Latin and Greek Root Words Unit 13 CUR, CURS, ERR, GRAD, GRESS. VEN, VENT Aberrant, Circumvent, Congress, Convene, Covenant, Cursory, Degrade, Egress, Errant, Erroneous, Incursion, Precursor, Recourse
ERR Latin ERRARE, ERRATUM “to wander” 1. Aberrant adj. Deviating from a pattern or rule L. ab, “away from,” + errare (ERR) = wandering away from Since the data had previously been so consistent, the aberrant results puzzled the scientists. SYN: Abnormal ANT: Typical 2. Erroneous adj. Wrong or inaccurate L. erronis (from errare) = straying from (the correct rule or standard) Tina came to the understandable but erroneous conclusion that all dogs were unfriendly. SYN: Mistaken ANT: Correct
ERR Cont’d 3. Errant adj. Wandering or straying The errant knight soon found more adventure than he had bargained for. SYN: Wayward ANT: On course
GRAD/GRESS Latin GRADI, GRESSUM “to go forth, to proceed” 4. Degrade v. To lower in dignity or esteem; insult L. de, “down,” + gradi (GRAD) = (to cause to) go down Hannah felt that the mayor’s comment degraded women and should be withdrawn. SYN: Belittle ANT: Honor 5. Congress n. A coming together L. con, “together,” + gressum (GRESS) = a proceeding together The meeting of scientists was hailed as “a congress of great minds.”
GRAD/GRESS Cont’d 6. Egress n. Act of going out; exit L. e, “out of,” + gressum (GRESS) = going out The prisoners were given egress after their court hearing.
VEN/VENT Latin VENIRE, VENTUM “to come” 7. Convene v. To call together, to assemble L. con, “together,” + venire (VEN) = to come together With the ringing of the bell, our chairman convened the fifth annual workshop. SYN: Gather ANT: Adjourn 8. Covenant n. A mutual or legal agreement Because the ancient covenant between the two tribes had been broken, a special meeting had to be called. SYN: Contract ANT: Break off
VEN/VENT Cont’d 9. Circumvent v. To avoid by going around; bypass L. circum, “around,” + ventum (VENT) = to go around Harold attempted to circumvent the problem by planning ahead. SYN: Sidestep ANT: Confront
CUR/CURS Latin CURRERE, CURSUM “to run” 10. Cursory adj. Hasty and superficial Diane gave me a cursory wave as she was whisked away into the ballroom. SYN: Casual ANT: Comprehensive 11. Precursor n. That which comes before; forerunner L. pre, “before,” + currere (CURS)= running before The shower of hail was only a precursor to the worst storm we had ever seen. SYN: harbinger
CUR/CURS Cont’d 12. Recourse n. Help for a problem; solution L. re, “back,” + currere (CUR) = running back When Cameron needed help building the house, his only recourse was to go to his brother. SYN: Resource 13. Incursion n. An attack on another’s territory; a raid L. in, “into,” + currere (CUR) = running into The soldier surveyed the damage after the enemy incursion. SYN: Invasion