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Vocabulary

-meter/-metry [from Greek]

(verb/noun)

to measure/ measuring/ measurement

anemometer

audiometer [literally, ‘measuring what I hear;’ a device for measuring a person’s hearing range.]

diameter [literally, ‘a measure through;’ a line segment that passes through the center of a circle and terminates at its circumference.]

geometry [literally, ‘measuring the earth;’ the branch of mathematics that studies and describes the characteristics of points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids.]

perimeter

sphygmomanometer [literally, ‘measuring a sporadic pulse;’ a device for measuring arterial blood pressure.]

anemometer (noun) [literally, ‘measuring the wind;’ a device for measuring wind speed.]

perimeter (noun) [literally, ‘a measure around;’ the bounding line of a plane surface figure.]

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the(o)- [from Greek]

(noun)

god

apotheosis

atheism [literally, ‘non-godism;’ denial of the existence of God or gods.]

pantheon [literally, ‘of all gods;’ a temple for the worship of all gods.]

theocracy [literally, ‘mastery by a god;’ rule by religious authorities, especially priests.]

theodicy

theology [literally, ‘speech about a god;’ the formal study of the nature of gods, a god, or God; the formal study of religion.]

apotheosis (noun) [literally, ‘making a god from;’ elevating someone to the status of a god.]

theodicy (noun) [literally, ‘justice of a god;’ a justification of the ways of God to humans.]

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the(s)-/the(m)- [from Greek]

(verb)

to put

anathema [literally, ‘a thing put up;’ a cursed or damned person or thing.]

epithet

hypothesis [literally, ‘a putting under;’ something assumed to be true for the purpose of investigation; a supposition.]

prosthesis

synthesis [literally, ‘a putting together;’ the combining of disparate elements or phenomena into an organized and integrated whole; compositing.]

thesis [literally, ‘a putting;’ a proposition defended by reasoning.]

epithet (noun) [literally, ‘something put on (added);’ an essentially descriptive phrase; a nickname.]

prosthesis (noun) [literally, ‘putting near;’ an artificial replacement for a missing part of the body.]

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cosm- [from Greek]

(noun)

world or adornment

[Note: The Greek word implies a beautiful and orderly whole.]

cosmetic [literally, ‘adorning;’ a substance applied to the body to beautify it.]

cosmogony [literally, ‘begetting the world;’ an account of the origin of the universe.]

cosmology [literally, ‘speech about the world;’ the scientific study of the structure of the universe.]

cosmopolitan

cosmos [literally, ‘world;’ the universe.]

microcosm

cosmopolitan (adjective) [literally, ‘pertaining to the world as a city;’ sophisticated in the ways of the world and of many cultures.]

microcosm (noun) [literally, ‘small world;’ a small, representative version of the world as a whole.]

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Vocabulary

dem- [from Greek]

(noun)

a people

demagogue [literally, ‘leader of a people;’ a charismatic person who gains power by appealing to the irrational passions of the mass of persons.]

democracy

demotic [literally, ‘pertaining to a people;’ pertaining to the common people.]

endemic [literally, ‘within a people;’ prevalent in, or peculiar to, a particular locale or people.]

epidemic

pandemic [literally, ‘pertaining to all peoples;’ pertaining to a widely spread disease; extremely far-reaching.]

democracy (noun) [literally, ‘mastery by a people;’ government by the people, either participatory (direct) or republican (through representatives).]

epidemic (noun) [literally, ‘over a people;’ widely and extensively spreading disease.]

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Vocabulary

aut-/taut- [from Greek]

(adjective)

(one)self

autocrat [literally, ‘(one)self-the master;’ a ruler with absolute power; a tyrant or despot.]

automaton

automobile [literally, ‘something capable of self-motion;’ a self-propelled motorized passenger vehicle.]

autonomy

autopsy [literally, ‘a seeing for oneself;’ examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death; a postmortem.]

automaton [literally, ‘a self-acting thing;’ a self-operating artificial device; a robot.]

autonomy (noun) [literally, ‘law to oneself;’ self-determination; self-regulation; independence.]

Root

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Vocabulary

para-/par- [from Greek]

(preposition)

beside, beyond

paradigm

paradox [literally, ‘beyond opinion;’ a statement that seems simultaneously to contradict accepted opinion or belief and to be true.]

parallel

paralysis [literally, ‘loosening beyond;’ loss of the ability to move or to function.]

parasite [literally, ‘food beside;’ an organism that lives or feeds on or by another organism.]

parenthesis [literally, ‘a putting in beside;’ in punctuation, one of the upright arcs used to separate an interruption or explanation in a clause.]

paradigm (noun) [literally, ‘a showing beside;’ the model or pattern for all other items of the same type.]

parallel (adjective) [literally, ‘beside each other;’ two geometric entities that are equidistant at every point.]

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Vocabulary

(a)esthe- [from Greek]

(verb)

to sense

[Note: When the “ae” combination (a Latin transliteration of the Greek “ai”—alpha-iota—combination) comes from Greek into English, it is often shortened to ‘e.’]

aesthete [literally, ‘one who senses;’ one who is a connoisseur of beauty in art or in nature.]

aesthetics

anesthesia

kinesthesia [literally, ‘sensing motion;’ the faculty that senses bodily movement.]

somesthetic [literally, ‘pertaining to sensing the body;’ pertaining to the awareness of stimuli sent from the skin and bodily organs.]

synesthesia [literally, ‘sensing together with;’ the sensing of one type of stimulus as a result of the sensing of another type of stimulus.]

aesthetics (noun) [literally, ‘sensing skill;’ the philosophical discipline devoted to the study of beauty, especially in the fine arts.]

anesthesia (noun) [literally, ‘lack of sensing;’ loss of the ability to sense, especially to sense pain.]

sens-/sent- [from Latin]

to sense

consensus [literally, ‘a sensing together;’ an agreement reached by a group either unanimously (consensus omnium) or by a majority (consensus gentium).]

dissent

insensate [literally, ‘not sensing;’ deprived of sensation or feeling.]

resentment

sensation [literally, ‘sensing;’ the matrix of bodily faculties that perceive stimuli.]

sensible [literally, ‘able to be sensed [of things]’ or ‘able to sense [of persons];’ able to be perceived [of things]; showing good judgment in word or deed [of persons].]

dissent (noun) [literally, ‘sensing apart;’ refusal to accept majority or established opinion.]

resentment (noun) [literally, ‘state of sensing back at;’ the feeling of hostility toward another because of an actual or imagined grievance.]

Root

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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.”]

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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.]