Latin and Greek Root Words Unit 14 CIVIS, DEM, POLIT, VIR Apolitical, Civic, Civility, Civilize, Cosmopolitan, Demagogue, Demographic, Pandemic, Politicize, Virile, Virtue, Virtuoso

VIR Latin VIR “man” 1. Virile adj. Masculine; manly Will tried to prove he was strong and virile by lifting the enormous refrigerator. 2. Virtue n. Right action; moral goodness It takes a special kind of virtue to do good acts and never seek recognition for them. 3. Virtuoso n. Someone extraordinarily skilled in a particular art Frank was a piano virtuoso; he could play extraordinarily difficult pieces by ear.

DEM Greek DEMOS “people” 4. Demagogue n. A leader who appeals to people’s emotions to gain power G. demos (DEM) + agein, “to lead” = one who leads people Some voters feared our governor, whose opinions seemed to change depending on his audience, was in danger of becoming a demagogue. 5. Demographic adj. Having certain characteristics in common, such as age, race, or gender G. demos (DEM) + graphy, “study of” = study of people The company targeted a very specific demographic group with a new series of advertisements aimed at teenagers.

DEM Cont’d 6. Pandemic adj. Having an effect on a large area or region G. Pan, “all,” + demos (DEM) = all people The mysterious disease seemed to be pandemic among the inhabitants of the country. SYN: Rampant ANT: Confined

POLIT Greek POLIS “city” 7. Cosmopolitan adj. Worldly or sophisticated G. cosmos, “world,” + Polis (POLIT) = being a citizen of the world While Wendy’s husband though the restaurant had an appealing cosmopolitan flavor, Wendy’s mother thought the whole place rather snobbish. SYN: Cultured ANT: Unpolished 8. Politicize v. To give a political character to something Some people criticize the President for politicizing an otherwise neutral situation.

POLIT Cont’d 9. Apolitical adj. Having no interest in politics; not political G. a, “not,” + politikos (from polis) = not political Many people who were once apolitical turned out to vote in the recent elections.

CIVIS Latin CIVIS “citizen” 10. Civility n. Politeness; courteousness Although my brother and I fought constantly, we treated each other with civility in public. SYN: Decorum ANT: Rudeness 11. Civic adj. Having to do with the business of a town or community Mrs. Morita considers it her civic duty to attend the town meetings. 12. Civilize to make more cultured or refined My mother’s attempt to civilize her wild children only made us more determined to do whatever we wanted. SYN: Polish