Introducing Common Roots Part A-C Flashcards
(16 cards)
What does ab- mean?
away, from
absent
abduct
absolute.
You can remember that the prefix ab- means “away” via the word absent, for someone who is absent is “away” from a place, such as school or work.
What does ad- mean?
to, towards
admit
adjust
An easy way to remember that the prefix ad- means “towards” is through the word advertise, for when you advertise you try to turn potential buyers “towards” the product you are selling.
What does anim mean?
mind, spirit
unanimous
animated
animosity
The root anim is easily recalled via the word animal, for an animal is a living, moving creature and so contains a “spirit” and “mind.”
What does a- mean?
not, without
The Greek prefix a- and its variant an- mean “not.” An easy way to remember that the prefix a- means “not” is through the word apolitical, which describes a person who is “not” inclined to favor politics. Someone who is anonymous is going around “not” having a name.
What does bio mean?
life
biological
biography
amphibian
One easy word that is helpful in remembering bio is biology, or the study of ‘life.’
What does bi- mean?
twice/two
The English prefixes bi-, derived from Latin, and its Greek counterpart di- both mean “two.” These “two” prefixes are used commonly, especially bi-.
Let’s begin with the frequently used English prefix bi-, which means “two.” A bicycle has “two” wheels. A biped, like homo sapiens, walks on only “two” feet, perfect for a bicycle! A biped also has a primary muscle known as a biceps, which has “two” heads that attach to bones in the upper arm. A biped also has binocular vision, which mean that she uses “two” eyes to see. And does a biped who is bilingual have “two” tongues? No … it just means that he speaks “two” languages fluently.
Calendars have many events that use the prefix bi-, which means “two.” For instance, the bicentennial of an institution or nation is a celebration commemorating “two”-hundred years of existence. Two words that are easily confused are biannual and biennial. A biannual event happens “two” times every year, whereas a biennial celebration happens once every “two” years. You can remember the difference because alphabetically the “a” of biannual comes before the “e” of biennial, and also happens first in time.
What does di- mean?
di- means “two.” Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a gas whose molecule has “two” oxygen atoms. If you are in a dilemma, you are unable to choose between “two” options, often both unappealing! A diphthong is a pair of or “two” vowels in a row in a word in the same syllable, such as “cloud” and “foil.” And a dipterous insect? It simply has “two” wings!
Today you got “two” for your money with both bi- and di-. Now you no longer need to be “twice” shy with words such as bipartite and diphyllous, for you know that each has something “to” do with “two!”
What does cept mean?
The Latin root word cept means “taken.” This root word gives rise to many English vocabulary words, including deception, concept, and except. Perhaps the easiest way to remember this root word is through the word accept, for when you have accepted something, you have “taken” it towards yourself.
The Latin root word cept means “taken.”
If someone were to offer you 3,000,000 dollars, you would probably accept at once, having therefore “taken” that sum of money towards yourself. There might, however, be an exception to getting the money, or that which is “taken” out of the original promise. If, however, there were no exceptions, it would be an exceptional event, one “taken” out of ordinary circumstances!
Deceptions occur when you are “taken” from the truth or reality of a given situation in some underhanded fashion. If you have ever been deceived, you were not perceptive enough, that is, the full knowledge or truth of your surroundings was not thoroughly “taken” in. Hopefully the next time you’ll be able to intercept any such trick before it happens, “taking” it between its origin and its end target!
Let’s further reinforce the etymological concept that the root word cept means “taken.”
Were you ever able to concoct a concept, or that which is thoroughly “taken” in your mind, before anyone else thought of the idea? You would then be responsible for the concept’s inception, “taken” in at its very start. You might then hope that other people would be receptive to your idea, or that they would “take” it back into their own minds for further consideration, and not reject it out of hand.
Just what does it mean if you are susceptible to something? If you are susceptible to a disease, for instance, you are able to be “taken” under by it, contracting it despite your immune system’s attempt to fight it off.
You can now confidently put the root word cept into your receptacle of knowledge, having “taken” it back into your brain and deposited it there for safekeeping. No longer will you suffer from verbal deception whenever you see a word with cept in it, for you have “taken” the bull by the horns, never to be “taken” in again—no exceptions!
What does cit mean?
moved, stirred up
ciere “set in motion, call” (from PIE root *keie- “to set in motion”).
solicitous: A person who is solicitous behaves in a way that shows great concern about someone’s health, feelings, safety, etc.
cite: When you cite sources in a research paper, you quote or mention them to tell readers where you got your information.
incite: When you incite someone to do something, you encourage, urge, or persuade them to do it.
citationan: official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement
excitability: excessive sensitivity of an organ or body part
excitable: easily excited
excitation: the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up
excite: arouse or elicit a feeling
recital: the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
recitation: written matter that is recited from memory
recitative: a vocal passage of narrative text that a singer delivers with natural rhythms of speech
recite: recite in elocution
resuscitate: cause to regain consciousness
resuscitation: the act of reviving a person and returning them to consciousness
solicit: make a solicitation or entreaty for something
solicitation: an entreaty addressed to someone of superior status
solicitor: a petitioner who solicits contributions or trade or votes
solicitude: a feeling of excessive concern
unsolicited: not asked for
What does the affix com mean? Provide all three meanings.
com has three main meanings:
thouroughly (intensive prefix)
celebration/fun
with/together
composure: When someone exhibits composure, they remain calm—even in difficult times or conditions. com = thouroughly
comedic: pertaining to a comedy com = celebration/fun
companion: A companion is a friend with whom you spend time doing things. com = with/together
What does de- mean?
off / from
The English prefix de-, which means “off” or “from,” appears in hundreds of English vocabulary words, such as dejected, deduce, and deficient. You can remember that the prefix de- means “from” or “off” via the word descend, or to climb down “from” or “off” a height, such as a mountain.
When we study English vocabulary, we find that most English words are derived or come “from” Greek or Latin; these vocabulary words are called derivatives. These Latin and Greek roots help you decide, or cut “off” false meanings of the derivatives to arrive at a decision as to what the word means.
We all depend, or hang “from” the ability of cars to take us from place to place. When you take your foot “off” the gas, your car begins to decelerate, or move down “from” its current speed to a slower velocity. This deceleration may be caused by a traffic jam, making you feel dejected or thrown “off” your customary good mood. There are, however, different degrees of such temporary depression; you could find that when deciduous trees’ leaves begin falling “off” in the autumn, your spirits sink. Or you could be demoted in your job, moved down “from” the position you currently enjoy; perhaps the boss thinks you are deficient in your job performance, doing things “off” of or “from” how they should be done. Worse yet, imagine if you were in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts gave the order of “Off with his head!” Best to avoid such decapitation at all costs!
Enough doom and gloom about the prefix de- which means “off” or “from.” Some people cannot drink caffeine but still love coffee and tea. Luckily both come in decaffeinated varieties, where the caffeine has been taken “from” the beans or leaves. Say you didn’t know if the coffee you were drinking was decaf or not. You could drink a little, and then deduce, or draw a conclusion “from” your symptoms as to whether or not it contains caffeine. Shaky? Energized?
What does dict mean?
Say
The Latin root word dict and its variant dic both mean ‘say.’ Some common English vocabulary words that come from this word root include dictionary, contradict, and dedicate. Perhaps the easiest way in which to remember this root is the word prediction, for a prediction is ‘said’ before something actually happens.
The Latin root word dict and its variant dic both mean ‘say.’ Let me ‘say’ a few words about this useful English word root.
Have you ever considered what the origin of the word dictionary actually is? Dictionaries help with the pronunciation, or correct ‘saying’ of words, besides giving other word information such as definitions and word origins. Are you addicted to reading the dictionary? If so, you have ‘said’ or declared your love for it.
Some people try to predict events before they happen, thereby ‘saying’ what will occur before they actually do. The prediction is often wrong, thus is contradicted or ‘spoken’ against by what actually happens.
Did your school have a valedictorian who ‘said’ the farewell address at your high school graduation? If so, she may have dictated or ‘said’ her speech to a friend, who wrote it out for her. The speech itself was probably dedicated or ‘said’ for the members of her graduating class.
A verdict is the truth ‘said’ by a jury who determines whether a defendant put on trial in a court of law is innocent or guilty. If the defendant is vindicated, he is ‘said’ to be free of all charges that had been placed against him. The jury may just as well, however, indicate or ‘say’ that he is guilty!
Only the unwise would question what a dictator ‘says,’ for he gets the final ‘say’ in everything. In fact, speaking up in such a way might put you in quite the predicament or dangerous situation, for you would have ‘said’ something before you thought about what its consequences might entail!
I have now dedicated quite enough time to ‘saying’ things about the root words dict and dic. But go ahead and thumb through your dictionary and see how many more words it indicates have this useful root!
What does dic mean?
say
judicial: decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice
predicate: make the (grammatical) predicate in a proposition
What does duc mean?
lead
duct also means to lead
educate, reduce, produce, and product. Perhaps the best way to remember this root word is to think of someone who is educated, or has been ‘led’ forth into knowledge.
If you are going to be the Duke or Duchess of Word Roots, you are going to have to know that the Latin root words duc and duct mean to ‘lead.’ Speaking of those words duke and duchess, they, of course, were and still are ‘leaders’ in the British peerage system, ranking just below the Queen and right ahead of the Marquis and Marquess.
Going from peers to repairs, today’s handyman can fix just about anything using duct tape. Duct tape was originally designed to be used with ducts, which simply refer to any tube or other enclosed passage which ‘leads’ air or fluid through it, such as the tear ducts in your eyes or the air conditioning ducts in your home.
When you introduce two people, you ‘lead’ them into knowledge of one another. This, in turn, will hopefully produce, or ‘lead’ forth yet another friendship. And yes, a product is an item that has been ‘led’ forth by a company, usually to be sold.
When you receive an education, you are ‘led’ forth into knowledge. For instance, you may recall when you learned what an aqueduct is, or bridgelike construction that ‘leads’ water over far distances. You may also have been taught how to use deductive reasoning, in which a conclusion is ‘led’ from a set of given facts.
When you spend money, it is deducted from your checking account, or ‘led’ away from it. When the balance changes in this negative fashion, it is reduced, or ‘led’ backwards towards zero.
When a criminal abducts someone, he ‘leads’ her away. This, of course, is bad conduct on his part, that is, not a way he should ‘lead’ or behave himself in public. On the other hand, when a conductor conducts, he skillfully ‘leads’ an orchestra to play well together.
Now that you have been sufficiently introduced to this productive word root, you won’t have to be given an education about any subsequent word that has this root, for you have become the Duchess or Duke of duc: to ‘lead’!
What does en- mean?
in, on
encompass: When something encompasses something else, it includes all aspects of it or completely surrounds it.
encourage: contribute to the progress or growth of
enthusiasm: a feeling of excitement
What does ex- mean?
out of, from
The prefix ex-, with its variants e- and ec-, mean “out.” Examples using this prefix include exceed, eject, and eccentric. An easy way to remember that the prefix ex- means “out” is through the word exit, for when you exit a room, you go “out” of it.
Prefixes are key morphemes in English vocabulary that begin words. The prefix ex-, with its variants e- and ec-, mean “out.”
Ex- is the most common form of this prefix. For instance, when you exit a building, you go “out” of it. When you extend your hand in friendship towards another, you stretch it “out” towards that person. If something exceeds normal boundaries, it goes “out” of them. And when you exclude someone from a group, you shut him “out.” The prefix ex- most commonly occurs before a vowel, and select consonants, such as “t” and “c.”
E- is a spelling variant of the prefix ex-, which also means “out.” When you eject someone from a game for being obnoxious, you throw him “out.” When a bulb emits light, it sends it “out.” When someone emigrates, he moves “out” of one country to live in another. And when you eradicate something? You tear it “out” by its root to get rid of it completely. The prefix e- always occurs before a consonant.
The last form of the prefix ex- is ec-, which also means “out.” An eccentric person is unusual because she is “out” of the center of usual conduct. An appendectomy is a cutting “out” of the appendix, just as a tonsillectomy is a cutting “out” of the tonsils. And when someone is ecstatic about something that happened, she stands “out” of her normal state because she is so very excited. The ec- form of the prefix ex- always occurs before a consonant.
We are now “out” of time. Never again will you leave “out,” eject, or exclude any words with e-, ec-, or ex-, making your mind ecstatic with vocabulary joy!
