Our Latinate Political Scene (A Political Vocabulary Exercise)

Doc Z — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:05:25 +0000

Students of politics should refresh the Latin that they learned in high school, because it would provide them with some insight into our current universe of political discourse and action.

The Republic Party is the “ob” party, the party of the Latin preposition “ob,” which means “against/regarding.” This preposition conveys a sense of in-your-face againstness. Two English nouns that have this as a root are: obstacle and obloquy. The English adjectives derived from it include: obdurate, obfuscatory, objectionable, objurgating, obliterative, oblivious, obnoxious, obscene, obscurantist, obsequious, obsessive, obsolescent, obstinate, obstreperous, obstructionist, obtrusive, obtundent, obturating, and obtuse.

The Democratic Party is the “si” party, the party of the Latin conjunction “si,” which means “if.” The iffiness of the Democratic Party has made it seem like a cadre of temporizing bumblers, the party of unfulfilled conditionality. Some of its mottoes could be: “if we had the courage of our convictions,” “if we had the principled certainty to act decisively,” or “if we valued the truth enough to confront proliferated lies directly.”

This is only the tip of the iceberg of what Latin has to teach us about our current political stagnation.

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 16 [dic-/dict-]

Doc Z — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:56:23 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(base)

dic-/dict- [from Latin]

(verb)

to say

benediction

dictator

diction [literally, ‘saying;’ the choice and use of words in speaking or in writing.]

edict [literally, ‘said out;’ a legally binding decree or proclamation or pronouncement.]

to indict [literally, ‘to say unto;’ to accuse someone formally of wrongdoing or crime.]

malediction [literally, ‘badly-saying;’ a curse.]

benediction (noun) [literally, ‘well-saying;’ a blessing.]

dictator (noun) [literally, ‘official sayer;’ an ancient Roman leader designated to lead the city temporarily in a crisis; an absolute or autocratic ruler.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 15 [cred-]

Doc Z — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:49:15 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(base)

cred- [from Latin]

(verb)

to believe(-in)

credential [literally, ‘(evidence) pertaining to believing;’ anything that certifies that one’s declared claim or position is to be believed.]

credible

creditable [literally, ‘able to be believed;’ deserving of belief.]

credo [literally, ‘I believe;’ an official statement of religious belief; a creed.]

credulous

to discredit [literally, ‘to believe apart;’ to destroy belief in, or refuse belief to, someone or something.]

credible (adjective) [literally, ‘believable;’ conveying worthiness or likeliness to be believed.]

credulous (adjective) [literally, ‘believing;’ too prone or ready to believe; gullible.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 14 [con-/com-/co-; syn-/sym-/syl-/sy-/sys-]

Doc Z — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:30:14 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(prefix)

con-/com-/co- [from Latin]

(preposition)

with

[Note: As a prefix, this also means ‘together.’]

colloquial

concrescence [literally, ‘growing together;’ the conjoint growing of different parts of a biological organism.]

congregation [literally, ‘a flocking together;’ a group of persons assembled for a specific purpose, especially for religious worship.]

consensus

convention [literally, ‘a coming together;’ a formal meeting of an organization; an agreed upon usage or belief.]

to convert [literally, ‘to turn together with;’ to change something into something else; to convince someone to adopt a particular belief, especially a religion.]

colloquial (adjective) [literally, ‘pertaining to speaking together with (someone else);’ characteristic of spoken language or informal writing that is meant to imitate ordinary conversation.]

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

(prefix)

syn-/sym-/syl-/sy-/sys- [from Greek]

(preposition)

with

[Note: As a prefix, this also means ‘together.’]

sympathy [literally, ‘suffering together with;’ sharing the feelings of someone else; compassion.]

symphony [literally, ‘sound together;’ a long musical composition in three or more movements for a large orchestra.]

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.]

synonym [literally, ‘name together with;’ a word with the same, or almost the same, meaning as another word in the same language.]

syntax

synthesis

syntax (noun) [literally, ‘ordering together;’ the rules governing the combining of words into grammatically correct clauses and sentences; the rules of linguistic coordination.]

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

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 13 [arch-]

Doc Z — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:16:32 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(base)

arch- [from Greek]

(noun)

rule, beginning

anarchy [literally, ‘without a rule or a ruler.’]

archaeology

archangel [literally, ‘ruling messenger;’ a high-ranking angel.]

archbishop [literally, ‘ruling overseer;’ a bishop of the highest rank, such as the head of an archdiocese or province.]

architect

oligarchy [literally, ‘rule by a few (usually the wealthy).’]

archaeology (noun) [literally, ‘speech about the beginning;’ the systematic study of material artifacts from the past.]

architect (noun) [literally, ‘ruling builder;’ one who plans and supervises the construction of buildings.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 12 [ven-/vent-]

Doc Z — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:29:17 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(base)

ven-/vent- [venu-] [from Latin]

(verb)

to come

adventure [literally, ‘a coming toward;’ a hazardous or exciting undertaking.]

to circumvent [literally, ‘to come around;’ to go around or to bypass something (for the purpose of avoiding or evading it).]

convention [literally, ‘a coming together;’ a formal meeting of an organization; an agreed upon usage or belief.]

event

to intervene [literally, ‘to come between;’ to come between two parties in order to hinder or alter their course of action.]

to invent

event (noun) [literally, ‘a coming out;’ a happening, sometimes one of significance; a final result or outcome.]

to invent (verb) [literally, ‘to come onto;’ to produce or devise something new.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 11 [end(o)-/ent(o)-]

Doc Z — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:12:27 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(prefix)

end(o)-/ent(o)-

[from Greek]

(preposition)

within

endocardium

endocrine

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

endodontics [literally, ‘skill at what is within the tooth;’ the branch of dentistry which treats diseases of the tooth’s root and dental pulp.]

endomorph [literally, ‘shape within;’ a human body type characterized by fleshiness and the prominence of the abdomen.]

entozoan [literally, ‘within a living thing;’ an animal that lives within another animal, usually as a parasite.]

endocardium (noun) [literally, ‘location within the heart;’ the thin membrane that lines the interior of the heart.]

endocrine (adjective) [literally, ‘judging or discriminating within;’ secreting internally; pertaining to the endocrine glands or their hormones.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 10 [inter-/intra-]

Doc Z — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:25:16 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(prefix)

inter- [from Latin]

(preposition)

between, among

to interject [literally, ‘to throw between;’ to interpose something in words between the conversational remarks of others.]

interlude [literally, ‘playiing between;’ an intervening period of time; a short comic skit between the acts of a medieval morality or mystery play; any diversion from the scheduled activity or entertainment.]

intermission [literally, ‘a thing sent between;’ a recess or a period of relaxation between the acts of a theatrical performance.]

interscholastic [literally, ‘between schools;’ conducted among or between schools.]

interval

to intervene

interval (noun) [literally, ‘between the palisade;’ a space between two points in space or time.]

to intervene (verb) [literally, ‘to come between;’ to come between two parties in order to hinder or alter their course of action.]

(prefix)

intra-/intro- [from Latin]

(preposition)

within

intramolecular [literally, ‘pertaining to what is within a molecule.’]

intramural

intravenous [literally, ‘pertaining to what is within the vein;’ administered into a vein.]

to introduce [literally, ‘to lead within;’ to present someone or something for the first time to another person or group of persons.]

introspection

introverted [literally, ‘turned within;’ focused on oneself; reticent or shy.]

intramural (adjective) [literally, ‘within the walls;’ conducted within the bounds of an institution, especially a school.]

introspection (noun) [literally, ‘looking within;’ contemplation of one’s own inner thoughts.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 9 [doc(t)-]

Doc Z — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:10:55 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(base)

doc(t)- [from Latin]

(verb)

to teach

docent [literally, ‘teaching (person);’ a lecturer or tour guide at a museum or college.]

docile

doctor

doctrine [literally, ‘a teaching;’ an official body of truths, beliefs, or principles.]

document [literally, ‘a teaching lesson;’ a legal or official presentation of something for information or evidence.]

to indoctrinate [literally, ‘to put a teaching into (someone);’ to implant a point of view or body of beliefs into someone.]

docile (adjective) [literally, ‘teachable;’ naturally constituted to be controllable or trainable.]

doctor (noun) [literally, ‘teacher;’ a physician or other person trained in the science of healing; a holder of the highest academic degree.]

Latin and Greek Roots of English Vocabulary: An Online Manual: Lesson 8 [circum-/peri-]

Doc Z — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:23:00 +0000

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

(prefix)

circum- [from Latin]

(preposition)

around

circumference

circumlocution [literally, ‘spoken around;’ a roundabout way of saying something that could be said more directly and briefly; periphrasis.]

to circumnavigate [literally, ‘to sail around;’ to travel completely around something, such as the earth.]

to circumscribe [literally, ‘to write around;’ to draw a line around; to limit closely or to restrict.]

circumspect [literally, ‘looking around;’ paying close attention to all circumstances and consequences; skillfully prudent.]

to circumvent

circumference (noun) [literally, ‘bearing around;’ the line which bounds and defines a circle; periphery.]

to circumvent (verb) [literally, ‘to come around;’ to go around or to bypass something (for the purpose of avoiding or evading it).]

(prefix)

peri- [from Greek]

(preposition)

around, about

perigee [literally, ‘around the earth;’ the point in the orbit of a satellite which is closest to the center of the earth or of any other body being orbited.]

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

periodontal [literally, ‘around the tooth;’ relating to the area surrounding a tooth.]

peripeteia

periphrasis

periscope [literally, ‘looking around;’ an optical device for observing things from a position which is not in a direct line with the things to be observed.]

peripeteia (noun) [literally, ‘falling around;’ a sudden reversal of circumstances, especially in a work of literature.]

periphrasis (noun) [literally, ‘asserted around;’ a roundabout way of saying something that could be said more directly and briefly; circumlocution.]