Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

re-/red- [from Latin]

(prefix)

again, back

to recede [literally, ‘to go back;’ to move back; to retreat to or from a fixed point.]

to redeem

regression

renascence [literally, ‘being born again;’ a rebirth, especially a cultural one.]

to renovate [literally, ‘to make new again;’ to restore something to its pristine condition, the condition in which it was when it was new.]

to reproduce [literally, ‘to lead forth again;’ to beget or generate or make a copy or replacement for someone or something.]

to redeem (verb) [literally, ‘to buy back;’ to recover or to gain ownership of something for money or the equivalent of money (e. g., a coupon).]

regression (noun) [literally, ‘stepping back;’ a return to a less mature or less civilized state of being.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

-ist/-ism [from Greek]

(suffix)

professional/professing

anachronism

antagonist [literally, ‘(the professional) against the (first professional) competitor (or champion);’ the one against the protagonist.]

hedonist [literally, ‘professional at pleasure;’ a person devoted to the pursuit of pleasures, especially carnal pleasures.]

nihilism [literally, ‘professing nothing;’ the philosophical doctrine that all values are without foundation and that nothing can be known with certainty.]

protagonist [literally, ‘first professional competitor or champion;’ the central figure in a play or other literary work.]

sophist

anachronism (noun) [literally, ‘professing up-time;’ something or someone presented as appearing in a time period earlier than the time period in which it could have appeared first; deliberately moving something up in time, especially in a work of fiction.]

sophist (noun) [literally, ‘professional wise (person);’ in ancient Greece, a professional teacher of rhetoric; one who is skilled at elaborate and deceptive reasoning that “makes the weaker argument appear to be the stronger.”]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

erg-/urg- [from Greek]

(noun)

work

allergy [literally, ‘the work of another (upon oneself);’ an unusually high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens or foods.]

erg [literally, ‘work;’ the unit of energy or work equal to the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter.]

ergonomic

energy [literally, ‘in a work (state);’ the ability of a physical system to perform work; personal vivacity and intensity.]

metallurgy

synergy [literally, 'working together with;’ the interaction of two or more actors or forces so that their combined effect is bigger than the sum of their individual effects; cooperative interaction between groups.]

ergonomic (adjective) [literally, ‘pertaining to work law;’ designed to meet the special requirements of a work station or workplace.]

metallurgy (noun) [literally, ‘metal working’ the study of the nature and manipulation of metals.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

verb- [from Latin]

(noun)

word

adverb [literally, ‘word toward or near;’ a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.]

proverb [literally, ‘word (put) forth;’ a widely used saying that succinctly expresses conventionally accepted truism.]

verb [literally, ‘word;’ a word that expresses an action or a condition.]

verbatim

verbiage [literally, ‘wordiness;’ a superfluity of words.]

verbose

verbatim (adverb) [literally, ‘word for word;’ in exactly the same words.]

verbose (adjective) [literally, ‘wordy;’ expressed in speech or in writing by an excessive number of words.]