In-crēd-ib-il-is, on the other hand, often cannot be better translated than by incredible, and im-plācā-bilis by implacable.
Notice, too, how often in the case of verbs the supine stem will suggest to you the meaning of the Latin through some English derivative, which the present stem conceals.
For example:—
| pingo | pictum | picture | suggests | to paint. |
| caveo | cautum | caution | „ | „ beware. |
| colo | cultum | culture | „ | „ till. |
| fallo | falsum | false | „ | „ deceive. |
[5.] Through French Derivatives.—Sometimes, when you cannot think of an English derivative, a French word that you know will help you to the meaning of the Latin.
For example:—
| L. | F. | ||
| pontem | pont | suggests | bridge. |
| gustum | goût | „ | taste. |
| prātum | pré | „ | meadow. |
| tālem | tel | „ | such. |
| bĭbĕre | boire | „ | to drink. |
But, in order to make French derivatives a real help to you, you must know something of the origin of the French language and of the chief rules that govern the pronunciation (and therefore the spelling) of French. Without going too much into detail, it may help you to remember that—
(1) French has taken many words from colloquial Latin, which in the days of Cicero was very different from classical Latin.
For example:—