III.—DIRECTIONS IN THE STUDY OF LATIN DERIVATIVES.
1. A Latin primitive, or root, is a Latin word from which a certain number of English derivative words is formed. Thus the Latin verb du'cere, to draw or lead, is a Latin primitive or root, and from it are formed educe, education, deduction, ductile, reproductive, and several hundred other English words.
2. Latin roots consist chiefly of verbs, nouns, and adjectives.
3. English derivatives from Latin words are generally formed not from the root itself but from a part of the root called the radical. Thus, in the word "education," the root-word is ducere, but the radical is duc- (education = e + duc + ate + ion).
4. A radical is a word or a part of a word used in forming English derivatives.
5. Sometimes several radicals from the same root-word are used, the different radicals being taken from different grammatical forms of the root-word.
6. Verb-radicals are formed principally from two parts of the verb,—the first person singular of the present indicative, and a part called the supine, which is a verbal noun corresponding to the English infinitive in -ing. Thus:—
| 1st pers. sing. pres. ind. Root Derivative Supine Root Derivative | duco (I draw) duc- educe ductum (drawing, or to draw) duct- ductile |
I. In giving a Latin verb-primitive in this book three "principal parts" of the verb will be given, namely: (1) The present infinitive, (2) the first person singular of the present indicative, and (3) the supine—the second and the third parts because from them radicals are obtained, and the infinitive because this is the part used in naming a verb in a general way. Thus as we say that loved, loving, etc., are parts of the verb "to love," so we say that a'mo (present ind.) and ama'tum (supine) are parts of the verb ama're.
II. It should be noted that it is incorrect to translate amo, amatum, by "to love," since neither of these words is in the infinitive mood, which is amare. The indication of the Latin infinitive will be found of great utility, as it is the part by which a Latin verb is referred to in the Dictionary.