girl from the city was ____ with the crowing of ____. The ____ of the choir somehow gave him the ____ to try again.
(1) Cent, per cent, century, centennial; (2) centenary, centime, centurion, centimeter, centigrade.
Sentences: For nearly a ____ this family has been living on a small ____ of its income. I wouldn't give a ____ for ____ honors; I want my reward now.
(1) Chronic, chronological, chronicle; (2) chronometer, synchronize, anachronism.
Sentences: It is a ____ record of changing activities and ____ ills. This page is a ____ of athletic news.
(1) Corps, corpse, corporal, corpulent, corporation, incorporate; (2) corpus, habeas corpus, corporeal, corpuscle, Corpus Christi.
Sentences: The ____ gentleman said he did not believe in ____ punishment. The hospital ____ carried the ____ into the office of a great ____. He resolved to ____ this idea into the reforms he was introducing.
(1 and 2 combined) Creed, credulous, credential, credit, accredit, discredit, incredible.
Sentences: He was not so ____ as to suppose that his ____ would be accepted and his statements ____ without some investigation. It is to his ____ that he refused to be bound by his former religious ____. That such ____ has been heaped upon him is ____.
(1) Crescent, increase, decrease, concrete, recruit, accrue, crew; (2) crescendo, excrescence, accretion, increment.
Sentences: The ____ now had ____ evidence that military life was not altogether pleasant. In the olden days on the sea deaths from scurvy might bring about a dangerous ____ in the size of the ____. His courage ____ with the profits that ____ to him. The ____ moon rode in the sky.
(1) Cure, secure, procure, sinecure, curious, inaccurate; (2) curate, curator.
Sentences: Occupying the position for a while will ____ you of the notion that it is a ____. He was ____ to know so a bookkeeper had managed to ____ so high a salary. He ____ the equipment required.
(1 and 2 combined) Indignity, indignation, undignified, condign, deign, dainty.
Sentences: We must not be too ____ about visiting ____ punishment upon those responsible for this ____. He did not ____ to express his ____. It was an ____ act.
(1) Durable, endure, during, duration, obdurate; (2) durance, duress, indurate, perdurable.
Sentences: ____ the whole interview she remained ____. It is a ____ cloth; it will ____ all sorts of weather. The session was one of prolonged ____.
(1) Finite, infinite, define, definite, confine, final, in fine, unfinished; (2) definitive, infinitesimal.
Sentences: One cannot ____ the ____. He ____ himself to purely ____ topics. ____ it was a ____ offer and the ____ one he expected to make. The bridge is still ____.
(1) Flexibility, inflexible, deflect, inflection, reflection, reflex; (2) circumflex, genuflection.
Sentences: The ____ influence of this act was great. I did not like the ____ of his voice. After some ____ he decided to remain ____. He was not to be ____ from his purpose. I could but admire the ____ of her tones.
(1) Fluent, affluent, influence, influenza, superfluous, fluid, influx, flush (rush of water), fluctuate; (2) confluent, mellifluous, flux, reflux, effluvium, flume.
Sentences: When you ____ the basin, an ____ of water fills it again. He is an ____ man and a ____ writer. When I had ____, the doctor gave me a disgusting ____ to drink. The wind must have an ____ in making the waves ____ as they do. Any more would be ____.
(1) Fort, forte, effort, comfort, fortitude, fortify, fortress; (2) aqua fortis, pianoforte.
Sentences: The defenders of the ____ held out with great ____. Though a ____ or two stood at important passes, the border was not really ____. His ____ was not public speaking. It was the only by an ____ that he could ____ them.
(1) Fraction, infraction, fracture, fragility, fragment, suffrage, frail, infringe; (2) diffract, refractory, frangible.
Sentences: It was in the course of his ____ of the rules that he suffered the ____ of his collar-bone. He told the committee of ladies that he was as fond of ____ as of ____. It is hardly a proof of ____ that he is so willing to ____ upon the rights of others. The ____ scaffolding bent and swung as he trod it.
(1 and 2 combined) Fugitive, fugue, refuge, subterfuge, centrifugal.
Sentences: Closing his eyes as if to listen better to the ____ was a little ____ of his. The upward movement of the missile was arrested by the ____ attraction of the earth. The ____ took ____ in an abandoned barn.
(1) Refund, confound, foundry, confuse, suffuse, profuse, refuse, diffuse; (2) fusion, effusion, transfuse.
Sentences: With ____ cheeks and ____ utterance he made a ____ apology. The amount we lost through the defective work at your ____ should be ____ to us. Such a blow might ____ but not ____ him. He ____ the appointment.
(1) Belligerent, gesture, suggest, congested, digestion, register, jest; (2) gerund, congeries.
Sentences: As he stopped before the cash ____ he gave a ____ which showed that his ____ was none too good. His look was ____, but he lightly made a ____. Amid the ____ traffic she stopped to ____ that pink would be more becoming than lavender.
(1) Relate, translate, legislate, elation, dilated, dilatory; (2) collate, correlate, prelate, oblation, superlative, ablative.
Sentences: With ____ eyes he ____ the passage for me. The ____ was very ____ in agreeing upon the measure to be passed. He ____ the story with pride and ____.
(1) Locate, locality, locomotive, dislocate; (2) locale, allocate, collocation.
Sentences: In trying to ____ the mine as near the fissure as possible he fell and ____ his hip. It was only ____ in that entire ____.
(1) Soliloquy, loquacious, loquacity, colloquial, eloquent, obloquy, circumlocution, elocution; (2) magniloquent, grandiloquent, ventriloquism, interlocutor, locutory, allocution. (For relatedlogandologywords see above under Prying Into a Word's Relationships.)
Sentences: ____ always, he indulged at this time in a great deal of ____. Though it was mere ____, yet there was something ____ about it. Amid all this ____ he managed to rid himself of a good deal of ____ regarding Standish. Hamlet's ____ on suicide is a famous passage.
(1) Allude, elude, delude, ludicrous, illusory, collusion; (2) prelude, postlude, interlude.
Sentences: Such evidence is ____, and belief in it is ____. He ____ to a possible ____ between them. The more credulous ones he ____, and the skeptical he manages to ____.
(1) Metrical, thermometer, barometer, pedometer, diametrically, geometry; (2) millimeter, chronometer, hydrometer, trigonometry, pentameter.
Sentences: He was careful to consult both the ____ and the ____. He always wore a ____ on these trips. The two were ____ opposed to each other. The poet has great ____ skill. ____ is an exact science.
(1) Monotone, monotonous, monoplane, monopoly, monocle, monarchy, monogram, monomania; (2) monosyllable, monochrome, monogamy, monorail, monograph, monolith, monody, monologue, monad, monastery, monk.
Sentences: His eye held a ____, his gold ring bore a ____ seal, and his voice was a stilted ____. One thing I hate about a ____ is the ____ reference to everything as his majesty's. He had a ____ of the trade in his town. He is suffering, not from madness, but from ____.
(1) Mortal, immortality, mortify, postmortem, mortgage, morgue; (2) mortmain, moribund, À la mort.
Sentences: After a hasty ____ examination, the body was taken to the ____. She was ____ at this reminder of the ____ on her father's property. The ____ shall put on ____.
(1 and 2 combined) Mutual, mutation, permutation, commute, transmute, immutable, moult.
Sentences: As he ____ that morning he reflected upon the ____ and combinations of fortune. We suffer the ____ of this worldly life, but ourselves are not ____. God's love is ____, and our love for each other should be ____. Birds when they ____ are weakened in body and depressed in spirit.
(1) Native, prenatal, innate, nature, unnatural, naturalize, nation, pregnant, puny; (2) denatured, nativity, cognate, agnate, nascent, renascence, née.
Sentences: It was some ____ influence, he thought, that gave him his ____ physique. It was a ____ reply, but its heartlessness was ____. He was not ____ to the country, but ____. ____ in his ____ was the love of his own ____.
(1) Note, notion, notable, notice, notorious, cognizant, incognito, recognize, noble, ignoble, ennoble, ignore, ignorance, ignoramus, reconnoiter, quaint, acquaintance; (2) notary, notation, connotation, cognition, prognosticate, reconnaissance, connoisseur.
Sentences: In complete ____ of the enemy's position, he decided that he would ____ it. ____ himself, he was ____ of what was going on about him. You must ____ the conduct of such an ____. His ____ with this ____ gentleman ____ him. He ____ but would not ____ this ____ fellow. The ____ is a ____ one. He could but ____ how ____ his brother had become.
(1) Panacea, panoply, panorama, pantomime, pan-American, pandemonium; (2) pantheist, pantheon.
Sentences: Arrayed in all the ____ of savages, they acted the scene out in ____. From this point the ____ of the country-side unrolled itself before him. It is no ____ for human ills; any supposition that it is will lead to ____. It is a ____ movement.
(1) Peter, petrify, petrol, stormy petrel, petroleum, saltpeter, pier; (2) petrology, parsley, samphire.
Sentences: As he walked along the ____, he observed the flight of the ____. The English name for gasoline is ____. ____ is used in the manufacture of gunpowder. He was almost ____ at hearing of this enormous stock of ____. The crowing of the cock caused ____ to weep bitterly.
(1 and 2 combined) Petty, petite, petit jury, petit larceny, petticoat, pettifogger.
Sentences: Charged with ____, he was tried by the ____. The contemptible ____ hid behind the ____ of his wife. She was a winsome maiden, dainty and ____. It is a ____ fault.
(1 and 2 combined) Philosophy, philanthropy, Philadelphia, bibliophile, Anglophile.
Sentences: His ____ was generous, but his ____ was not profound. That queer old ____ hangs to the library like a caterpillar. It was the love of humankind that caused Penn to name the city ____. Most Americans are not ____.
(1 and 2 combined) Cosmopolitan, metropolitan, politics, policy, police.
Sentences: Those who engage in ____ lack, as a rule, a ____ outlook. It is merely ____ intolerance of towns and villages. The ____ of the mayor was to increase the ____ force.
(1 and 2 combined) Potential, potency, potentate, impotent, omnipotent, plenipotentiary.
Sentences: So far from being ____, we possess a ____ difficult to estimate. The ____ sent an ambassador ____. A ____ solution of the problem is this. ____ God.
(1) Impute, compute, dispute, ill repute, reputation, disreputable; (2) putative, indisputable.
Sentences: She could not ____ the cost. There was some ____ as to the cause of his ____. Let them ____ to me what motives they will. Though somewhat ____, he was extremely solicitous about his ____.
(1) Abrogate, arrogate, interrogate, arrogant, derogatory, prerogative; (2) surrogate, rogation, prorogue.
Sentences: In an ____ manner he ____ these ____ to himself. To ____ authority is to give opportunity for remarks ____ to one's reputation. He skilfully ____ the witness.
(1) Salmon, sally, assail, assault, insult, consult, result, exultation, desultory; (2) salient, salacious, resilient.
Sentences: After the ____ the firing was ____. The defenders ____ out and ____ us, but the ____ of this effort only added to our ____. We sat there watching the ____ leap over the waterfall and ____ about our arrangements for taking them. To accept the remark as an ____ is to acknowledge the speaker as an equal.
(1) Science, conscience, unconscious, prescience, omniscience, nice; (2) sciolist, adscititious, plebiscite.
Sentences: By his ____ understanding of the issues he was able to gain a reputation for ____. We thought he possessed ____, but he seemed ____ of his erudition. Except under the sharp necessities of ____, he was ruled by a ____ thoroughly tender.
(1) Sect, section, non-sectarian, dissect, insect, intersection, sickle, vivisection, segment; (2) bisect, trisect, insection, sector, secant.
Sentences: He stood at the ____ of the roads, leaning on the shank of a sharp ____. The foreman of the ____ gang is a member of our ____. The boy was ____ an ____ with a butcher knife he had previously used to cut for himself a large ____ of the Sunday cake. It is a ____ movement. He defended the ____ of animals.
(1) Sense, consent, assent, resent, sentimental, dissension, sensation, sensibility, sentence, scent, nonsense; (2) sentient, consensus, presentiment.
Sentences: A woman of her ____ would shrink from a ____ of this sort. He ____ in a single, crisp ____. To be ____ is to be guilty of ____. He had the good ____ to ____ to this course. He ____ such ____ and the causes that produced them. A hound hunts by ____.
(1) Despond, respond, correspond, corespondent, sponsor; (2) sponsion, spouse, espouse.
Sentences: She ____ that her husband had been ____ with the ____. The ____ of the movement could as yet see no reason to ____.
(1 and 2 combined) Structure, instructor, construct, obstruct, instrument, destructive, misconstrue.
Sentences: The student ____ the intentions of his ____. He resolved to ____ every effort to complete the ____. The ____ was one that might easily be turned to ____ work. They ____ a grandstand overlooking the racetrack.
(1) Terrace, territory, subterranean, inter, terrier; (2) terrene, tureen, terrestrial, terra cotta, Mediterranean, terra firma, parterre.
Sentences: The ____ was tearing a great hole in the ____ in order to ____ a bone. He found rich ____ deposits. The discoverers laid claim to the entire ____.
(1) Thesis, parenthesis, antithesis, anathema, theme, epithet, treasure; (2) hypothesis, synthesis, metathesis.
Sentences: To set two ideas in ____ to each other makes both more vivid. By way of ____ he informed me that the subject was ____ to his father. On this ____ he can summon a host of picturesque ____. The ____ is one you will find it hard to establish. He was seeking Captain Kidd's buried ____.
(1 and 2 combined) Tumor, tumidity, tumult, tumulus, contumacy.
Sentences: The ____ of his joints was due to rheumatism. His ____ led to a ____ of opposition. So excited was he at the discovery of the ____ that he did not permit the ____ on his hand to restrain him from beginning the excavation.
(1 and 2 combined) Turbid, disturb, perturbation, turbulence, trouble, imperturbable.
Sentences: His ____ manner gave no hint of the ____ within him. The ____ sweep of the stream caused her not the slightest ____. Do not ____ yourself with the thought that you are putting me to any ____.
(1 and 2 combined) Pervade, invade, evasion, vade mecum.
Sentences: He promised that there would be no ____ of payments. Byron'sChilde Haroldwas my ____ during my travels in Switzerland and Italy. The fragrance of heliotrope ____ the room. You must not ____ my privacy like this.
(1) Avail, prevail, prevalent, equivalent, valiant, validity, invalid, invalidate; (2) valetudinarian, valediction, valence.
Sentences: The ____ of the agreement has been thoroughly established. Our cause is just, and must ____. It is ____ to admitting that the terms are now ____. It was a ____ act and ____ the concessions previously wrested from us. The ____ impression is that mere ingenuity will not ____.
(1) Virtue, virile, virgin, virtually; (2) virago, virtuoso, triumvir.
Sentences: It was ____ a new arrangement. It is ____ soil. To be ____ and daring is every boy's dream. ____ is its own reward.
(1) Revive, survival, convivial, vivid, vivify, vivacious, vivisection; (2) vive (le roi), qui vive, bon vivant, tableau vivant.
Sentences: He has a ____ manner, a ____ spirit. The ____ of the opposition to the ____ of animals is very marked. You cannot ____ a dead cause or scarcely ____ memories of it. The ____ coloring of her cheeks was a sure sign of health, or of skill.
Find the key-syllable (in a few instances the key-syllables) of each of the following words. How does it affect the meaning of the word? Does it appear, perhaps in disguised form, in any of the words immediately preceding or following? Can you bring to mind other words that embody it?
Innovation Commonwealth Welfare WayfarerAdjournment Rival Derivation ArriveDenunciation Denomination Ignominy SynonymPatronymic Parliament Dormitory DementedPresumptuous Indent Dandelion TridentIndenture Contemporary Disseminate AnnoyOdium Desolate Impugn EfflorescentArbor vitae Consider Constellation DisasterSuburb Address Dirigible DirgeIndirectly Desperate Inoperative BenevolentVoluntary Offend Enumerate DilapidateRequest Exquisite Exonerate ApproximateInsinuate Resurgence Insurrection RaptureExasperate Complacent Dimension CommensuratePreclude Cloister Turnpike TravestyAtone Incarnate Charnal EtiquetteRejuvenate Eradicate Quiet RequiemAcquiesce Ambidextrous Inoculate DivulgeProper Appropriate Omnivorous VoraciousDevour Escritoire Mordant RemorseMiser Hilarious Exhilarate RudimentErudite Mark Marquis LibelLibretto Vague Vagabond ExtravagantSouse Saucer Oyster Ostracize
With a few exceptions like the Hale-heal group above under Verbal Families, most verbal families of straight English or of Germanic- Scandinavian-English descent are easily recognizable as families. Witness theGoodfamily and theSteadfamily. The families in which kinship may be overlooked are likely to be of Latin or Greek ancestry, though perhaps with a subsequent infusion of blood from some other foreign language, as French. Hitherto our approach to verbal families has been through the descendants, or through that quality in their blood which holds them together. But we shall also profit from knowing something of the founders of these families—from having some acquaintance with them as individuals. Below (in separate lists) the more prominent of Latin and of Greek progenitors are named, their meaning is given, and two or three of their living representatives (not always direct descendants) are designated. Starred [*] words are those whose progeny has not been in good part assembled in the preceding pages; for these words you should assemble all the living representatives you can. (Inflectional forms are given only where they are needed for tracing English derivatives.)
Latin word Meaning English representatives
Ago, actum do, rouse agile, transact*Alius other alias, inalienable*Alter other alteration, adultery*Altus high altitude, exalt*Ambulo walk perambulator, preamble*Amicus friend amicable, enemy*Amo, amatum love inamorata, amateur, inimical*Anima life animal, inanimateAnimus mind animosity, unanimousAnnus year annuity, biennial*Aqua water aquarium, aqueductAudio, auditum hear audience, audit*Bellum war rebel, belligerent*Bene well benefit, benevolence*Bonus good bonanza, bona fide*Brevis short abbreviate, unabridgedCado, casum fall cadence, casualCaedo, cecidi, caesum cut, kill suicide, incisionCano, cantum sing recant, chanticleerCapio, captum take, hold capacious, incipient*Caput, capitis head cape (Cape Cod), decapitate,chapter, bicepsCedo, cessum go concede, accessoryCentum hundred per cent, centigrade*Civis citizen civic, uncivilized*Clamo shout acclaim, declamation*Claudo, clausum close, shut conclude, recluse, cloister, sluiceCognosco (seeNosco)*Coquo, coxi, coctum cook decoction, precocious*Cor, cordis heart core, discord, courageCorpus body corpse, incorporateCredo, credituin believe creed, discreditableCresco, cretum grow crescendo, concrete, accrue*Crux, crucis cross crucifix, excruciatingCura care curate, sinecureCurro, cursum run occur, concourse*Derigo, directum direct dirge, dirigible, address*Dexter right, right hand ambidextrous, dexterityDico speak, say abdicate, verdict*Dies day diary, quotidianDignus worthy, fitting dignity, condignDo, datum give condone, data*Doceo, doctum teach document, doctor*Dominus lord dominion, danger*Domus house domicile, majordomo*Dormio sleep dormant, dormouseDuco lead traduce, deduction*Duo two dubious, duetDurus hard durable, obdurateEo, itum go exit, initialError, erratum wander erroneous, aberrationFacio, feci, factum make, do manufacture, affect, sufficient,verifyFero, latum carry transfer, relateFido trust, believe confide, perfidiousFinis end confine, infinityFlecto, flexum bend reflection, inflexibleFluo, fluxum flow influence, refluxFortis strong fortress, comfortFrango, fractum break infringe, refraction*Frater brother fraternity, fratricideFugio, fugitum flee centrifugal, fugitiveFundo, fusum pour refund, profuse, fusionGero, gestum carry belligerent, gesture, digestionGradior, gressus walk degrade, progress*Gratia favor, pleasure, ingratiate, congratulate,good-will disgrace*Grex, gregis flock segregate, egregiousHabeo, habitum have, hold habituate, prohibitItum (see Eo)Jacio, jeci, jactum throw, hurl reject, interjectionJungo, junctum join conjugal, enjoin, junctureJuro swear abjure, perjuryJus, juris law, right justice, jurisprudenceJudex (from jusdico) judge judgment, prejudice*Juvenis young rejuvenate, juveniliaLatum (see Fero)*Laudo, laudatum praise allow, laudatoryLego, lectum read, choose elegant, lecture, dialect*Lex, legis law privilege, illegitimate,legislature*Liber book libel, library*Liber free liberty, deliberateLigo bind obligation, allegiance, alliance*Linquo, lictum leave delinquent, relict, derelict*Litera letter illiterate, obliterateLocus place collocation, dislocateLoquor, locutus speak soliloquy, elocutionLudo, lusum play prelude, illusory/Lux, lucis light\ lucid, luminary\Lumen, luminis /*Magnus great magnate, magnificent*Malus bad, evil malaria, malnutritionMando order mandatory, commandmentManus hand manual, manufacture*Mare sea maritime, submarine*Mater mother maternal, alma mater*Medius middle mediocre, intermediate*Mens mind mental, demented*Miror wonder mirror, admirableMitto, missum send commit, emissary*Mordeo, morsum bite mordant, morsel, remorseMors, mortis death mortal, mortifyMoveo, motum move remove, locomotive*Multus many multiform, multiplexMuto, mutatum change transmute, immutable, moultNascor, natus be born renascence, cognate*Nihil nothing nihilism, annihilate*Nomen, nominis name denomination, renown*Norma rule abnormal, enormous/Nosco, notum cognosco \\ cognitum know / notation, incognito*Novus new novelty, renovate*Nuntio announce denounce, renunciation*Opus, operis work magnum opus, inoperative*Pater father patrician, patrimonyPatior, passus suffer impatient, passionPello, pulsum drive propeller, repulsePendeo, pensum hang pendulum, appendixPendo, pensum weigh compendium, expensePes, pedis foot expedite, bipedPeto seek impetus, compete*Plaudo, plausum clap, applaud explode, plausible*Plecto, plexum braid perplex, complexion*Pleo, pletum fill complement, expletive*Plus, pluris more surplus, pluralPlico, plicatum fold reply, implicatePono, positum place opponent, depositPorto carry report, porterPotens, potentis powerful impotent, potentialPrendo, prehensum seize comprehend, apprise*Primus, primatis first primary, primateProbo, probatum prove improbable, reprobate*Pugno fight impugn, repugnantPuto think impute, disreputable*Quaero, quaesitum seek require, inquest, exquisite*Rapio, raptum seize enraptured, surreptitious*Rego, rectum rule, lead region, erect*Rideo, risum laugh deride, risibleRogo, rogatum ask prorogue, abrogateRumpo, ruptum break disrupt, eruptionSalio, saltum leap salient, insult*Sanguis blood sang froid, ensanguinedScio, scitum know prescience, plebisciteScribo, scriptum write prescribe, manuscript, escritoireSeco, sectum cut secant, dissectSedeo, sessum sit supersede, obsessionSentio, sensum feel presentiment, consensusSequor, secutus follow sequence, persecute, ensueSignum sign insignia, designate*Solus alone solitude, desolateSolvo, solutum loosen solvent, dissolute*Somnus sleep somnambulist, insomnia*Sono sound consonant, resonance*Sors, sortis lot sort, assortmentSpecio, spectum look despicable, suspectSpiro, spiratum breathe perspire, conspiracy*Spondeo, sponsum promise respond, espouseSto, steti, statum stand constant, establishSisto, stiti, statum cause to stand consistent, superstitionStringo, strictum bind stringent, restrictStruo, structum build construe, destructionTango, tactum touch intangible, tactTempus, temporis time temporize, contemporaryTendo, tensum stretch distend, intenseTeneo, tentuin hold tenure, detention*Tendo try tentative, attemptTerminus end, boundary terminal, exterminateTerra earth territory, interTorqueo, tortum twist distort, tortuousTraho, tractum draw extract, subtractionTumeo, tumidum swell tumor, contumacyTurba tumult, crowd turbulent, disturb*Unus one unify, triune, onion*Urbs city urbane, suburbanVado, vasum go pervade, invasionValeo, validum be strong prevail, invalidVenio, ventum come intervene, adventureVerto, versum turn divert, adverse*Verus true verdict, veracity*Via way obviate, impervious, trivialVideo, visum see provide, reviseVinco, victum conquer province, convictVir man triumvir, virtueVivo, victum live vivacious, vivisectVoco, vocatum call revoke, avocation*Volo wish malevolent, voluntaryVolvo, volutum turn revolver, evolutionVox voice equivocal, vociferate
Prefix Meaning English embodiments
*A, ab from, away avert, abnegation, abstract*Ad to adduce, adjacent, affect, accede*Ante before antediluvian, anteroom*Bi two biped, bicycle*Circum around circumambient, circumference*Cum, com, with, together combine, consort, coadjutorcon, co*Contra against contradict, contrast*De from, negative deplete, decry, demerit, declaimdown, intensive*Di, dis asunder, away from, divert, disbeliefnegative*E, ex from, out of evict, excavate*Extra beyond extraordinary, extravagant*In in, into, not innate, instil, insignificant*Inter among, between intercollegiate, interchange*Intro, into, within introduce, intramuralintra*Non negative nonage, nondescript*Ob against, before(facing), toward obloquy, obstacle, offer*Per through, extremely persecute, perfervid, pursue,pilgrim, pellucid*Post after postpone, postscript*Pre before prepay, preoccupy*Pro before proceed, proffer*Re back, again return, resound*Retro back, backward retroactive, retrospective*Se apart, aside seclude, secession*Semi half semiannual, semicivilized*Sub under, less than, subscribe, suffer, subnormal,inferior subcommittee*Super above, extremely superfluous, supercritical, soprano*Trans across, through transfer, transparent*Ultra beyond, extremely ultramundane, ultraconservative
Greek word Meaning English representatives
*Aner, andros, man, stamen androgynous, philander,anthropos philanthropy*Archos chief, primitive archaic, architect*Astron star asterisk, disasterAutos self autograph, automatic, authentic*Barvs heavy baritone, barites*Biblos book Bible, bibliomania*Bios life biology, autobiography, amphibious*Cheir hand chiropody, chirurgical, surgeon*Chilioi a thousand kilogram, kilowatt*Chroma color chromo, achromaticChronos time chronic, anachronism*Cosmos world, order cosmopolitan, microcosm*Crypto hide cryptogam, cryptology*Cyclos wheel, circle encyclopedia, cyclone*Deca ten decasyllable, decalogue*Demos people democracy, epidemic*Derma skin epidermis, taxidermist*Dis, di twice, doubly dichromatic, digraph*Didonai, dosis give dose, apodosis, anecdote*Dynamis power dynamite, dynasty*Eidos form, thing seen idol, kaleidoscope, anthropoid*Ethnos race, nation ethnic, ethnologyEu well euphemism, eulogy*Gamos marriage cryptogam, bigamy*Ge earth geography, geometryGenos family, race gentle, engenderGramma writing monogram, grammarGrapho write telegraph, lithograph*Haima blood hematite, hemorrhage, anemia*Heteros other heterodox, heterogeneous*Homos same homonym, homeopathy*Hydor water hydraulics, hydrophobia, hydrant*Isos equal isosceles, isotherm*Lithos stone monolith, chrysoliteLogos word, study theology, dialogueMetron measure barometer, diameter*Micros small microscope, microbeMonos one, alone monoplane, monotone*Morphe form metamorphosis, amorphous*Neos new, young neolithic, neophyte*Neuron nerve neuralgia, neuroticNomos law, science, astronomy, gastronomy, economymanagement*Onoma name anonymous, patronymic*Opsis view, sight synopsis, thanatopsis, optician*Orthos right orthopedic, orthodox*Osteon bone osteopathy, periosteum*Pais, paidos child paideutics, pedagogue,encyclopediaPas, pan all diapason, panacea, pantheismPathos suffering allopathy, pathologyPetros rock petroleum, saltpeter*Phaino show, be visible diaphanous, phenomenon,epiphany, fantasticPhilos loving bibliophile, Philadelphia*Phobos fear hydrophobia, AnglophobePhone sound telephone, symphony*Phos light phosphorous, photograph*Physis nature physiognomy, physiology*Plasma form cataplasm, protoplasm*Pneuma air, breath pneumatic, pneumoniaPolis city policy, metropolitan*Polys many polyandry, polychrome,polysyllablePous, pados foot octopus, chiropodist*Protos first protoplasm, prototype*Pseudes false pseudonym, pseudo-classic*Psyche breath, soul, psychology, psychopathymind*Pyr fire pyrography, pyrotechnics*Scopos watcher scope, microscope*Sophia wisdom philosophy, sophomore*Techne art technicality, architect*Tele far, far off telepathy, telescope{*Temno cut }{*Tomos that which is } epitome, anatomy, tome{ cut off }*Theos god theosophy, pantheism*Therme heat isotherm, thermodynamics{Tithenai place } epithet, hypothesis,{Thesis a placing, } anathema{ arrangement }*Treis three trichord, trigonometry*Zoon animal zoology, protozoa, zodiac
Prefix Meaning English embodiments
*A, an no, not aseptic, anarchy*Amphi about, around, ambidextrous, amphitheater(Latin ambi) both*Ana up, again anatomy, Anabaptist*Anti against, opposite antidote, antiphonal, antagonist*Cata down catalepsy, cataclysm*Dia through, across diameter, dialogue*Epi upon epidemic, epithet, epode, ephemeral*Hyper over, extremely hypercritical, hyperbola*Hypo under, in smaller hypodermic, hypophosphatemeasure*Meta after, over metaphysics, metaphor*Para beside paraphrase, paraphernalia*Peri around, about periscope, peristyle*Pro before proboscis, prophet*Syn together, with synthesis, synopsis, sympathy
Our first task in this volume was the study of words in combination. Our second was the study of individual words in two of their aspects—first, as they are seen in isolation, next as they are seen in verbal families. Now our third task confronts us. It is the study of words as they are associated, not in actual blood kinship, but in meaning.
Such an association in meaning may involve only two words (pairs) or larger groups. In this chapter we shall confine ourselves to the study of pairs.
Of the relationship between pairs there are three types. In the first the words are hostile to each other. In the second they may easily be confused with each other. In the third they are parallel with each other. We shall examine the three types successively.
But we must make an explanation first. Although we shall, in this and the following chapters, have frequent occasion to give the meanings of individual words, we shall give them without regard to dictionary methods. We shall not attempt formal, water-tight, or exhaustive definitions; our purpose is to convey, in the simplest and most human manner possible, brief general explanations of what the words stand for.
Pairs of the first type are made up of words by nature opposite to each other, or else thought of as opposite because they are so often contrasted. Here is a familiar, everyday list:
east, west straight, crooked myself, others large, small pretty, ugly major, minor laugh, cry walk, ride light, darkness top, bottom hard, soft friend, enemy sweet, sour clean, dirty temporal, spiritual meat, drink merry, sad means, extremes land, water private, public Jew, Gentile man, woman noisy, quiet independent, dependent old, new general, particular sublime, ridiculous age, youth wholesale, retail give, receive sick, well savage, civilized pride, humility brain, brawn wealth, poverty constructive, destructive soul, body positive, negative
None of these words needs explaining. If you think of one of them, you will think of its opposite; at least its opposite will be lurking in the back of your mind. As proof of this fact you have only to glance at the following list, from which the second member of each pair is omitted:
hot — black — boy — in — off — over — love — wrong — strong — wet — first — day — long — fast — good — hope — least — asleep — buy — left — alive — winter — war — succeed — creditor — fat — internal — wise — drunk —
Many words of a more difficult kind are thus pitted against each other, and we learn them, not singly, but in pairs. At least we should. As good verbal hunters we should be alert to the chance of killing two birds with one stone.
Allopathandhomeopath, for example, are difficult opposites. We know of the existence of the two classes of medical practitioners; we know that they use different methods; but beyond this our knowledge is likely to be hazy. Let us set out, then, tolearnthe two words. The best way is to learn them together.Allopathymeans other suffering,homeopathylike suffering. An allopath uses remedies which create within the patient a condition that squarely conflicts with the further progress of the disease. A homeopath prescribes medicines (in small doses) which produce within the patient the same condition that the disease would produce; he "beats the disease to it," so to speak—takes the job himself and leaves the disease nothing to do. The allopath travels around a race-track in the opposite direction from the disease, and thwarts it through a head-on collision. The homeopath travels around the race-track in the same direction as the disease, and thwarts it by pulling at the reins. If we consider the two words together and get these ideas in mind, we shall have no further trouble with allopaths and homeopaths—except, perhaps, when they have rendered their services and presented their bills.
Objectiveandsubjectiveare also a troublesome pair. A thing is objective if it is an actual object or being, if it exists in itself rather than in our surmises. A thing is subjective if it is the creature of a state of mind, if it has its existence in the thought or imagination of some person or other. Thus if I meet a bear in the wilds, that bear is objective; whatever may be the state of my thoughts,he is there—and it would be to my advantage to reckon with this fact. But if a child who is sent off to bed alone says there is a bear in the room, the bear is subjective; it is not a living monster that will devour anybody, but a creature called into the mind of the child through dread.
EXERCISE - Opposites
Study the following words in pairs. Consult the dictionary for actual meanings. Then test your knowledge by embodying each word of each pair in a sentence, or in an illustration like those of the race-track and the bear in the preceding paragraphs.
superior, inferior concord, discord export, import domestic, foreign fact, fiction prose, poetry verbal, oral literal, figurative predecessor, successor genuine, artificial positive, negative practical, theoretical optimism, pessimism finite, infinite longitude, latitude evolution, revolution oriental, occidental pathos, bathos sacred, profane military, civil clergy, laity capital, labor ingress, egress element, compound horizontal, perpendicular competition, coöperation predestination, freewill universal, particular extrinsic, intrinsic inflation, deflation dorsal, ventral acid, alkali synonym, antonym prologue, epilogue nadir, zenith amateur, connoisseur anterior, posterior stoic, epicure ordinal, cardinal centripetal, centrifugal stalagmite, stalactite orthodox, heterodox homogeneous, heterogeneous monogamy, polygamy induction, deduction egoism, altruism Unitarian, Trinitarian concentric, eccentric herbivorous, carnivorous deciduous, perennial esoteric, exoteric endogen, exogen vertebrate, invertebrate catalectic, acatalectic
Pairs of the second type are made up of words which are often confused by careless writers and speakers, and which should be accurately discriminated.
Sometimes the words are actually akin to each other.Continuous- continualandenormity-enormousnessare examples. Sometimes they merely look or sound much alike.Mean-demeanandaffect- effectare examples. Sometimes the things they designate are more or less related, so that the ideas behind the words rather than the words themselves are responsible for the confusion.Contagious-infectiousandknowledge-wisdomare examples. Let us distinguish between the two members of each of the pairs named.
A thing iscontinuousif it suffers no interruption whatever,continualif it is broken at regular intervals but as regularly renewed. Thus "a continuous stretch of forest"; "the continual drip of water from the eaves."
Enormitypertains to the moral and sometimes the social,enormousnessto the physical. Thus "the enormity of the crime," "the enormity of this social offense"; "the enormousness of prehistoric animals."
Demeanis often used reproachfully because of its supposed relation tomean. But it has nothing to do withmean. The word with which to connect it isdemeanor(conduct). Thus "We observed how he demeaned himself" implies no adverse criticism of either the man or his deportment. Both may be debased to be sure, but they may be exemplary.
Toaffectmeans to feign or to have an influence upon, toeffectto bring to pass. Thus "He affects a fondness for classical music," "The little orphan's story affected those who heard it"; "We effected a compromise."Affectis never properly used as a noun.Effectas a noun means result, consequence, or practical operation. Thus "The shot took instant effect"; "He put this idea into effect."
A disease iscontagiouswhen the only way to catch it is through direct contact with a person already having it, or through contact with articles such a person has used. A disease isinfectiouswhen it is presumably caused, not by contact with a person, but through widespread general conditions, as of climate or sanitation.
Ourknowledgeis our acquaintance with a fact, or the sum total of our information. Ourwisdomis our intellectual and spiritual discernment, to which our knowledge is one of the contributors.Knowledgecomprises the materials;wisdomthe ability to use them to practical advantage and to worthy or noble purpose.Knowledgeis mental possession;wisdomis mental and moral power.
EXERCISE - Confused
1. Consult the dictionary for the distinction between the members of each of the following pairs. In each blank of the illustrative sentences insert the word appropriate in meaning.
2. Consult the dictionary for the distinction between the members of each of the following pairs. Determine whether the words are correctly used in the illustrative sentences. (Some are; some are not.)