Greek and Latin roots in the English language

Greek and Latin roots in the English language © Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd 2012 ENG10LAWK00012 Language and literacy www.nelsonenglishusage....
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Greek and Latin roots in the English language

© Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd 2012 ENG10LAWK00012 Language and literacy

www.nelsonenglishusage.com.au

One of the reasons that the English language has flourished in recent centuries is because of its ability and willingness to absorb words from other languages. In its way, English survives as a living language because it is, put simply, very spongy. When English sees a word with no appropriate English equivalent, which is functionally necessary to the language, it adopts it. Sometimes spelling changes, and sometimes alphabets do – because not all languages we borrow from use our standard, A–Z Roman alphabet – so our absorbed words, or ‘loanwords’ aren’t always obvious to the naked eye. Loanwords are a key part of the English language. Loanwords don’t always follow the rules of English grammar and spelling and this contributes to difficulties in learning English anew. However, at the same time, loanwords provide non-English speakers in an English-speaking environment with a pool of mutually intelligible words. English is an Indo-European language that belongs to the Germanic family of languages. The Germanic languages are subdivided into West Germanic, North Germanic and East Germanic branches – although East Germanic languages are extinct. The West Germanic and North Germanic languages used today are as follows. West Germanic Afrikaans Dutch English Frisian German Yiddish

North Germanic Danish Faroese Icelandic Norwegian Swedish

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The Germanic languages were originally spread across parts of Europe. Today, native speakers of Germanic languages can be found across the globe. Figure 1 Native speakers of Germanic languages today

Like human beings, human languages have common ancestors. These Germanic languages date back to a ‘protolanguage’ called Proto-Germanic, and even further back to another protolanguage, called Proto Indo-European. Proto Indo-European, or just Indo-European, is also the most recent common ancestor of all of the Celtic, Romance, Hellenic, Baltic, Slavic, IndoIranian, Armenian and Albanian languages. Figure 2 Native speakers of Indo-European languages today

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From the Indo-European language tree, it might seem that English split off from other branches a long time ago. Although this is true, the proximity of speakers of other languages to English speakers – whether through invasion, colonisation, trade or travel – has meant that English never stopped adopting words from other languages.

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We have a great many words and parts of words that come from Latin and Ancient Greek. The following table shows only a few of them. Root ab– a– abs– aqu–

Meaning Away, from, off, without

arthr– arthro– bi– bio–

of the joints and the limbs

Language of origin Example words Latin absent abandon aversion Latin aquarium aqueduct Greek arthrogram

Life

Greek

bi–

Two

Latin

calc– cardi– cardio– dict–

Stone Heart

Greek and Latin Greek

To say or to speak

Latin

dys–

Bad, badly, sick

Greek

eco–

house, dwelling, habitat

Greek

Water

abduct abnormal abate aquatic aqueous arthroplasty

biology biosphere biodegradable binoculars bipolar calculus cardiovascular echocardiogram dictionary dictator dystopia dysfunctional economy ecosystem encephalogram

bionic biopsy

equal equitable appendectomy

equate equator mastectomy ethnicity feminist fracture fraction fractal

binary bipartisan calcium predict dictum dyslexia dystrophy ecology ecotourism encephalic

encephal– of the brain encephalo– equ– level, balanced, even

Greek

–ectomy

surgical removal of a body part race, people, tribe, nation woman, female break

Greek Greek Latin Latin

ethnoreligious feminine fragment fringe fragile

Earth writing, letter, book, alphabet, drawing, record equipment or equipment to record data the process of recording data blood

Greek Greek

geology geomatics grammar diagram epigram gramophone electrocardiograph

Greek

computerised tomography angiography haemorrhage haemophilia

other, different, second, another

Greek

heterogeneous

ethn– femin– frang– frac– frag– fring– ge– gram– –graph –graphy haem– haemo– heter–

Latin

Greek Greek

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heterotrophic

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Root hyster– hystero–

Language of origin Example words Greek hysteria hystereurysis

hypo– ign–

Meaning of the uterus, the womb, of women (archaic, derogatory) above, beyond, extreme, too much too little, below normal fire

in– im–

within, on (first meaning) not (second meaning)

Latin

inter–

between, among, mutually, together inflammation joining, joint

Latin

near, close to, beside movement, motion, gesture milk of the abdomen, the flank free a field of academic study, the study of hand, handwriting

hyper–

–itis jung– junct– juxta– kine– lact– lapar– laparo– liber– –logy manu–

hysterical

Greek Greek Latin

igneous rock

Latin Greek Latin Greek

ignite ignition coil invite meaning) impossible (second meaning internet interactive appendicitis conjunction juncture juxtapose kinetics lactose laparoscopy

Latin Greek

liberal etymology

liberty psychology

Latin

manuscript labour manubriums melanin

manual

mortal mortal sin narration narrative therapy nominalisation sarcoma carcinoma omnivorous omniscient synonym pseudonym osteoarthritis osteopathy

mortician mortgage narrator

sympathise pathos philosophy

empathy pathetic Francophile

Greek Latin

melan– melano– mort–

dark, black in colour

Greek

death, subject to death

Latin

narr–

tell, speak, recount, report

Latin

nomin– –oma –omata omni–

name growth, tumour, mass

Latin Greek

all

Latin

–onym

word, name

Greek

ost– oste– osteo– patho– –pathy phil–

of the bones

Greek

feeling, pain, suffering, passion, disease love, affection, friendship,

Greek Greek

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import (first immutable interpersonal intercept bronchitis junction kinesiology lactation

manufacture

nominate adenoma omnipotent omnipresent antonym acronym osteology

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Root –phile –phob phob– phleb– phlebo– –plasia

Meaning enjoyment fear

Language of origin Example words

veins, blood

phobia

Greek

arachnophobia claustrophobic phlebotomy

development, growth, formation porous, absorbent, pore, cavity, opening similar to but not actually, resembling, as if

Greek

dysplasia

hyperplasia

Greek

porotic

Latin

qui–

quiet, at rest, repose

Latin

quot–

how great a part? how many times? back, again, repetition

Latin

nose

Greek

rump– rupt– sacr– secr–

break, tear, bend, rend, burst, destroy, force sacred, bone

Latin

salv–

Latin

schis– schiz–

save, rescue, safe, unharmed, sound, alive split, break, divide, rift, fissure

semi–

half

Latin

sept– septen– septim– septuagen– somn–

seven seven each seventh seventy each sleep

Latin

sorb– sorpt–

suck

Latin

quasiparticle quasi-experiment quasi-intellectual quasi-democratic quiescent quiet requiem quit quotient quota quote repeat rebirth reprint redact rhinoplasty rhinoceros rhinitis otorhinolaryngology interrupt abrupt corrupt eruption sacrifice consecrated sacrosanct sacrilege sacrum sacral salvage salvation salve schism schizotypal schizophrenia schizocarp schizogenesis semi-trailer semifinal semicolon semibreve semilunar septet septuple septenary septimation septuagenarian insomnia somnolent somnambulist somniferous sorbet absorbency self-absorption

tac– tic– tax–

silence, quiet, left unsaid

Latin

taciturn

reticence

order, appraise, arrange,

Greek

taxes

taxicab

por– poro– quasi–

re– red– rhin–

Greek

Latin

Latin

Greek

Latin

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Root

Meaning arrange, battle, rank

techn–

ability, skill, craft, art, trade, means, cunning (stretch of) time, occasion, of the head

tempor–

Language of origin Example words chemotaxis taxonomy taxidermy Greek technical technology geotechnology technique Latin tempo temporary temporal lobe temple temporise temporomandibular joint Greek hypothermia ectotherm thermometer thermal socks Greek colostomy episiotomy Greek stereotype typical typography archetype phenotype typify Latin (super) ubermensch uber-trendy Greek (hyper)

therm–

warmth, heat, temperature

–tomy typ–

to cut, an incision model, mould, stamp, type, impression, blow

uber– ultim–

the most extreme, highest or greatest, fruitful, over, above farthest, last, ended

urb–

city, town

Latin

vac–

empty, blank

Latin

verb–

word

Latin

xen– xeno– –y

strange, alien, foreign

Greek

condition, in the process of, state, quality (forms action nouns with verbs) of animals, living beings

Latin (–ia) Greek (–iα)

zo– zoo–

Latin

Greek

penultimate ultimatum ultima suburb urban exurb urbanisation vacuum vacant vacancy verbose verbal non-verbal communication verbatim verbiage xenon xenoglossia xenagogy xenogenesis inquiry jealousy surgery cookery zoo zooid

zoology zoography

Using the chart above, provide definitions for the following words, break each word down into its component parts, and use it in a sentence. Apathy

1

Parts Meaning Sentence

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Pathology

2

Parts Meaning Sentence

Haematology

3

Parts Meaning Sentence

Encephalitis

4

Parts Meaning Sentence

Hysterectomy

5

Parts Meaning Sentence

Arthritis

6

Parts Meaning Sentence

Osteoporosis

7

Parts Meaning Sentence

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Laparotomy

8

Parts Meaning Sentence

Xenophobia

9

Parts Meaning Sentence

Geography

10

Parts Meaning Sentence

Encephalography

11

Parts Meaning Sentence

Ethnography

12

Parts Meaning Sentence

Hypoplasia

13

Parts Meaning Sentence

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Haematoma

14

Parts Meaning Sentence

Melanoma

15

Parts Meaning Sentence

Immortal

16

Parts Meaning Sentence

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