Post on 05-Apr-2018
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 1/45
IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY WITH A KNOWLEDGE
OF GREEK WORDS IN ENGLISH
GREEK ETYMOLOGY IN ENGLISH
robmccaul@hotmail.com
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 2/45
English is a living language
…and it is growing all thetime. One way that newlanguages grow is whenwords are borrowed fromother tongues.
New words are also createdwhen words or wordelements, such as roots,prefixes, and suffixes, arecombined in new ways.
Many English words and
word elements can betraced back to Latin andGreek. Often you can guessthe meaning of anunfamiliar word if you knowthe meaning of the roots.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 3/45
A word root is a part of a
word. It contains the coremeaning of the word, butit cannot stand alone.
A prefix is a word partthat is placed at thebeginning of a word tochange its meaning. E.g.
An- .
A suffix is a word partthat is placed at the endof a word to change itsmeaning. E.g. – ismSocialism
Pedagogue (n)
Peda- Children
Gogue-LeaderDemograph (n)
Demos-People
Demagogue (n)
People-LeaderDisapproving a person, especiallyA political leader, who wins support
By exciting people’s emotions rather Than by having good ideas.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 4/45
English is descended from Anglo-Saxon
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 5/45
1066
In 1066 England wasconquered by William,duke of Normandy,which is in northernFrance.
For several hundredyears after the Normaninvasion, French wasthe language of courtand polite society in
England. It was duringthis period that manyFrench words wereborrowed into English.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 6/45
A Sponge
LanguageMany Latin words cameinto English directly,though, too.
The Church broughtreligious vocabulary aswell as Christianity to
England beginning inthe 6th century.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 7/45
Scholarly Borrowings
From the Middle Ages onwardmany scientific, scholarly, and legalterms were borrowed from Latinand Greek by people such as IsaacNewton.
During the 17th and 18th centuries,dictionary writers and grammariansgenerally felt that English was animperfect language whereas Latinwas perfect.
In order to improve the language,they deliberately made up a lot of English words from Latin and Greekwords. For example, fraternity,from Latin fraternitas, was thoughtto be better than the native English
word brotherhood.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 8/45
A Mongrel Tongue Linguists estimate
that some 60% of common everydayvocabulary inEnglish todaycomes fromFrench.
Thus manyLatin/Greek wordscame into Englishindirectly throughFrench.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 9/45
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 10/45
“Are oysters really an aphrodisiac?”
From the Greekgoddess of love and
beauty Aphrodite(Άφροδίτη)
something, usually a drug or food, which is believed to cause sexual desire in people
A is for... Aphrodisiac (n/ adj.)
/ˌæf.rəˈdɪz.i.æk/
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 11/45
Defn: the part of theEarth’s environmentwhere life exists.
“The biosphere is a thin blueshell in which all life on
planet Earth exists.”
derived from βίοσ -bíos- life
B is for...Biosphere n/ˈbaɪ.ɒs.fIər/
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 12/45
C is for...
/əˈnæk.rə.nɪ.zəm/Defn: a person, thing or idea which exists out
of its time in history, especially one whichhappened or existed later than the period
being shown, discussed, etc.
Noun: “For some people, marriage is an anachronismfrom the days when women needed to be
protected.”
Adj: anachronistic /əˌnæk.rəˈnɪs.tɪk/
“He described the law as anachronistic (= more suitable for anearlier time) and ridiculous.”
Adv: anachronistically /əˌnæk.rəˈnɪs.tɪ.kli/
Related words: Chronology,Synchronize and Chronometer Χρόνοσ = Chronos = Time
AnaChronism (n)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 13/45
D is for...
/dɪˈmɒk.rə.si/the belief in freedom and equality
between people, or a system ofgovernment based on this belief, in
which power is either held byelected representatives or directly
by the people themselves
“The government has promised touphold the principles of democracy.”
“The early 1990s saw the spread of democracy in Eastern Europe.”
a country in which power is held by electedrepresentatives
“Few of the Western democracies stillhave a royal family.” Κράτοσ=Kratos=power, strength
see Pantocrator
Δῆμοσ=DEMOS=PEOPLE See Demographic, demonstration
Democracy (n)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 14/45
E is for...
/ ̍juː.f əˌmɪ.z(ə)m/N, a word or phrase used to avoid
saying an unpleasant oroffensive word
'Senior citizen' is a euphemism for 'old person'.
The article made so much use of euphemism that often its meaningwas unclear.
euphemistic adj. / ̩juː.f əˈmɪs.tɪk/
Euphemistically adv. / ̩juː.f əˈmɪs.tɪ.kli/εὖ (eu, “well”) + φήμη (phēmē, “a
voice,a prophetic voice, rumor, talk”) +
φάναι (phanai, “to speak, say”) See also Eulogy, Euphoria
Euphemism (n)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 15/45
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 16/45
G is for...
/ˈpɒl.ɪ.glɒt/Adj. speaking or using several
different languages
“She was reading a polyglot
bible, with the text in English,Latin and Greek.”
Adj. containing people from manydifferent and distant places
New York is an exciting polyglot
city.
Noun- Speaker of several languages
“My tutor's something of apolyglot - she speaks seven
languages.”
Γλωττίσ=Glottis=Tounge Πολύσ=Polus=Many
polyGlot (n)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 17/45
H is for...
/ˌdiː.haɪˈdreɪt/ to (cause to) lose water
Air travel dehydrates the body.
You'll dehydrate (= lose water fromyour body) very quickly in this heat, if you don't drink lots of water. Also...
/ˈhaɪ.drɪ.dʒən/the lightest gas, with no colour, taste or
smell, that combines with oxygen to
form water
ὕδωρ=Hydor=Water
deHydrate (v)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 18/45
I is for...
/ˌɪd.i.əˈsɪŋ.krə.si/ n a strange or unusual habit, way of
behaving or feature that someone
or something has
She often cracks her knuckleswhen she's speaking - it's one of
her little idiosyncrasies.
“One of the idiosyncrasies of this
printer is that you can't stop it
once it has started to print.”
Idiosyncratic adj. /ˌɪd.i.ə.sɪŋˈkræt.ɪk/
“The film, 3 hours long, is directed
in his usual idiosyncratic style.”
From ἴ διοσ (“peculiar”) + ςύν (“with”) + κρᾶςισ (“mixture”)
Idiosyncrasy (n)
G k h d ti d ith J
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 19/45
J is for Julius CaesarA well known Philhellenist (Lover of Greek Culture)
DID YOU KNOW?
The month of July is named after Julius Caesar. Itused to be called Quintilis
He had an eponymously titled play written abouthim by the famous bard William Shakespeare
He reformed the calendar and it stood for over1600 years, some countries, such as Russia, used itwell into the 20th Century.
He was assassinated by a group of senatorsbecause they considered him to be a tyrant
He conquered Gaul (present day France andBelgium) for Rome
He was the first to print his own bust on Romanminted coins
Famously said “ἀνεῤῥ ίφθω κύβοσ!” (AnerifthoKubros- the die is cast) as he “crossed the Rubicon”
river and declared war on the Roman Republic. Thisphrase has now entered the language meaning -todo something that inevitably commits one to following a certain course of action.
E.g. “Jane crossed the Rubicon by signing the contract.Find another job before you cross the Rubicon andresign from this one.”
•Caesar was the first ever Roman to be officially deified.
•His name would become a title in itself. It was greatly promulgated inthe bible by the famous verse "Render unto Caesar the things whichare Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's". The title becamethe German Kaiser and Slavic Tsar/Czar.
Greek had no native words with J so...
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 20/45
K is for...
/ˌsaɪ.kəʊ.kɪˈniː.sɪs/changing the state or position of a
physical object, using only thepower of the mind
psychokinetic adj./ˌsaɪ.kəʊ.kɪˈnet.ɪk/
Also Pop Psychology n
theories and advice about people'sbehaviour that are easily understood
and intended to help people improvetheir lives
“Why is it women that buy the majority of pop psychology, self-help manuals?”
Kinetic energy n /kɪˈnet.ɪk/
involving or producing movement
ψυχή=Psyche=Mind
PsychoKinesis
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 21/45
L is for Logy as in...
/ˌænt .θrəˈpɒl.ə.dʒi/the study of the human race, its culture and
society and its physical development
anthropological adj. /ˌænt .θrə.pəˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/
anthropological research/fieldwork
the Anthropological Library/Department
anthropologically adv. /ˌænt .θrə.pəˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kli/
Also anthropomorphismn/ˌænt .θrə.pəʊ ˈmɔː.f ɪ.zəm/
the showing or treating of animals, gods andobjects as if they are human in appearance,character or behaviour
“The books 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Peter Rabbit'and 'Winnie-the-Pooh' are classic examples of
anthropomorphism.”
ἄνθρωποσ=Anthropos=Human Being
AnthropoLogy
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 22/45
M is for…
/nɪˈm ɒn.ɪk/n,adj.something such as a very short poem or a special
word used to help a person remembersomething
“The musical notes on the lines go EGBDF - use themnemonic 'every good boy deserves fun'.”
“Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
For remembering the order of the colours of therainbow,- Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue,
Indigo and Violet.
“Thirty days hath September, April, June, and
November; All the rest have thirty-one, SaveFebruary, with twenty-eight days clear, And
twenty-nine each leap year.” for rememberingthe lengths of the months.
See also Amnesia, Amnesty
μνημονικόσ =mnēmonikós =of memory Mνημοσύνη=Mnemosyne /nɪˈmɒsəni/=theGreek titaness and mother of the nine muses
Mnemonic
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 23/45
N is for… /ˌnæn.əʊ . tekˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/ an area of science which deals with developing a
producing extremely small tools and machines bcontrolling the arrangement of separate atoms
Νάνοσ=Nano=Dwarf
Techology: 1610s, "discourse or
treatise on an art or the arts," fromGk. tekhnologia "systematictreatment of an art, craft, ortechnique," originally referring togrammar, from tekhno- + -logia . Themeaning "science of the mechanicaland industrial arts" is first recorded1859. High technology attested from
1964; short form high-tech is from1972.
Techno: from Gk. tekhno-,combining form of tekhne "art,skill, craft, method, system,"probably from PIE base *tek-"shape, make" (cf. Skt. taksan"carpenter," L. texere "to weave;" .
Nanotechnology
i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 24/45
O is for...
/ˌpæn.ərˈɑː.mə/a view of a wide area From the hotel
roof you can enjoy a panoramaof the whole city.
“From the hotel roof you can enjoy apanorama of the whole city.”
a view, description or study of eventsor activities The investigation
revealed a panorama of corruption and illegal dealings.
“The investigation revealed apanorama of corruption andillegal dealings.”
Panoramic adj. /ˌpæn.ərˈæm.ɪk/
“a wonderful panoramic view of the countryside”
πᾶν=pan=all + ὅραμα=orama=sight
See also
-Panacea=cure-all,-Pandemic of all the people,-Pantheon=all the gods,-Pantomime=all actors, imitators,-Panathenaikos=all of the Athenians:a Greek football club
-Pandemonium=All the demons
PanOrama (n)
i f P
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 25/45
P is for...
/ˈp ɒl.ɪ.tɪks/ the activities of the government, members of law-
making organizations or people who try to influencethe way a country is governed
“Joe is very active in left-wing politics.”
the job of holding a position of power in thegovernment
“The group is campaigning to get more women into
politics.” “He is planning to retire from politics next year.”
the study of the ways in which a country is governed
“She read politics at Leicester University.”
sb's politics
someone's opinions about how a country should begoverned
“Her politics have become more liberal over the past fewyears.”
the relationships within a group or organizationwhich allow particular people to have power overothers
“I don't like to get involved in office politics.”
Politician n. /ˌp ɒl.ɪˈtɪʃ .ən/a member of a government or law-making organization“a distinguished/disgraced politician”
Political adj. Politically adv.
Politically Correct adj.•describes someone who believes that language and actions
which could be offensive to others, especially those relating tosex and race, should be avoided “Some people think that 'fireman' is a sexist term, and prefer the politically correct term 'firefighter '.”
•describes a word or expression that is used instead of another one to avoid being offensivePolitical Correctness n“We can't even use the word 'chairman'! It's just political correctness gone mad !”
Πολιτικος =politikós=citizen
See also
Metropolis,Cosmopolitan,Police, Polite,Megapolis
Politics
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 26/45
Q is for…
“What is the name of the famous Greekphilosopher who stated that “Man is by naturea political animal?”
Ἀριςτοτέλησ (Aristotle)
And which other well-known ancient Greek saidthat “Man is the measure of all things.”
Πρωταγόρασ (Protagoras)
Quotations
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 27/45
R is for...
/ˈret.ər.ɪk/n speech or writing which is intended tobe effective and influence people
“How far the president will be able totranslate his campaign rhetoric intoaction remains to be seen.”
“I was swayed by her rhetoric into donatingall my savings to the charity.”
specialized the study of the ways of using language effectively
disapproving clever language whichsounds good but is not sincere or hasno real meaning
“In reply to the question, he just produced alot of empty (= meaningless) rhetoric.”
Rhetorical Question n
a question that is asked in order tomake a statement and which does notexpect an answer
“"Why do these things always happen to
me?" is a rhetorical question.”
ῥητορικόσ =rhētorikós=oratorical, of speaking
Rhetoric
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 28/45
S is for...
/ˈsɑː.kæz.əm/ the use of remarks which clearly mean the
opposite of what they say, and which are made
in order to hurt someone's feelings or to
criticize something in a humorous way
“"You have been working hard, " he said with
heavy sarcasm, as he looked at the emptypage.”
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit/humour.
saying, said to mean that sarcasm is very unkind
sarcastic adj. /sɑːˈkæs.tɪk/ (sarky inf. UK)
using sarcasm a sarcastic comment/remark“Are you being sarcastic?
sarcastically adv. /sɑːˈkæs.tɪ.kli/
“Thanks so much for your help, " Tim said
sarcastically.” Σάρξ=Sarx=Flesh
Κϊζω=Kazo=Tear
Sarcasm (n)
T i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 29/45
T is for...
/ˈæt.rə.fi/ (of a part of the body) to be reduced in size
and therefore strength, or, more generally,
to become weaker
“After several months in a hospital bed, my leg
muscles had atrophied.” “In the 1980s, their political power gradually
atrophied (= became weaker).”
Atrophy n /ˈæt.rə.fi/ (n)
(of a part of the body) to be reduced in size
and therefore strength, or, more generally,
to become weaker After several months ina hospital bed, my leg muscles had
atrophied.
“In the 1980s, their political power gradually
atrophied (= became weaker).” Τἣλε=tele=far off Television, telescope=see far off;
telephone hear far off;Telethon,
Telepathy feel, perceive far off πάθος=pathos=feeling(one of Aristotles’ modes of
persuasion)See also Pathetic, sympathetic,apathetic, pathology...
Atrophy (v)
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 30/45
Unanimous decision
/juːˈnæn.ɪ.məs/ n If a group of people are unanimous, they all
agree about one particular matter or votethe same way, and if a decision or judgmentis unanimous, it is formed or supported byeveryone in a group The jury returned aunanimous verdict of guilty after a shortdeliberation.
After a lengthy discussion we reached aunanimous decision on the proposal.
The new format has unanimous support and
could be introduced next season.unanimously adv. /juːˈnæn.ɪ.mə.sli/
All four proposals to the committee wereunanimously approved.
There aren’t many Greek words that begin withU,V or W in English so let’s use Latin, the noblelanguage of the Romans, for this one..
Unanimous: 1610s, from Latin
unanimus "of one mind," from unus"one" + animus "mind“.
See also: Magnanimous n 1580s, from
Latin magnanimus "highminded," lit."great-souled). Related: Magnanimously.
Animus: 1820, "temper" (usually in a hostile sense), from L.animus "soul, mind, courage, desire," related to anima "livingbeing, soul, mind, disposition, passion, courage, anger, spirit,feeling,"
U is for…
V i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 31/45
V is for...
/ˌdev.əlzˈæd.və.kət/N, someone who pretends, in an argument or
discussion, to be against an idea or plan whicha lot of people support, in order to makepeople discuss and consider it in more detail
“I don't really believe all that - I was just playingdevil's advocate.”
Advocate v, /ˈæd.və.keɪt/ to publicly support or suggest an idea,
development or way of doing something [+ -ing verb] She advocates taking a more long-term view.
“He advocates the return of capital punishment.”
Advocate n
a lawyer who defends someone in a court of law
Advocate (supporter) n
someone who publicly supports something
“He's a strong advocate of state ownership of therailways.”
mid-14c., "one whose profession is to pleadcases in a court of justice," a technical termfrom Roman law, from O.Fr. avocat, from L.advocatus "one called to aid," originally pp. of advocare "to call" (as witness or advisor) fromad- "to" + vocare "to call," related to vocem.
The verb is first attested 1640s.
See also vocation, evoke, revoke,provoke, provocative, vocal,voice, vociferous,
Devil’s AdVocate (n)
W i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 32/45
W is for...
/ˈdʌbəljuː/ "Double U" is the only English letter name with more than
one syllable, except for the occasionally used, thoughsomewhat archaic, "œ” (its name is pronounced similar to
"ethel" ), and the archaic pronunciation of Z izzard .
This gives the nine-syllable initialism www the irony of beingan abbreviation that takes three times as many syllables to
say as the unabbreviated form.
Some speakers therefore shorten the name "double u" into"dub" only; for example, University of Washington, University
of Wyoming and University of Western Australia are allknown colloquially as "U Dub", and the automobile companyVolkswagen, abbreviated VW, is sometimes pronounced "V-
Dub".
The fact that many website URLs still require a "www." prefix
has likewise given rise to a shortened version of the original,three-syllable pronunciation.
It is also the only English letter whose name is notpronounced with any of the sounds that the letter typically
makes. Many others, however, prefer to pronounce the w asdub-u, reducing it to two syllables.
For example, www would be six syllables rather than nine,being pronounced dub-u dub-u dub-u. The common method
of pronouncing dub-u would almost be unmistakably double-u.
For while the tired waves, vainly breaking,Seem here no painful inch to gain,
Far back, through creeks and inlets making,Comes silent, flooding in, the main.And not by eastern windows only, .When daylight comes, comes in the light;In front the sun climbs slow, how slowly! .But westward, look, the land is bright!
Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861)Say not the Struggle Naught Availeth
Quoted memorably by Sir Winston Churchill In his radio address to the nation of April 27 th , 1941.
W & WinstonAn Orator of the Classical Greek tradition
X i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 33/45
X is for...
φόβος/φοβία =Phobia=fear
/ˌzen.əˈf əʊ.bi.ə/extreme dislike or fear of foreigners, their customs, their
religions, etc.
Xenophobic adj. /ˌzen.əˈf əʊ.bɪk/
“a xenophobic mistrust of everything that isn't British”
See also ...
•Cyberphobia- Fear of computers or working on a
computer.
•Demophobia- Fear of crowds.•Francophobia - Fear of France or French culture.
•Hypengyophobia or Hypegiaphobia- Fear of responsibilit
•Microphobia- Fear of small things.
•Nosocomephobia- Fear of hospitals.
•Nyctophobia- Fear of the dark or of night.
•Soceraphobia- Fear of parents-in-law.
•Staurophobia- Fear of crosses or the crucifix.
•In some cases a word ending in -phobia may have an
antonym with the suffix –phile/ia- i.e. Hibernophile/philia
and Hibernophobia/phobe fear of the Irish!!!
Xenophobia (n)
Y is for
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 34/45
Y is for...
/ˌhaɪ.pəʊ ˈkɒn.dri.ə/
a state in which a person continuously worries abouttheir health
“ Without having any reason to do so I thought the doctorwas going to accuse me of hypochondria.”
hypochondriac n, adj. /ˌhaɪ.pəʊ ˈkɒn.dri.æk/
“She's a terrible hypochondriac - she's always at thedoctor's.”
ὕπο=hupo=under
1839, "illness without a specific cause," earlier (1668) "depression ormelancholy without real cause," earlier still (1373) ypocandria"upper abdomen," from L.L. hypochondria "the abdomen," fromGk. hypokhondria (neut. pl.), from hypo- "under" + khondros"cartilage" (of the breastbone). Reflecting ancient belief that theviscera of the hypochondria were the seat of melancholy.
Hypochondria (n)
Z i f
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 35/45
Zealot (n)
Ζηλωτής =zelotes=emulator
/ˈzel.ət/•a person who has very strongopinions about something, and triesto make other people have them tooa “ religious zealot”
Zealous adj. /ˈzel.əs/
•enthusiastic and eager“a zealous supporter of the
government's policies”
zealously adverb/ˈzel.ə.sli/
zealousness noun /ˈzel.ə.snəs/ zeal n /ziːl/ great enthusiasm or eagerness“reforming/missionary/religious zeal” “a real zeal for money-making”
“missionary zeal” nextreme enthusiasm
Z is for...
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 36/45
1. Which of these is a frivolous lover?
a) a mysogynist
b) a philandrist
c) a philanderer
d) a philogynist
ANSWER CA misogynist "hates" women. A philogynist loves them. A philandrist, or lover of men,-meaning males - is the opposite of a misandrist.Originally a philanderer was somebody with whom marriage was impossible. Later it becamea more general term: somebody who has many love-affairs. Probably after a character in the
theatre or in poetry: Philander.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 37/45
2. What part of the human anatomy
does the word "pollex" refer to?
a) thumb
b) nasal passage
c) big toe
d) elbowANSWER AHallux is the big toe.
Castor and Pollux are an altogether different "pair".
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 38/45
3. What deficiency is meant by
"anopsia"?
a) inability to see
b) inability to smellc) inability to hear
d) inability to sing
ANSWERN AAn-opsia : literally, absence of sight.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 39/45
4. When will things happen, if they
have been relegated to the Greekcalends?
a) halfway next week
b) halfway next year
c) halfway next month
d) neverAnswer D The Ides of a month should not be confused with the "calendas" as in the Latinexpression: ad calendas Graecas. The Ides of March were "halfway" March: 15th. Same
applies to May, July, and October.For the other months the Ides were on the thirteenth day of the month.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 40/45
5. What does it mean when
something is called: ecdemic?
a) it is not on the level of university
b) it is of foreign origin
c) it causes allergies
d) it is of local originANSWER BThe opposite of ecdemic would be endemic. Of localorigin.
Demos as in "democracy" refers to the "local people".
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 41/45
6. Who can be called a "philomath"?
a) a collector of post-stamps
b) somebody who loves mathematicalpuzzles
c) a linguist who combines philologicmethods with mathematical models
d) A lover of learner in generalANSWER D Manthanein has the meaning of "learning things".Philein means:to love; to like.
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 42/45
7.What is meant by an odeum?
a) something that causes strong
dislike
b) poem expressing hatred
c) an anthology of songs
d) A theatrical buildingANSWER D Odeums were also used for "singing". Compare with the word"ode" for a song or poem.Compare the Parisian "Odeon" where most of the great French
"chansonniers" performed.
8 Which of these is the correct
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 43/45
8. Which of these is the correctterm for a sentence that makes use
of all the letters of the alphabet?
a) a pangloss
b) a pandect
c) a panegyric
d) a panagramANSWER D The "Pandecta" were the books covering all cases of law.A panegyric is originally a speech made for a large audience. The word is related to Latin grex
for flock. A speech for the whole flock.Pangloss is a character in Rabelais. In Voltaire's "Candide" it refers to an incurable optimist.
Wh t i h l ?
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 44/45
9. What is a hapax legomenon?
a) a reading impediment
b) a story full of unhappy events
c) a happy reading experience
d) A word that occurs only
once in a textANSWER D A hapax legomenon in an antique text is usually a crux for philologists asthe meaning cannot be deduced from comparisons with other occurrences of theword in other contexts.
10 "Lido" for beach derives from
8/2/2019 Improve Your English Vocabulary With Words of Greek Etymology
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/improve-your-english-vocabulary-with-words-of-greek-etymology 45/45
10. "Lido" for beach derives from
Latin ludere to play and refers to a
beach with a casino.
a) True
b) False
ANSWER B FALSELido is not a Latin or Greek word at all. There is no link with either 'ludo' or'libido'. It just happened to be the name of a beach near Venice. Because thebeach of Venice was so famous, 'lido' became a term for similar beaches withlots of entertainment.