Greek & Latin Vocab 1 BREV, CARN, GEO, JECT, OMNI

Why should we study Greek & Latin word parts?  Some words cannot be broken down: base words.  However, many, many other words contain prefixes, roots, and suffixes.  You can think of these as the “building blocks” of a word.  Knowing the building blocks of a word can help you understand its meaning and remember its spelling.  Knowing these word parts, along with using context clues, can help you determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.  This helps you become a stronger reader and learner.  It also helps on tests like the SAT and ACT if you have a strong vocabulary.

Why should we study Greek & Latin word parts?  English is a living language, and it is growing all the time. One way that new words come into the language is when words are borrowed from other languages. New words are also created when words or word parts, such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes, are combined in new ways.  Many English words and word parts can be traced back to Latin and Greek. Often you can guess the meaning of an unfamiliar word if you know the meaning of its word parts.  Latin was the language spoken by the ancient Romans. As the Romans conquered most of Europe, the Latin language spread throughout the region. Over time, the Latin spoken in different areas developed into separate languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. These languages are considered “sisters,” as they all descended from Latin, their “mother” language. They are often called Romantic languages.

Why should we study Greek & Latin word parts?  In 1066 England was conquered by William, Duke of Normandy, which is in northern France. For several hundred years after the Norman invasion, French was the language of court and polite society in England. It was during this period that many French words were borrowed into English. Linguists estimate that some 60% of our common everyday vocabulary today comes from French. Thus many Latin words came into English indirectly through French.  Many Latin words came into English directly, though, too. Monks from Rome brought religious vocabulary as well as Christianity to England beginning in the 6th century. From the Middle Ages onward, many scientific, scholarly, and legal terms were borrowed from Latin.

Why should we study Greek & Latin word parts?  During the 17th and 18th centuries, dictionary writers and grammarians generally felt that English was an imperfect language whereas Latin was perfect. In order to improve the language, they deliberately made up a lot of English words from Latin words. For example, fraternity, from Latin fraternitas, was thought to be better than the native English word brotherhood.  Words are the tools we use to think about the world, communicate with the people around us, and learn new things.  The more words you know, the better you can think, communicate, and absorb new information!

brev, bri (Latin)  abbreviate  shorten  brief  lasting a short period of time  SAT Focus Word:  brevity  shortness, especially of speech or writing  Context: Ironically, it is long-winded Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet who famously says that brevity is the soul of wit.  Other words: abridge SHORT

carn (Latin)  carnivorous  eating flesh  reincarnation  rebirth in new flesh  SAT Focus Word:  carnage  slaughter of a great number of people  Context: Had Abdaly succeeded in getting his bomb into the mall, there would have been carnage.  Other words: incarnate, carnal, carnival FLESH

geo (Greek)  geography  study of where things are on the earth  geocaching  the outdoor sport or game of searching for hidden objects by using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates posted on the Internet  SAT Focus Word:  geology  study of Earth’s features  Context: In geology lab, we did a scratch test to compare hardness of various rocks.  Other words: geometry, geocentric EARTH

ject (Latin)  interject  throw in the middle  reject  throw back  SAT Focus Word:  abject  utterly wretched, hopeless (thrown away)  Context: The townspeople lived in abject poverty.  Other words: conjecture, projectile THROW

omni (Latin)  omnivorous  eating all types of food  omnipotent  all-powerful  SAT Focus Word:  omniscient  all-knowing  Context: A third-person omniscient narrator can tell a story from all characters’ perspectives.  Other words: omnipresent, omnidirectional ALL

-ous, -ious (Latin)  spacIOUS – full of space  prosperOUS – full of prosperity (good fortune)  humorOUS – full of humor FULL OF, CHARACTERIZED BY, HAVING creates an adjective form Suffix of the Week: