Information on this page will change periodically. Here will be some neat words along with some origins and how they were derived by using etymology.
WHAT IS ETYMOLOGY? Etymology, as used in this page, is the derivation of English words from Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes.
WHY LEARN TO USE ETYMOLOGY? It will help you to figure out and understand NEW words that you come across, even if you have never seen them before. You will be able to recognize and remember new words more easily.
DID YOU KNOW?.....If you learn only ONE Latin or Greek root, you will have the key to unlock the meanings of up to 35 English words! WOW!
A ROOT is the part from which many words can be derived. Example: 'ped' is a root from the Latin noun 'pes' meaning foot; from it come words such as 'pedal', 'pedestrian', 'biped'.
A PREFIX attaches itself to a root word, at the beginning. Example: 'bi' from the Latin 'bis' meaning twice; we have words such as bicycle, biped, biweekly.
A SUFFIX attaches itself to the end of a root. Example: 'ity' is a noun suffix, such as in 'annunity'; 'al' is an adjective sufffix such as in 'annual'; 'ate' is a verb suffix such as in 'fluctuate'.
IMPLY, INSINUATE OR INFER? Often the word imply is confused with infer. To imply is to fold meaning into. You can imply only by speaking, writing, or making a gesture. When you imply, another has to guess at this infolded meaning. So others listening to you, reading your words, or watching what you do draw a conclusion as to what your hint or suggestion signifies, they infer, or draw an inference.
Infer is a combination of the prefix in and the Latin verb fero,which means 'to carry'. So when you infer, you carry meaning into your mind from what someone has said, written, or done.
Insinuate is the verb to use, when you imply something nasty.
{Some of the information on this page has been adapted or quoted from the book: Instant Word Power by Norman Lewis}
LOVE AND DREAD
philos (Gr) -loving
pod (Gr) -feet
podophile loves feet
cheir, chiro (Gr)-hand
chirophile loves hands
hippo (Gr) -horse
hippophile loves horses
Anglophile loves England
Francophile loves France
Russophile loves Russia
phobia (Gr) -fear
biblion (Gr) -book
bibliophobia is a morbid fear of books
chirophobia is a morbid fear of hands
hippophobia is a morbid fear of horses
dendron (Gr) -tree
dendrophobia is a morbid fear of trees
triskaidekaphobia is a morbid fear of the number 13
