1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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Hannah felt that the mayor’s comment degraded women and should be withdrawn.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.”

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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