WORD STUDY

Crossroads Middle School

Year Two

Trimester Three

Root: caust / cautLanguage of Origin: Greek

Definition: To burn

Words:causticholocaustcauterize

causticAdjective

Definition: capable of burning or eating away

Sentences:1) The caustic chemicals were locked in

a safe place so the children couldn’t hurt themselves.

2) Jeremy was so upset and angry that he didn’t care about how painful his caustic tone was with everyone.

holocaustAdjective

Definition: Total devastation, especially by fire

Sentence:1) The holocaust of the forest

has caused many birds and other wildlife to lose their homes.

cauterizeVerb

Definition: To burn with a hot instrument.

Sentence:1) The doctor cauterized the wart

so it would stop spreading and causing infections.

Root: ceed / cess / cedLanguage of Origin: Latin

Definition: Go, yield

Words:precedeincessantexceed

precedeVerb

Definition: to go before

Sentences:1) My reputation had preceded

me, so everyone already knew how warm and giving I was.

2) In the alphabet, “A” precedes “B”.

incessantAdjective

Definition: Constant, never ending

Sentences:1) His incessant talking about his

shoelace collection made her realize this was not her soul mate.

2) Adam’s incessant belief that there were snakes in his bed caused him to lose many hours of sleep.

exceedVerb

Definition: To go beyond expectations

Sentences:1) When the benchwarmer

entered the game and scored 20 points, he exceeded everyone’s expectations.

2) If the temperature exceeds 100 degrees, they are not going to allow us to go outside for gym class.

Root: gregLanguage of Origin: Latin

Definition: Herd, flock, mob

Words:congregatesegregategregarious

congregateVerb

Definition: to gather together

Sentences:1) The students would all

congregate in the hallway to avoid being the first one in the classroom.

2) The protesters congregated outside of the courthouse to show their anger over the verdict.

segregateVerb

Definition: to separate from the crowd, set apart

Sentences:1) In the South during the 1950s, black

children were segregated from white children in public schools.

2) I was segregated from my team and forced to sit in the stands because I had missed three practices.

gregariousNoun

Definition: associating with others; enjoying companionship

Sentence:1) The gregarious students lingered in

the hall before class, chatting and laughing.

2) My doctor is a gregarious man and often loses track of time while he visits with his patients.

Root: mediLanguage of Origin: Latin

Definition: half; middle

Words:mediatormedianintermediate

mediatorNoun

Definition: one who comes between opposing parties

Sentences:1) The mediator was brought in to help the Board

of Education and the teachers come to an agreement on their contract.

2) Since the two seventh graders couldn’t settle their differences on their own, Mrs. Robey had to act as a mediator for them.

medianNoun

Definition: the middle or midpoint

Sentences:

1) I wasn’t toward the front or back of the lunch line, I was just stuck in the median, going nowhere.

2) In the middle of Route 1, there is a concrete median that keeps cars from crashing into oncoming traffic.

intermediateAdjective

Definition: occurring or situated between two points or places; in between

Sentence:Many people live in central New Jersey

because it is a good intermediate location between two major cities, New York City and Philadelphia.

Root: chronLanguage of Origin: Greek

Definition: time

Words:chronologicalchronicsynchronize

chronologicalAdjective

Definition: arranged in time order

Sentences:1) The teacher told the students to line up in

chronological order, so the youngest kid was at the front and the oldest kid was at the back.

2) In social studies, we learn events in chronological order because it is easier to then understand the timeline of how things happened.

chronicAdjective

Definition: lasting for a long time

Sentences:1) From all his years getting

tackled playing college football, David has chronic back pain.

2) Gretchen had been smoking cigarettes for 30 years and now she has a chronic cough.

synchronizeVerb

Definition: do or happen at the same time

Sentences:1) We synchronized all of the alarm

clocks in the house so they would go off at the same time.

2) In the synchronized diving event at the Olympics, they receive a higher score for landing in the water at the same time.

Root: autoLanguage of Origin: Greek

Definition: self

Words:1) autonomous2) autobiography3) automotive

autonomousAdjective

Definition: independent; able to make decisions by oneself

Sentences:1) Many teenagers believe their parents should

stay out of their business and let them be completely autonomous.

2) While the President of the United States of America has the right to make autonomous decisions, he often consults with his advisors for their input.

autobiography

Noun

Definition: The story of one’s life

Sentence: The autobiography of Mark Twain is the most accurate story of his life since it is actually in his own words.

automotiveAdjective

Definition: self-moving

Sentence:1) The automotive industry capital

in this country has always been Detroit, Michigan.

Root: bellLanguage of Origin: Latin

Definition: war

Words:1) belligerent2) rebellion3) bellicose

belligerentAdjective

Definition: hostile, ready to fight

Sentence:1) The belligerent sports fanatic would

go to the game and look for fans of the opposing team.

rebellionNoun

Definition: organized resistance to authority

Sentence:1) There was a rebellion that

formed in the South and over the issue of slavery.

bellicose

Adjective

Definition: inclined to start a war

Sentence:1) Rather than reaching a truce and

peace agreement, the two opposing sides became more bellicose and the peace talks ended.

Root: teleLanguage of Origin: Greek

Definition: distant, over a distance

Words:1) telescope2) teleport3) telecommute

telescope

Noun

Definition: an instrument used to make distant items appear larger and closer.

Sentence:1) Jon used his telescope to look at the

stars and search for constellations that he learned about in science class.

teleportVerb

Definition: An imaginary way of traveling through space instantaneously.

Sentences:1) The spaceship teleported from Earth

to Mars in five seconds.2) Sometimes during my math class, I

wish I could teleport back to home to my bed.

telecommuteVerb

Definition: to work from a remote location using technology.

Sentence:1) With increased gas prices and

improved technology, many businesses have their workers telecommute on some days, allowing them to work from their computers at home.