Taking the Measure: Numbers Flashcards
(37 cards)
monoloque
monos - one
(n)
logos - word, speech
A long speech made by one performer or by one person in a group.
Because my friend does all the talking, our conversation usually turns into a monologue.
monarch
monos - one
(n)
arkos - ruler
A person who rules a kingdom or empire.
Queen Victoria was monarch of the British Empire at its height.
(n)
arkos - ruler
A large black and orange American butterfly.
In early autumn large flocks of monarchs migrate from Canada to their winter homes in Mexico.
monogram
monos - one
(n)
gramma - letter
A design composed of letters, usually the first letter of a name.
The personal dishes and silverware of French monarch Napoleon Bonaparte bore the monogram N.
(v)
gramma - letter
Decorate with a monogram.
Her home is full of the things she loves - peeling painted furniture, Mexican artifacts, architectural salvage, monogrammed French linens.
monopoly
monos - one
(n)
polein - to sell
Exclusive control of the trade in some item or service.
One publisher holds a monopoly on printing all of our school publications.
(n)
polein - to sell
Sole ownership or control of anything.
During the winter the basketball team has a monopoly on the gym after school.
monolith
monos - one
(n)
lithos - stone
A large block of stone.
A massive monolith formed the roof of the tomb.
(n)
lithos - stone
A large organization that acts as one unit (powerful).
Local restaurants cannot compete with a monolith like a national fast-food chain.
unanimous
unus - one
(adj)
animus - mind, spirit
Being in complete agreement (1 spirit).
To reach a verdict, a jury must achieve a unanimous decision.
unilateral
unus - one
(adj)
latus - side
One-sided; done by or affecting one person, group, or country.
Since the rest of my family was away when the house burned, I had to make unilateral decisions about repairs.
unicorn
unus - one
(n)
cornu - horn
A mythical beast with only one horn.
Quinn wants a unicorn for her birthday.
bilateral
bi - two
(adj)
latus - side
Having two sides.
Our school has a bilateral athletic program that includes both in-school and after-school sports.
(adj)
latus - side
Made between two persons or groups.
Canada and the United States have a bilateral trade agreement.
bipartisan
bi - two
(adj)
pars, partis - part
Involving two political parties.
The hearings, conducted by both Republicans and Democrats, reflected the bipartisan approach.
bisect
bi - two
(tr. v.)
secare - to cut
To divide into two equal parts.
When you bisect a square, you end up with two rectangles.
duplex
duplex - twofold
(n)
A dwelling (home) with two living units.
The two families living in the duplex shared the same front porch and back yard.
duplicate
duo - two
(n)
plicare - to fold
A copy of an original.
Locksmiths can make duplicates of most keys.
(tr. v.)
plicare - to fold
To make an identical copy or double of something; to repeat.
Forgers try to duplicate precisely the paper, design, and engraving techniques of genuine currency.
(adj)
plicare - to fold
Exactly like something else, especially through having been copied.
A duplicate license is issued to replace a valid license which has been lost.
trilogy
tri/tres - three
(n)
logos - word, speech
A group of three literary or musical works that have a related theme.
The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s popular trilogy, contains these novels: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
trisect
tri/tres - three
(tr. v.)
secare - to cut
To divide into three parts.
The two freeways trisected the once-united community into three separate neighborhoods.
triumvirate
tri/tres - three
(n)
triumviri - board of three
vir - man
A group of three, especially in authority.
In ancient Rome the Second Triumvirate was composed of Mark Anthony, Augustus Caesar, and Lepidus.
quadrant
quartus - fourth
(n)
Math: a quarter of a circle.
A quadrant contains 90 degrees of the 360 degrees of a circle.
(n)
An early machine used for measuring altitudes.
Although primitive, the quadrant enabled explorers to take accurate measurements.
(n)
Any of the four parts of an area divided by perpendicular lines.
Rescuers divided the forest into quadrants and searched each thoroughly for survivors.
quatrain
quartus - fourth
(n)
A stanza or group of four lines of poetry.
Most nursery rhymes, like “Little Bo Peep Has Lost Her Sheep,” are written in quatrains.
quartet
quatuor - four
(n)
A musical composition for four voices or instruments.
Most operas contain a quartet for two women and two men.
(n)
A set of four, especially of four musicians.
During the complicated heart operation, a quartet of surgeons worked for ten hours.
pentagon
penta - five
(n)
A five-sided figure.
This says that the most stable arrangement is a pentagon surrounded by five hexagons.
pentathlon
penta - five
(n)
athlon - contest
An Olympic event testing five different skills
quintuplets
quinque - five
(n)
Five babies born to one mother at the same time.
A story about the birth of quintuplets shouldn’t send all expectant couples scurrying to buy 5 cribs.
quintet
quinque - five
(n)
A group of five; musicians
These two quintets contain music that is extremely pleasant and also very relaxing without being too troublesome on the intellectual side.
decimate
decem - ten
(tr. v.)
To destroy a large part of.
European diseases like measles decimated Native American populations because they had no immunity.
(tr. v.)
To kill one in every ten.
To punish a legion that had shown cowardice, the Roman army sometimes decimated soldiers of all ranks on the basis of a lottery.
