Recall words having the following Latin or Latin-French suffixes, and explain each in terms of the meaning of the suffix.
-Aceous (Lat. -aceus) = made of; -al (Latin -alis) = pertaining to; -able (-ible), Lat. (h)abilis = capable of being; -ple, -ble (Latin -plex) = fold; -plex = fold; -lent (Lat. -lentus) = full of; -ose (Lat. -osus) = full of; -und (Lat. -undus) = full of; -ulous (Lat. -ulus)= full of.
Latin Roots in English.—Below are listed a few of the many Latin words that have given us English words. Recall as many as possible of their derivatives, and define each in terms of the original meaning. Thus acer, sharp, gives us acrimony, sharpness, acrid, sour. Some member of the class may know that through the French it gives us vinegar, sharp wine. Make notes in your note-book of any derivatives that are new to you. Ædes, a building; æquus, equal; ager, a field; agere, to do; alere, to nourish—perfect participle altus, nourished, therefore high; amare, to love; anima, life; animus, mind; annus, a year; aqua, water; arcus, a bow; ardere (pf. ptc. arsus), to burn; audire, to hear; augere (pf. ptc. auctus), to increase; brevis, brief; cadere (pf. ptc. casus), to fall; candere, to shine; capere, to take; caput, a head; cavus, hollow; cernere (pf. ptc. cretus), to distinguish; clarus, clear; cor, heart; corona, crown; credere, to believe; crescere (pf. ptc. cretus), to grow; crudus, raw; cura, care; deus, god; dicere, to say; docere, to teach; dominus, lord (Fr. damsel, dame, madame); domus, a house; ducere, to lead; errare, to wander; facere, to make; filum, a thread; finis, the end; flos, a flower; frangere (stems, frag, fract), to break; fortis, strong; fundere, to pour; gradus, a step; gravis, heavy; homo, a man; imperare, to command; jus, right; legere (lect), to read; ligo, to bind; litera, a letter; loqui, to speak; lumen, light; luna, the moon; magnus, great; manus, a hand; maturus, ripe; mittere (missere), to send; mors, death; novus, new; nox, night; omnis, all; ordo, order; pascere (pf. ptc. pastus), to feed; pati (pf. ptc. passus), to suffer; petere, to seek; portare, to carry; radix, a root; regere (pf. ptc. rectus), to rule; scire, to know; sequi (pf. ptc. secutus), to follow; socius, a companion; spirare, to breathe; tangere, to touch; texere, to weave; vanus, empty; videre, to see; vincere (pf. ptc. victus), to conquer; vulgus, the crowd.
Greek Roots in English.—Recall English words made from the following Greek roots, and explain each. Make notes in your note-book of those derivatives that are new to you. Anthropos, a man; aster, astron, a star; autos, self; biblos, a book; bios, life; deka, ten; dokein, to think; dunamis, power; eu, well; ge, the earth; graphein, to write; hemi, half; hippos, a horse; homos, the same; kuklos, a circle; monos, alone; orthos, right; pan, all; petra, a rock; philein, to love; phone, a sound; poiein, to make;[34] skopein, to see; sophia, wisdom; tele, distant; theos, a god.
Curious Words.—Look up and copy into your note-book the origin of the following words. Assassin, august, dahlia, dunce, epicure, galvanic, guillotine, hermetically, January, jovial, July, lynch, March, mentor, panic, phaeton, quixotic, stentorian, tantalize, tawdry. Bayonet, bedlam, copper, damask, dollar, gasconade, gipsy, laconic, lumber, meander, milliner, palace, utopian. Abominate, adieu, amethyst, apothecary, beldam, capricious, cemetery, cheap, checkmate, cobalt, curmudgeon, dainty, daisy, dismal, emolument, salary, fanatic, gentleman, heretic, inculcate, infant, intoxicated, maidenhair (fern), maxim, nausea, onyx, parlor, Porte (the Sublime Porte), pupil, silly, sincere, tariff, trump (card). Atonement, belfry, brimstone, carouse, counterpane, coward, crayfish, dandelion, dirge, drawing-room, easel, gospel-grove, harbinger, Jerusalem artichoke, line (garments), licorice, nostril, porpoise, quinsy, squirrel, summerset, surgeon, thorough, treacle, trifle, wassail, whole.
Written Exercise.—Examine the following passages separately. Classify all the words in two columns, one giving those of Saxon derivation, the other those of Latin derivation. Consult the dictionary in case of doubt. Then compare the English of Dr. Johnson with that of Dr. Blackmore. The former is writing in his own person as an eighteenth century scholar; the latter in the person of the stout John Ridd, a seventeenth century youth.
No degree of knowledge attainable by man is able to set him above the want of hourly assistance, or to extinguish the desire of fond endearments, and tender officiousness; and therefore, no one should think it unnecessary to learn those arts by which friendship may be gained. Kindness is preserved by a constant reciprocation of benefits or interchange of pleasures; but such benefits only can be bestowed, as others are capable to receive, and such pleasures only imparted, as others are qualified to enjoy.—Dr. Johnson, Rambler for July 9, 1751.
When I had travelled two miles or so, conquered now and then with cold, and coming out to rub my legs into a lively friction, and only fishing here and there because of the tumbling water, suddenly, in an open space, where meadows spread about it, I found a good stream flowing softly into the body of our brook. And it brought, so far as I could guess by the sweep of it under my knee-caps, a larger power of clear water than the Lynn itself had; only it came more quietly down, not being troubled with stairs and steps, as the fortune of the Lynn is, but gliding smoothly and forcibly, as if upon some set purpose.—R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone.