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ORTHOGRAPHY
AS OUTLINED IN THE
STATE COURSE OF STUDY FOR ILLINOIS.
SEVENTH AND EIGHTH YEARS.
BY ELMER W. CAVINS,
TEACHER OF ORTHOGRAPHY IN ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY.
INTRODUCTION BY DR. EDWIN C. HEWETT.
SECOND EDITION--JANUARY, 1906.
_PUBLISHED BY C. M. PARKER,
TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS._
Copyright, 1904, by C. M. Parker.
PREFACE.
This book is prepared for teachers and pupils who use the Illinois
State Course of Study. The outline in Orthography for the Seventh and
Eighth Years is the basis of all that is included herein. Three fifths
or more of this work is word analysis which, valuable as it is,
teachers as a rule are unable to teach without the aid of a text,
never having learned much of it themselves. What, for example, can the
average teacher unaided do toward writing a list of words to be
analyzed which contain the root ann, meaning year? He might turn in
the dictionary to annual, anniversary, and annuity, but he must
fall back on his acquired knowledge for such as, biennial,
centennial, millennium, perennial, and superannuate. And
having the list, very many teachers, as well as pupils, need help in
the analysis.
The aim of this book has been to set down in an orderly and convenient
form such facts as are needed by those who follow the State Course of
Study.
Emphasis has been placed upon word analysis. The author believes that
this has more value in education than is generally attributed to it.
When Mr. Kennedy named his work on word analysis "What Words Say", he
gave it the best possible title. Composite words have a wealth of
meaning; each syllable is significant. And, as a rule, only to those
who can read this significance does the word yield its full meaning.
Accuracy is the mark of a scholar. Accuracy in speech and in the
understanding of speech cannot be attained by those whose knowledge of
words is vague and general. Pupils should early learn how to interpret
what words say, and to discriminate carefully in the use of words,
for these are the tools which they are to use in all the various
departments for acquiring knowledge.
Normal, Ill., Aug. 30, 1904. E. W. CAVINS.
INTRODUCTION
BY DR. EDWIN C. HEWETT.
I have long thought that the careful, discriminating study of words is
much neglected in our schools. And I am glad to approve, and help to
forward, anything that will promote such a study.
Not only will such a study improve a person's language greatly, but it
will, at the same time, do much to improve the clearness and precision
of his thinking; thought and language have a reciprocal effect.
If a child, while young, can be made to be interested in words
themselves,--their origin, their exact meaning, their relations to
each other and some of the changes in their meaning which result from
their use,--he will be likely to retain that interest through life; it
will be more likely to increase than to diminish.
It seems often to be assumed that a student can do nothing profitably
with the study of words made up from Greek and Latin roots till he has
acquired some mastery of those languages. But I know from experience
and much observation that this is not true. Why should it be? Must one
master Greek and Latin before he can understand that, in English
words, graph means write; ge means earth; phone means sound;
cur means run; fin means limit; port means carry, etc.?
And then having learned the meaning of the prefixes and suffixes, is
it preposterous to train him to know the etymological significance of
a few hundred words by showing him how they are built up?
Of course, we know that many words in common use have shades of
meaning quite different from, and in some cases almost opposite to,
their literal significance. But will not the student be better able to
understand these derived meanings by knowing their literal
significance than in any other way? At any rate, I am fully persuaded
that such a study of words as this book proposes can be made very
profitable to those pupils for whose use it is prepared.
The teacher will find, however, that the teaching of this subject will
require much careful labor on his part. The mere learning of the
meaning of prefixes and suffixes and of the roots themselves, with the
brief remarks on the meaning of some of the words, will need to be
supplemented by a careful mastery of it all on his part. And to this
must be added much thought of his own, together with careful research
in the great dictionaries. But to the earnest and intelligent teacher,
such thought and research will yield very rich fruit in his own
thinking, and in his use of English speech.
I cheerfully commend the book as a move in the right direction; and as
adapted, in my opinion, to do much to supply a serious lack in the
present work of the schools.
Normal, Ill., Aug. 18, 1904. E. C. H.
SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS.
1. From the lists given in this book omit such words as in your
opinion are beyond the vocabulary of your pupils.
2. All words given for the first month's work are either defined or
illustrated below the lists. This is done to help make clear the
method of showing their literal significance. Further along in each
year's work only the most difficult words are explained. Insist that
pupils in every case where it is possible define or illustrate so as
to show the literal meaning, else much of the value of the study is
lost.
And, moreover, the ordinary, or current meaning, _where it differs
from the literal_, should be given. Very many of the words have
various uses. Thorough work requires that these be illustrated. This
necessitates a free use of the dictionary.
It is strongly urged that the pupils (with the aid of the teacher when
necessary) try to find _an appropriate sentence to illustrate each
word_ and write the same in an orderly way in a note book for the
purpose.
In work of this kind a teacher should not underrate the value of
reviews. By this means fix facts on the minds of your pupils,
especially the meanings of roots and prefixes. Since these meanings
are given in a single word, reviews may proceed rapidly.
One convenient method of recitation in this subject is to send pupils
to the blackboard without their books, assign them by turns words to
be analyzed according to the examples given under "Directions to
Pupils", and then let each pupil read to the class what he has written
on the board.
DIRECTIONS TO PUPILS.
Given in the seventh and eighth years' work of the State Course of
Study are 45 prefixes, 64 roots, and 33 suffixes,--in all 142 elements
or component parts of words. In this book a list of words is furnished
to illustrate each element, the average number of words in each list
being about eleven, and the total number of different words analyzed,
or partially analyzed, is over 1200.
TO ANALYZE A WORD.
1. Name its component parts--root, prefix, and suffix--and give the
literal meaning of each.
2. Combine these meanings in a definition, _supplying additional words
if necessary_, to make the sense complete. In exceptional cases,
however, the exact literal meanings of the parts cannot be put
together in a good definition. One or more of the parts must then be
omitted entirely, or represented by words which are not exactly
literal.
3. Give an illustration of the use of the word.
(Caution: Carefully distinguish verbs, adjectives and nouns. Do not
define adjectives as nouns or verbs, or vice versa. Do not, for
illustration, say audible is that which can be heard; but rather
say audible means capable of being heard.)
EXAMPLES.
avert: (1) a, away + vert, turn.
(2) To turn away; to ward off.
(3) The evils which exist are necessary to avert greater evils.
deify: (1) dei, god + fy, to make.
(2) To make a god of; to praise and revere as if a deity.
(3) The people of India deify the Ganges River.
hostile: (1)host, enemy + ile, belonging to.
(2) Belonging to or having the characteristics of an enemy.
(3) Yon tower which rears its head so high invites the
hostile winds.
portable: (1) port, carry + able, capable of.
(2) capable of being carried or moved from place to place;
not stationary.
(3) A portable photograph gallery stopped for three
days at the cross-roads near my home.
benefactor: (1) bene, good + fact, make, do + or, one who.
(2) One who does good; especially one who makes a
charitable donation.
(3) "He is a true benefactor and alone worthy of honor who
brings comfort where before was wretchedness, who dries
the tear of sorrow."
A careful study of the five examples given above will reveal that to
analyze words a pupil must--
1. Learn some facts--meanings of the component parts of words.
2. Be careful in putting these facts together to make a sensible
definition.
3. Use the dictionary to find the ordinary, or current, use of a word.
4. Gather illustrations. This is not easy, but it should not be
neglected, for it is the most practical feature of word analysis.
Pupils should help each other, and the teacher may contribute when his
help is needed. One good illustration for a difficult word might
suffice the entire class.
PART ONE
Word Analysis.
SEVENTH YEAR.
FIRST MONTH.
#a, ab, abs# = from, away.
1. a vert, turn
2. ab brevi ate, short
3. ab duct, lead
4. ab ject, cast
5. ab lut ion, wash
6. ab origin es, beginning
7. ab rupt, break
8. ab sorb, suck in
9. ab solve, loosen
10. ab use, use.
2. To shorten, to take from; to make briefer.
3. To lead away; to carry off by force; to kidnap.
4. An abject person is one sunk to low condition (as if cast from
the society of others).
5. An ablution is a washing or cleansing; especially a religious
rite.
6. The inhabitants of a country from the beginning. The earliest
inhabitants of which anything is known.
7. Broken or appearing as if broken away or off; as an abrupt
cliff.
8. To suck up; to drink in. A brick will absorb a pint of water.
9. To loosen or set free, as from some duty or obligation
10. To divert from the proper use; to misuse.
#ambi, (amphi)# = both, on both sides, around.
1. ambi dextr ous, right hand
2. ambi ti on, go
3. amphi bi ous, life
4. amphi theatre, view.
1. Having skill with both hands (as if both were right hands).
2. A going around or about, as of a candidate soliciting votes;
eager for favors; strongly desirous.
3. Living both on land and in water. Frogs, turtles, crocodiles,
seals, otters, and beavers are amphibious.
4. An amphitheatre is a building built circular so that spectators
may view a performance from both sides or from all around.
#bene# = well, good.
1. bene dict ion, speak
2. bene fact ion, do
3. bene fact or, one who
4. bene fic ent, do
5. bene fic ial, pertaining to
6. bene fit, do
7. bene vol ent, will
8. beni gn, (genus) kind
9. beni gn ant, being
10. nota bene, note
1. The act of speaking well to or of; a blessing pronounced at the
close of divine service.
2. The act of doing good; making a charitable donation.
4. Doing or effecting good; performing acts of kindness.
5. Pertaining to what does good, is useful or profitable.
6. A good deed done; an act of kindness.
7. Willing to do good; well-wishing; charitable.
8. Good and kind of heart; expressive of gentleness or kindness.
Literally, of a good kind.
9. Being kind and gracious.
10. Note well; observe carefully; take notice. Usually abbreviated
to N. B.
#circum# = around.
1. circum fer ence, carry
2. circum flex, bend
3. circum locut ion, speak
4. circum navig ate, sail
5. circum scribe, write, draw
6. circum spect, look
7. circum sta nce, stand
8. circum vent, come.
1. Think the circumference in the process of making; carry the
crayon around the circle to produce the circumference.
2. A bending around; a wave or bend of the voice embracing both a
rise and a fall on the same syllable.
3. The act of speaking in a round about way; particularly a
studied indirectness or evasiveness of speech.
4. The act of sailing around; especially the earth or globe.
5. To draw a bounding line round; hence to mark out the limits of.
6. Looking around on all sides; examining carefully.
7. That which attends or relates to (stands around, as it were,) an
event, a person or a thing.
8. To circumvent one in any enterprise is to come around in an
unexpected way for the purpose of gaining an advantage.
#contra, (contro, counter)# = against
1. contra dict, speak
2. contra vene, come
3. contra st, stand
4. counter act, do
5. counter balance, scales
6. contro versy, turn
1. To speak against; to assert the opposite of.
2. To come against; to oppose.
3. To stand against; to set in opposition to, as two or more objects
of a like kind with a view to showing their difference.
4. To act against; to do what hinders.
5. To weigh against with equal weight; equal weight, power or
influence acting in opposition to.
6. A turning against; debate, contention.
#ann# = year.
1. annu al, relating to
2. anni vers ary, turn
3. annu ity, that which
4. bi ennial, two
5. cent ennial, hundred
6. mille nnium, thousand
7. per ennial, through
8. super annuate, beyond
1. Relating to a year; yearly.
2. That day which returns once a year commemorating some event.
3. A stated sum of money payable yearly.
4. Happening once in two years; lasting two years.
5. Consisting of or lasting a hundred years. Happening every hundred
years.
6. A period or interval of a thousand years.
7. Throughout the year; lasting, perpetual.
8. Condition of being beyond the years of active service; impaired
or disabled by length of years.
#art# = skill.
1. art ist, one who
2. arti fic ial, make
3. artist ic, relating to
4. art less, without
1. One who is skilled or adept in any of the fine arts.
2. Produced or made by art or skill rather than by nature.
3. Relating to skill in any field.
4. Without skill; especially without skill in fraud or deceit.
#aster, (astr)# = star.
1. aster isk, little
2. aster oid, form
3. astr olog er, speak.
4. astr onomy, distribute
5. dis aster, apart
1. Literally, a little star; a mark like a star used to refer to a
note in the margin.
2. Formed like a star.
3. One who speaks about the stars; one who foretells events by the
stars, or interprets the supposed influence of the stars.
4. The science which treats of the distribution, arrangement and
size of heavenly bodies (stars).
5. An unfavorable aspect of a star or planet, hence an ill portent,
a calamity.
#aud# = hear.
1. aud ible, capable of
2. audit ory, pertaining to
3. audit ors, those who
4. in audible, not
1. Capable of being heard.
2. Pertaining to the hearing, or the sense of hearing.
3. Those who hear; people who assemble for the purpose of hearing
music or discourse.
4. Not capable of being heard; indistinct.
SECOND MONTH.
#dis (dif)# = apart, from, away.
1. dis burse, purse
2. dis cord, heart
3. dis cuss, shake
4. dif fer, bear
5. dif fuse, pour
6. dis loc ate, place
7. dis miss, send
8. dis pel, drive
9. dis pose, put
10. dis rupt, break
11. dis sect, cut
12. dis tend, stretch
1. To disburse money is to pay it out (from one's purse).
2. (Literally, hearts apart.) Want of harmony; not agreeing in
opinion, or in action.
3. The discussion of a question shakes it apart, for a more
thorough examination.
4. When two minds differ, one bears in one direction, the other in
another, and thus they bear apart. They do not agree.
5. To pour out and cause to spread apart, as a fluid; to
circulate; to scatter.
6. To place apart or out of proper position.
7. To dismiss a congregation is to send the people (or allow them
to go) apart to their homes.
8. To dispel fear is to drive it away.
9. To dispose of property is to part with it (put it apart from
one).
10. Rocks are disrupted when broken apart.
11. To dissect the eye of an ox is to cut it apart, for the
purpose of examination.
12. To distend is to stretch apart or spread in all directions; to
dilate, to expand.
#extra# = beyond.
1. Extra ordin ary, order, rule (ary, relating to). Relating to
what is beyond or out of the common rule or order; exceptional,
unusual.
2. Extra vag ant, wander (ant, ing). Wandering beyond bounds
or out of the regular course; excessive.
#inter# = between, among, through.
1. inter cede, go
2. inter cept, take
3. inter course, run
4. inter ject ion, throw
5. inter lop er, run
6. inter mingle, mix
7. inter pose, place
8. inter rogate, ask
9. inter sect, cut
10. inter val, wall
11. inter vene, come
12. inter view, see
1. To go between parties for the purpose of reconciling those who
differ; to plead in favor of another.
2. To seize or take between the starting point and destination; as
to intercept a letter or messenger.
3. Frequent or habitual meeting or contact of one person with another
(a running between, to and fro).
4. An interjection is a word thrown in between other words to
express emotion or feeling.
5. An interloper is one who runs in between two parties to get
the advantage which one would obtain from the other. One who
intercepts and buys a basket of eggs between a farmer's wagon and a
grocery store would, from the standpoint of the merchant, be an
interloper.
6. To mix between or together.
7. To protect the eyes from a strong light interpose (_place
between_ the eyes and light) a shade.
8. To interrogate is to question. (The questions come between
the answers.)
9. One line intersects another when it cuts through it, or
between its parts.
10. An interval is an open space or stretch between things or
limits. Formerly it meant a space between walls.
11. To come between persons, things, or events.
12. A mutual exchange of views between two or more people.
#non# = not, un.
The prefix non- may be joined to the leading word by means of a
hyphen, or, in most cases, the hyphen may be dispensed with.
1. noncommittal
2. non compos mentis
3. nonconductor
4. nondescript
5. nonentity
6. nonessential
7. nonpareil
8. non-payment
9. nonplus
10. non-resident
11. nonsense
12. nonsuit
2. Com, with + pos, power + mentis, of mind. Literally, _not
with power of mind_. Not of sound mind; not capable, mentally, of
managing one's own affairs.
4. That which has not been described; difficult to describe; new,
novel, odd.
5. Entity means thing or being; hence a nonentity is no thing or
nothing. Often applied to a person or thing which counts for little or
nothing.
9. Plus means more. Literally, a person is nonplused when he can
do no more, or go no further; puzzled, confounded, embarrassed.
(It seems unnecessary to append definitions or illustrations to other
words of the above list.)
#per# = through, thoroughly, by.
1. per ambul ate, walk
2. per ceive, take
3. per cent, hundred
4. per col ate, filter
5. per enni al, year
6. per fect, make
7. per for ate, bore
8. per form, form
9. per fume, smoke
10. per mit, let go
11. per plex, entangle
12. per secute, follow
13. per sist, stand
14. per vade, go
15. per vert, turn
16. per vi ous, way
1. To walk through or over. He got out of bed and perambulated the
room for some minutes.
2. To take or obtain knowledge through the senses. To take with
a thorough mental grasp; to understand.
3. By the hundred.
4. To pass through; as, a filter or strainer.
5. Lasting through the year, or through many years.
6. Thoroughly made; finished in every part; without blemish or
defect.
7. To bore through; to make holes in; to pierce.
8. To form thoroughly; to execute, accomplish, or carry out.
9. "To perfume means literally to smoke thoroughly. Hence to
impregnate or fill with scent or odor."--Kennedy.
10. By this permit we may go through the factory.
11. To entangle thoroughly. "Love with doubts perplexes still the
mind."
12. To follow with persistence or thoroughness. To follow close
after; specifically to afflict or harass on account of adherence to a
particular creed. The early Christians suffered persecution.
13. To take a thorough stand; to continue steadily in some state or
course of action; especially in spite of opposition.
14. To go through; to spread throughout the whole.
15. To turn in another direction; to turn thoroughly from a former
course. "Blessings unused pervert into a waste."
16. Having a way through. "---- to have their way free and
pervious to all places."
#clud, clus# = shut.
1. close
2. clos et, little
3. con clude, together
4. dis close, un
5. en close, in
6. ex elude, out
7. exclus ion, act of
8. in clude, within
9. pre clude, before
10. re cluse, back
11. se clude, aside
12. se clus ion, state of being
1. To shut.
2. A small side room in which, clothing and other articles are kept
shut away from view.
3. To bring to an end. Literally to shut in or together
(obsolete); as, "The body of Christ was concluded in the grave."
4. To un-shut; to open or uncover; to make known.
9. To put an obstacle before, or in the way of, in order to shut
out; to prevent or hinder.
10. One who is shut up (or has shut himself back) from the world
or public view.
11. To shut off or keep apart or aside, as from company or
society.
#cor, cord# = heart.
1. core
2. cordi_al_, relating to
3. con cord, with
4. cord ate, shaped
5. dis cord, apart
6. discord ant, being
7. re cord, again
8. cour age, having
1. The heart or innermost part of a thing; as the core of an
apple.
2. Relating to the heart; hearty, sincere.
3. Heart with heart; hence unity of sentiment or harmony. "Love
quarrels oft in concord end."
4. Heart shaped; as a cordate leaf.
5. Heart apart from heart; hence disagreement or want of harmony.
6. State of being out of harmony.
7. Record; through the Latin recordari, to remember (or know
again). To get by heart; hence to register; to write or inscribe
an authentic account of.
8. Having heart; hence bravery, calmness, firmness. (The heart is
accounted the seat of bravery; hence the derivative sense of courage.)
#corpus, corpor# = body.
1. corpse
2. corps (pronounce core)
3. corpor al, relating to
4. corpu lent, full of
5. incorpor ate, make
6. corpus cle, small
7. corset
8. habeas corpus. You may have
1. The body only; hence a dead body.
2. A body of soldiers.
3. Relating to the body; as corporal punishment.
4. A corpulent person is fleshy; literally full of body.
5. To make into a body in the legal sense, so that a number of
individuals may transact business legally as one person.
6. A small body; a minute particle.
7. In the middle ages, a close-fitting body garment, having sleeves
and skirt.
8. Literally, you may have the body. A writ requiring the body of a
person restrained of liberty to be brought into court that the
lawfulness of the restraint may be investigated.
#cura, curo# = care.
1. cure
2. cur_able_, capable of
3. cur_ate_, one who
4. curi ous, full of
5. mani cure, hand
6. ac cur ate, to
7. pro cure, for
8. se cure, aside
1. To take care of; to restore to health.
2. Capable of being cured or restored by care.
3. One who has the care of souls; a parish priest.
4. Formerly, curious meant full of care, or careful, nice,
precise; as, "Men were not curious what syllables or particles they
used." Eager to learn; inquisitive.
5. To care for the hands and nails.
6. A thing is made accurate by giving care to it.
7. Literally, to care for; to look after; as, "I procured that
rumor to be spread." To obtain; to get.
8. Aside, or free, from care, anxiety, or fear; safe.
THIRD MONTH.
#pre# = before.
1. pre amble, walk
2. pre cede, go
3. pre ced ent, that which
4. pre cip ice, head
5. pre clude, shut
6. pre coc ious, cook, ripe
7. pre curs or, run
8. pre destinate, to determine
9. pre dict, speak
10. pre face, say
11. pre fer, bring
12. pre fix, fasten
13. pre judice, judgment
14. pre limin ary, threshold
15. pre mature, ripe
16. pre monit ion, warning
17. pre pare, make ready
18. pre posit ion, place
19. pre poster ous, after
20. pre scribe, write
1. The introductory part of a discourse. Formerly preamble meant, to
walk over _before_hand; as, "I will take a thorough view of those
who have preambled this by path."
3. That which has gone before. A previous example or usage which
has, in some measure at least, become established; as, a custom,
habit, or rule.
4. A _head_long fall; an abrupt descent. Literally, head _fore_most.
5. See second month, page 16.
6. Ripe in understanding at an early age or before due time; as, a
precocious child.
7. A precursor is a forerunner. That which precedes an event and
indicates its approach.
8. To determine _before_hand by an unchangeable purpose or decree.
"Whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of His Son."
11. To prefer one thing to another is to bring or set it before
the other in estimation. To hold in greater liking or esteem.
13. A prejudgment formed without due examination. "Prejudice is
the child of ignorance."
14. Literally, before the threshold. Preceding or leading up to
something more important; as preliminary arrangements.
18. A preposition is so called because usually placed before the
word with which it is phrased.
19. Anything is preposterous when it is contrary to nature, reason,
or common sense. Literally, having that last which ought to be
first; as, the "cart before the horse".
20. To lay down _before_hand in writing as a rule of action.
"Prescribe not us our duties."
#re# = back, again.
1. re bound, leap
2. re cede, go
3. re claim, call
4. re cluse, shut
5. re cogn ize, know
6. re con struct, build
7. re course, run
8. re create, make
9. re cruit, grow
10. re cur, run
11. re flect, bend
12. re fresh, new
13. re hash, chop
14. re im burse, purse
15. re ject, throw
16. re juven ate, young
17. re lapse, slip
18. re late, carry
19. re lease, loose
20. re mit, send
21. re morse, bite
22. re nov ate, new
23. re pel, drive
24. re plen ish, full
25. re pulse, drive
26. re sult, leap
27. re sume, take (up)
28. re surrect ion, rise
29. re tain, hold
30. re tract, draw
Use each of the above words in a sentence and illustrate its meaning,
thus: A ball thrown against a brick wall will rebound (leap back).
#semi# = half.
1. semicircle
2. semicolon
3. semidiameter
4. semilunar
5. semivowel
6. semiweekly
#super# = over, above, beyond.
1. super annu ate, year
2. super cili ous, pride
3. super fic ial, face
4. super flu ous, flow
5. super natur al, nature
6. super numer ary, number
7. super pose, put
8. super script ion, write
9. super struct ure, build.
10. super vise, see
1. A superannuate is one who has become impaired or disabled by
length of years. Specifically, one living beyond the years of
active service and allowed to retire on a pension.
2. Lofty with pride; _over_bearing. "A supercilious nabob of the
east, haughty and purse-proud."
3. Literally, not extending below (i. e. in depth beyond) the
sur_face_; shallow. "She despised superficiality, and looked deeper
than the color of things."
4. Overflowing; more than is needed; as, a composition abounding
with superfluous words.
5. Being beyond or exceeding the powers of nature. Miracles were
performed by supernatural power.
6. Beyond a stated or required number; as, a supernumerary
officer in a regiment.
7. To put over or upon; as to superpose one rock upon another.
8. A superscription is a writing over or upon; especially an
address on a letter.
9. A superstructure is something built over something else;
particularly an edifice in relation to its foundation.
10. To oversee; as, to supervise the erection of a house.
#tri# = three.
1. tri angle, angle
2. tri cuspid, point
3. tri cycle, circle
4. tri dent, tooth
5. tri enni al, year
6. tri gam ist, marriage.
7. tri gon ometry, measure
8. tri later al, side
9. tri nomi al, term
10. trio
11. tri pod, foot
12. tri sect, cut
13. tri syllable, syllable
14. trium vir, man
15. tri une, one
16. tri via l, way
2. A tricuspid tooth has three points.
4. A three-toothed or three-pronged spear. Specifically, a fishing
spear.
"His nature is too noble for the world;
He would not flatter Neptune for his trident,
Or Jove for his power to thunder."
6. A trigamist is one who has been three times married;
especially one who has three wives or three husbands at the same time.
7. Trigonometry literally means three angle measure. That branch
of mathematics which treats of the relations of sides and angles of
triangles, and applies them to other figures.
9. A trinomial in algebra is a quantity consisting of three terms.
10. A trio is a musical composition in three parts.
11. A tripod has three feet or legs; as a three-legged table or
stool, a three-footed kettle or vase.
14. A triumvir is one of three men united in office; specifically
in ancient Rome.
15. The triune is three in one; the three-fold personality of
one divine being,--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
16. Trivial formerly meant, pertaining to three ways; where three
ways or roads cross; of the cross roads; hence, common, commonplace,
such as may be picked up anywhere; ordinary; trifling; of little
worth.
#due# = lead, draw.
1. ab duct, away
2 ad duce, to
3. aque duct, water
4. con duct, with
5. de duct, from
6. duct ile, capable of
7. duke, a leader
8. e duc ate, out
9. in duce, into
10. in duce ment, that which
11. intro duce, into
12. pro duce, forth
13. se duce, aside
14. re duce, back
1. To lead or carry away wrongfully and usually by force; to
kidnap; as, to abduct a child.
2. To lead or bring to; to bring forward or offer as an argument
in a case. "I too prize facts and shall adduce nothing else."
3. An aqueduct is a _lead_way or artificial channel for conveying
water.
4. A guide conducts a traveler when he goes with him and, in a
sense, leads him along a safe route.
5. To deduct is to take from; to draw away.
6. A ductile metal is one capable of being drawn into wire; as,
copper, platinum, steel, etc.
8. To develop mentally and morally by instruction. Educate literally
means to lead forth, to draw out.
11. An introduction is the initial step which leads people into
one another's acquaintance.
14. (1) To lead or bring back to a former state; as,
"It were but right
And equal to reduce me to my dust."
(2) To bring to any specific state or form.
#fac, fact# = do, make.
(fec, fic, fy, fea, fash are variations.)
1. fact
2. fact ory, place where
3. facil ity, quality of
4. bene fact or, good
5. manu fact ure, hand
6. ef fect, (ex.) out
7. per fect, thoroughly
8. im perfect, not
9. arti ficial, skill
10. bene ficial, good
11. sacri fice, sacred
12. paci fic, peace
13. feat
14. de feat, un
15. feas ible, capable of
16. fashion.
1. A fact is something done or brought to pass.
3. Quality of being easily done.
5. Manufacture formerly meant to make by hand.
6. An effect is something worked out, or done.
7. A thing is perfect when thoroughly made, or finished.
11. Sacrifice literally means to make sacred; to set apart as
sacred.
12. Pacific means pertaining to peace; suited to make or restore
peace.
13. A feat is an act, a deed, an exploit; something done.
14. To defeat means to overcome or vanquish. Literally to un do.
16. The fashion of a thing is, in a sense, the make of it.
NOTE.--fy, meaning to make, is found as a suffix in derivatives too
numerous to mention; as, purify (to make pure), rarefy (to _make
rare_), classify (to make or put into a class), etc.
#fer, ferr# = carry, bear, bring.
1. circum fer ence, around
2. con fer, together
3. dif fer, apart
4. fert ile, capable of
5. of fer, (ob) near.
6. pro (f)fer, forth
7. re fer, back
8. re fer ee, one who
9. suf fer, (sub) under
10. trans fer, across
1. See first month, page 10.
2. When two or more persons confer they bring together opinions
and facts on some special subject.
3. See second month, page 13.
5. To bring near to; to present for acceptance; as, to offer one's
services.
6. To bring or put forward; to hold forth so that a person may
take; as, to proffer a gift.
7. To direct for information. Literally, to carry back; as, "Mahomet
referred his new laws to the angel Gabriel, by whose direction he
gave out they were made."
9. To suffer is to bear under; to undergo.
NOTE.--Ferr is an irregular Latin verb the principal parts of which
are: fero, ferre, tuli, latus. The last form is found in a
number of English words; as, dilate, elate, legislate, relate,
superlative, translate. The meaning of the root in these words, as in
the ten given above, is bear, carry, or bring.
#fest# = feast.
1. fest al. Pertaining to a feast, a holiday or celebration.
2. fest ive. Pertaining to or becoming a feast; festal, joyous,
gay.
3. festival. A time of feasting or celebration.
4. festivity. Joyousness, gayety, such as becomes a feast.
5. festoon. Originally an ornament for decoration at a feast.
6. fete. Modern French, equivalent of feast.
FOURTH MONTH.
#uni# = one.
1. unit, one
2. un ity, ness
3. un ion, state of being
4. unite
5. dis unite, not
6. re unite, again
7. un anim ous, mind
8. unanim ity, state of being
9. uni corn, horn
10. uni form, form
11. uni son, sound
12. uni verse, turn
13. unique
14. onion
9. The unicorn is a fabulous one-horned animal.
12. The universe consists of all things considered as one whole.
13. A thing is unique when it is the only one of its kind.
14. Onion comes from the Latin unio, which means oneness; also a
single pearl of large size resembling the onion.
#anti# = against, opposed to.
1. anti climax, ladder
2. anti christ, Christ
3. anti dote, give
4. anti path y, feel
5. anti pod es, foot
6. anti thesis, place
7. anti slave ry, slave
8. anti soci al, companion
1. An anti climax is opposed to or in contrast with a climax. In
rhetoric it is a figure or fault of style consisting of an abrupt
descent (down the ladder) from stronger to weaker expressions.
3. An antidote is something given to counteract (act against)
poison or disease.
5. Those who live at opposite points on the globe so that their
feet are directly toward each other are antipodes. Figuratively,
things opposed to each other.
6. In rhetoric an antithesis is a figure of speech which consists of
one idea placed against another; a contrast.
8. A person is antisocial when he is averse or opposed to society,
social intercourse or companionship.
#dia# = across, through, between.
1. dia_gon_ al, angle
2. dia gram, writing
3. dia lect, speech
4. dia log, speech
5. dia meter, measure
6. dia pason, all
7. dia phragm, fence
1. A diagonal is a line across from angle to angle.
2. A diagram is that which is marked out by lines drawn or written
across; as, a figure, a plan.
3. Dialect is speech or language by means of which ideas are
communicated (across) from one to another.
6. The diapason is one of certain stops in the organ, so called
because it extends through all notes of the scale.
7. The diaphragm is a membranous partition or fence between the
thorax and abdomen.
#en# = on.
1. en dorse, back
2. en grave, carve
3. en throne, throne
4. en list, list
1. To endorse a check is to write one's name on the back of it.
NOTE.--en in most words is the equivalent of the Latin in, meaning
in, into, within; as in encage, encase, encircle, enclose, encourage,
enrage, enroll, entangle, entice, entomb, entrap, entwine, envelop,
enwrap.
#foli# = leaf.
1. foliage. A cluster of leaves.
2. folio. A leaf-sheet folded once.
3. foil. A thin leaf of metal.
4. _tre_foil. A plant with three leaves; as, clover.
5. port-folio. A case for carrying loose leaves of paper.
#fort, forc# = strong.
1. fort
2. forti fy, make
3. fortr ess
4. ef fort, (ex.) out
5. forti tude, quality of
6. force
7. forc ible, capable of
8. en force, on
9. com fort, with
10. piano forte, soft
1. A fort is a _strong_hold.
2. To make strong; to strengthen or secure by means of forts,
batteries, or other military works.
3. Ess is a feminine ending. A "maiden fortress" is a fortification
which has never been taken. A fortress is a very strong fort.
4. An effort is a putting out of one's strength for the
accomplishment of some end.
5. Fortitude is strength or firmness of mind in meeting danger,
pain, or adversity.
6. Force is strength in general, physical, mental, moral.
9. To comfort is to strengthen with hope and cheer; to give
consolation to.
10. The piano forte is an instrument having both soft and loud
(strong) tones. The name is generally shortened to piano.
#fract, frang# = break.
1. frail
2. frail ty, quality
3. fract ure, that which
4. fract ion, that which
5. fract ious, quality of
6. frag ile, capable of
7. frag ment, that which
8. in fringe, in
1. A thing is frail when it is easily broken.
2. Frailty is a quality of things easily broken.
3. A fracture is a break; as of a bone.
4. A fraction is a part, as if broken off.
5. A fractious person is one apt to break out into a passion.
6. "The stalk of ivy is tough and not fragile" (capable of being
broken).--Bacon.
7. A fragment is that which is broken off.
8. To infringe is to break in upon; to trespass on another's
rights.
#frater, fratr# = brother.
1. fratern al, pertaining to
2. fratern ity, that which
3. fratern ize, make
4. frater
5. friar
6. friary
1. Fraternal means brotherly; like brothers.
2. An organization in which the members hold one another in
brotherly relations.
3. To fraternize means to make a brother of; to receive into a
fraternity.
4. Frater. A brother; especially a monk.
5. Friar. A brother of any religious order, but especially one of
certain monastic orders of the Roman Catholic church.
6. Friary. A home for friars (brothers); a monastery.
FIFTH MONTH.
#mono# = one, single, alone, solitary.
1. mon arch, rule
2. mono gam ist, marriage
3. mono gram, write
4. mono logue, speak
5. mono mania, mind
6. mo nomi al, term
7. mono poly, sell
8. mono syllable, syllable
9. mono the ism, God
10. mono tone, tone, sound
1. A monarch is a sole or supreme ruler.
2. A monogamist is one who believes in marriage with one
person only.
3. A monogram is a single character formed of two or more letters
interwoven (as if done at one writing).
4. A _speak_ing by one person.
5. Monomania is a derangement of mind in regard to a single
subject only.
6. A monomial in algebra is a quantity which consists of a _single
term_.
7. A monopoly is the sole (or single) right to sell a certain
article, or to sell it at a given place.
9. Monotheism is the doctrine of belief that there is but one God.
10. A monotone is a single tone without harmony or variation in
pitch.
#para# = aside, beside, similar
1. para ble (ballo), throw
2. para graph, write
3. par allel, one another
4. para phrase, speak
5. para site, feed
6. par en thesis, put
1. A parable is a short fictitious narrative placed (thrown)
beside something which it is intended to illustrate.
2. A paragraph was originally a mark or note of comment _written
beside_ the line or place where a division should be made; now a
distinct part of a discourse or writing.
3. Parallel lines extend beside one another.
4. Paraphrasing is telling (speaking) the same thing in other
words.
5. A parasite is an animal or plant which lives beside or in
another organism on which it feeds.
6. Marks of parenthesis are often used for a word, phrase, clause,
or sentence put in by way of explanation to what it stands beside.
#peri# = around.
1. peri anth, flower
2. peri cardium, heart
3. peri meter, measure
4. peri tone um, stretch
5. peri oste um
1. The perianth is the floral envelope around the flower.
2. The pericardium is the membrane which surrounds the heart.
3. The perimeter of a figure is the outer boundary or _measure
around_ it.
4. The peritoneum is the membrane which is stretched around the
abdomen.
5. The periosteum is the membrane around the bones.
#syn (syl, sym)# = with, together.
1. syl lable, take
2. sym pathy, feel
3. sym phony, sound
4. syn chron ous, time
5. syn onym, name
6. syn ops is, view
7. syn thesis, put, place
1. Literally, a syllable is two or more sounds taken together, or
uttered by one impulse of the voice. Many syllables, however, comprise
but one sound.
2. Sympathy is feeling with another, especially his sorrows and
misfortunes.
3. A symphony is a sounding together; a harmony of sounds.
4. Synchronous. Happening or existing at the same time.
5. Synonym. Literally, a word having the same name. But it is
applied to words of like or kindred meaning.
6. A synopsis is a view of the whole together. A summary giving
a general view of some subject.
7. The putting of two or more things together. Synthesis is the
opposite of analysis.
#tele# = far (distance).
1. tele gram, write
2. tele graph, write
3. tele pathy, feel
4. tele meter, measure
5. tele phone, sound
6. tele scope, view
1. A telegram is a message transmitted (written) from afar.
3. Telepathy is the sympathetic communication at a distance of one
mind with another; not by the ordinary methods, but through feeling.
4. Telemeter. An instrument for measuring distances in surveying.
#liber# = free.
1. liber al, relating to
2. il liberal, not
3. liberal ity, quality of
4. liber ate, act of
5. liberat or, one who
6. liber ty, state of being
7. liberal ize, make
8. de liver, from
9. deliver er, one who
10. deliver y, act of
1. Liberal. Relating to or possessing a free and generous heart.
3. Liberality is the quality of being free or generous.
7. To liberalize is to make free, as to free from narrow views or
prejudices.
8. To deliver means to set free from bondage or restraint.
#liter# = letter.
1. letter
2. letters
3. liter ary, pert. to
4. liter ate, condition of
5. il literate, not
6. al literation, (ad) to
7. liter al, relating to
8. ob literate, against
1. Letter (from L. linere, to besmear); so called because smeared on
parchment and not cut on wood.
2. Letters usually means literature in general; hence knowledge
gained from books; literary culture.
6. Alliteration is a repetition of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of two or more words in close succession. Examples: "A whole
fleet of _b_ulky _b_ottomed _b_oats." "What a _t_ale of _t_error now
_t_heir _t_urbulency _t_ells." Literally, letter to letter.
8. In obliterate, ob means against or the reverse. The reverse
of besmear is to rub off; hence to obliterate means to rub out, to
erase.
NOTE.--Other words from the same root are, literally, illiteracy,
literati, literature, literalize, literalist.
#man (manus)# = hand.
1. bi mana, two
2. e man cip ate, take
3. man acle, cuff
4. man euver, work
5. man (n) er, relating to
6. manu al, pert. to
7. manu fact ory, make
8. manu script, write
1. Bimana is a term applied to man as a special order of mammalia.
Animals having two hands.
2. To emancipate a slave is to take him out of the hands of
his master.
3. The word manacle comes from manicula, which means handcuff.
4. Literally, maneuver means a working with the hands. To make
adroit and artful moves; as, of an army.
5. Manner relates to the way of handling or doing things.
6. Manual. Performed, made, or used by the hands; as manual labor,
manual arts.
#mater# = mother.
1. alma mater, foster
2. matern al, pert. to
3. matern ity, state of being
4. matri cide, kill
5. metro polis, city
6. metropolit an, relating to
7. matron
8. matron ly, like
1. Literally, alma mater means foster mother. It is applied by
students to the university or college in which they have been trained.
5. Metropolis means mother city; the chief city of a state or
country. Chicago is the metropolis of Illinois.
6. Metropolitan. Relating to the metropolis; as, a metropolitan
newspaper.
7. A matron is a woman with motherly duties; as the matron of a
school or hospital.
SIXTH MONTH.
#able# = capable of, fit to be.
1. ar able, plow
2. cap able, take, hold
3. dur able, last, hard
4. lia ble, bind
5. mut able, change
6. laud able, praise
7. port able, carry
8. soci able, companion
9. ten able, hold
10. us able, use.
1. Arable land is capable of being plowed.
2. A capable mind can take and hold ideas (understand and
remember).
4. One is liable for a debt when legally bound to pay it.
7. A portable library is one fitted for being carried from place
to place.
9. Tenable ground for argument is ground which is capable of being
held or maintained.
#acy# = state of being, office of.
1. celib acy, unmarried
2. delic acy, pleasing
3. magistr acy, master
4. obdur acy, hard
5. obstin acy, firmly set
6. pap acy, pope
7. intim acy, inmost
8. intric acy, entangle
1. Celibacy is the state of being unmarried; especially that of a
bachelor or of one bound by vows not to marry.
3. Magistracy. The office of master; of one clothed with power, as
a civil officer.
4. Obduracy is the state of being hardened, especially against
moral influences; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked.
6. The papacy is the office of the pope.
7. Intimacy is the state of being inmost or near in relationship.
#an# = pertaining to.
This suffix is seldom used except with names of countries and states.
It means, pertaining to what is of that country or state; as,
American history, American products, American people.
1. African
2. Alaskan
3. Armenian
4. Australian
5. Bolivian
6. Bulgarian
7. Corsican
8. European
9. Georgian
10. Hawaiian
11. Indian
12. Mexican
13. Ohioan
14. Persian
15. Russian
16. amphibian
17. republican
18. metropolitan
16. Amphibian: amphi, both (two); bi, life; an, pertaining to:
pertaining to two kinds of life; i. e. life on the land and in the
water. Frogs, turtles, crocodiles, seals, walruses, otters, beavers,
etc., are amphibians, because they can live in water (for a time at
least) and on land.
18. Metropolitan. Pertaining to the mother city. (See fifth
month's work, page 32.)
#ary# = one who, that which.
1. ad vers ary, turn
2. anni vers ary, year
3. antiqu ary, ancient
4. drom ed ary, run
5. miss ion ary, send
6. e miss ary, out
7. not ary, note
8. sal ary, salt
9. secret ary, secret
1. Literally, an adversary is one who turns toward another (to
oppose him); hence, one who turns against another.
2. That day which returns each year commemorating some event is
an anniversary.
3. An antiquary is one who collects and examines old (ancient)
things; as, coins, medals, weapons.
4. A dromedary is a thorough-bred Arabian camel of more than
ordinary speed and bottom; hence well adapted for running.
5. A missionary is one who is sent on a mission; especially one
sent to propagate religion.
6. An emissary is one who is sent out; especially one sent on
secret business, as a spy. "I am charged with being an emissary to
France."--Robert Emmet.
7. A notary was formerly one whose vocation was to make notes or
memoranda of acts of others. Now, a public officer usually spoken of
as notary public.
8. A salary was formerly an allowance (that which was) given to
soldiers with which to buy salt.
9. A secretary was formerly one who was intrusted with the private
or secret matters of his chief. One employed to do clerical work.
Ary is also a suffix of adjectives, meaning relating to; as in,
arbitrary, contrary, culinary, exemplary, antiquary, hereditary,
military, primary, revolutionary, solitary, secondary, visionary.
Ary also means place where; as in, granary, infirmary, library,
seminary, sanctuary.
#ate# = having.
1. corpor ate, body
2. de sper ate, hope
3. ef femin ate, woman
4. fortun ate, luck
5. in anim ate, breath
6. cord ate, heart
7. cruci ate, cross
8. cuspid ate, point
9. dent ate, tooth
10. glomer ate, ball
11. labi ate, lip
12. lun ate, moon
13. pin (n) ate, feather
14. serr ate, saw
15. sagitt ate, arrow
16. stell ate, star
1. Corporate means having a body. (See incorporate, second
month, page 18.)
2. Having no hope; as, "Continued misfortune had rendered him
desperate."
3. Effeminate. Having the qualities of a woman; soft, delicate,
to an unmanly degree. Applied to men.
5. Inanimate. Not having breath; without life.
6. Cordate. Having the shape of a heart; as a cordate leaf.
#pel, puls# = drive.
1. com pel, together
2. compuls ion, act of
3. dis pel, apart
4. ex pel, out
5. expuls ion, act of
6. im pel, on
7. im pulse, on
8. pulse
9. pro pel, forward
10. re pel, back
11. re pulse, back
12. repuls ive, quality
1. To compel, literally means to drive together; as a herd (a
Latinism and rare). To drive or urge with force.
8. The pulse is caused by driving the blood through the arteries.
12. A person is repulsive when he has qualities which tend to
drive others back or away.
#pend, pens# = hang.
1. ap pend, to
2. append age, that which
3. de pend, from
4. depend ent, one who
5. depend ence, state or quality of
6. in dependence, not
7. independ_ent_, one who
8. im pend, over
9. pend ant, that which
10. pendulum
11. per pendicular, through
12. sus pend, under
13. suspend ers, that which
14. suspens ion, state of
1. Append. To hang or attach to.
2. An appendage is that which hangs to something as a part of it.
"This little pensive appendage or tender (the moon) to our fuming
engine of an earth."--De Quincey.
3. Depend. To hang from; to be fastened or attached to something
above; to rely upon.
4. A dependent is one who hangs (figuratively), or relies on
another for support.
8. Impend. To hang over, be ready to fall; threaten. "We seriously
consider the dreadful judgments that now impend the nation."--Penn.
9. A pendant is that which hangs from something else; as, an
earring or a tassel.
10. The pendulum of a clock hangs and swings to and fro.
11. A plumb line is a line perpendicular to the horizon, hanging
(through the air).
12. Suspend. To hang under or from beneath.
13. Suspenders are that from which trousers are hung.
#ped (pod)# = foot.
1. anti podes, against
2. bi ped, two
3. centi ped, hundred
4. ex pedite, out
5. expedi ent, that which
6. im pede, in
7. impedi ment, that which
8. ped al, pertaining to
9. peddl er, one who
10. pede stal, stand
11. pedestr ian, one who
12. pedun cle, little
13. quadru ped, four
14. tri pod, three
15. octo pus, eight
16. pedi gree, crane
1. See fourth month, page 25.
2. Biped. A two-footed animal, as man.
3. Centiped. An animal so called from having a great many feet
(indefinitely a hundred).
4. Expedite. Literally, to take the feet out of entanglement;
hence, to hasten.
6. Impede. Literally, to entangle the feet. To obstruct the
progress, motion, or effect of.
8. The pedal is something made to be moved by the feet.
9. A peddler, literally, is a trader who travels on foot.
10. Pedestal. That which forms the base (standing place for the
feet) of a statue, column, vase, etc.
12. A peduncle is a (little) _foot_stalk of a flower or leaf.
15. An octopus is an eight-footed or armed cuttlefish.
16. Pedigree means, literally, crane's foot. Why so called is
uncertain, but supposed to be on account of a fancied resemblance of
the lines of a pedigree, as drawn out on paper, to a crane's foot.
(Compare crow's foot, applied to the lines of age about the eyes.)
#pon, pos# = place, put.
1. ap position, to
2. com pose, together
3. compos ite, being
4. composit ion, act of
5. compon ent, that which
6. com pound, together
7. de pose, down
8. de posit, down (away)
9. deposit ory, place where
10. dis pose, apart
11. ex pose, out
12. im pose, upon
13. inter pose, between
14. im post, upon
15. im post or, one who
16. op pose, (ob.) against
17. oppos ite, being
18. posit ion, state of being
19. pro pose, before
20. trans pose, across
1. One word is in apposition to another when it is placed near
to it, by way of explanation.
3. Being made by putting together separate parts or elements; as,
a composite flower.
5. One of the several parts or elements which, when _placed
together_, form the whole, is a component part.
6. To compound is to put or mix together two or more elements or
ingredients.
8. To put away for safe keeping; as, to deposit money in a bank.
10. To dispose of anything is to put it apart from one; to get
rid of it.
11. To place out where all may see; to uncover; as, to expose
fraud.
15. An impostor is one who puts burdens on others; commonly
applied to one who assumes a character for the purpose of deceiving
others.
18. Position. The manner in which a thing is placed; the _state of
being placed_.
20. To transpose a quantity from one side of an equation to another
is to place it across.
SEVENTH MONTH.
#ic# = pertaining to.
1. arct ic, bear
2. aromat ic, spice
3. civ ic, citizen
4. class ic, first class
5. com ic, revelry
6. democrat ic, rule of the people
7. despot ic, master
8. domest ic, house
9. empir ic, experience
10. metr ic, measure
11. numer ic, number
12. phon ic, sound
13. prosa ic, prose
14. plast ic, form
15. graph ic, write
1. Arctic literally means pertaining to the Bear; i. e. the
northern constellations called the Great and Little Bears; hence,
pertaining to the northern polar regions.
2. Aromatic. Pertaining to an agreeable or spicy odor; fragrant.
3. One's civic duties are those pertaining to him as a citizen,
in distinction from those as a soldier.
4. Classic pertains to what is first class in literature or art,
especially that of the Greeks and Romans.
5. Comic pertains to revelry; to what provokes mirth; as a comic
song.
9. Empiric pertains to experience, or what is founded on experience;
relying on or guided by practical experience rather than scientific
knowledge.
13. Prosaic means pertaining to prose; especially to that which
lacks animation or interest.
14. Plastic means pertaining to the process of forming or
modeling; capable of being moulded into a desired form.
15. Graphic means pertaining to the art of writing or drawing. A
graphic illustration is generally in the form of a drawing.
#id# = (ness) quality, condition.
1. ac id, sour
2. flor id, flower
3. flu id, flow
4. frig id, cold
5. in sip id, taste
6. in trep id, tremble
7. luc id, light
8. morb id, disease
9. pal(l) id, pale
10. splend id, shine
11. tep id, warm
12. torr id, parch
13. torp id, numb
14. viv id, life
1. The distinguishing quality of acid is its _sour_ness.
2. Having the quality or appearance of flowers; specifically,
flushed with red; as a florid countenance.
5. That which is insipid has not those qualities which affect
the taste; tasteless.
6. An intrepid person is brave and daring; he does not tremble
with fear.
13. Torpid. Benumbed; insensible; inactive; as an animal in
hibernation, when it passes its time in sleep.
#ity# = state or quality of being.
1. alacr ity, lively
2. brev ity, short
3. enm ity, enemy
4. fidel ity, faith
5. mortal ity, death
6. rotund ity, wheel
7. sanct ity, holy
8. seren ity, calm
9. tranquil (l)ity, quiet
10. un ity, one
11. util ity, use
12. veloc ity, swift
5. Mortality. State of being subject to death; frequency of
death; hence the death-rate.
#ive# = one who, that which.
1. ad ject ive, throw
2. alter native, other
3. capt ive, take
4. con nect ive, bind
5. ex ecut ive, follow
6. ex plet ive, fill
7. fugit ive, flee
8. in finit ive, limit
9. loco_mot_ive, move
10. nat ive, born
11. negat ive, deny
12. posit ive, place
1. (ad, to) An adjective is a word which is added (thrown)
to a noun to qualify its meaning.
2. Alternative in the plural means two things of which one or the
other may be taken as a choice.
5. The executive of a state or nation is the one whose duty it is
to follow out the decrees of the law making bodies; i. e. to see
that the laws are obeyed.
6. An expletive is that word which fills out the sentence that
contains it; as an expletive adverb.
8. (in, not) An infinitive is that verb which is not limited
by person and number.
9. (loco, place) A locomotive is that which can move cars from
place to place.
12. The positive is that which has a real standing place. Not
admitting of doubt; definitely laid down; clearly stated.
#ment# = act of, that which.
1. com ple ment, fill
2. fila ment, thread
3. _frag_ment, break
4. _gar_ment, protect
5. im_pedi_ ment, foot
6. in_duce_ment, lead
7. liga ment, bind
8. monu ment, remind
9. orna ment, deck
10. re_fresh_ ment, new
1. That which fills or completes.
2. A filament is that which is _thread_like; as, the filament of
silk, or flax.
5. Literally, an impediment is that which entangles the feet;
hence, that which hinders or interferes.
10. Refreshments consist of that which makes one fresh or _new
again_.
#tang, tact, tig# = touch.
1. con tact, together
2. contag_ion_, act of
3. contag ious, quality of
4. contamin ate, to make
5. contigu ity, state of being
6. contigu_ous_, quality of
7. en tire, not
8. in teger, not
9. integr al, relating to
10. integr ity, state of being
11. tact
12. in tact, not
13. tact ile, relating to
14. tang_ent_, that which
15. tang ible, capable of
16. in tangible, not
1. The coming together of two bodies; touching.
2. The act of communicating disease by the touch.
3. Having the quality of being imparted by touch; catching; as,
contagious diseases.
4. To contaminate is to make impure by mixture (_touching
together_).
5. Contiguity is the state of being within touching distance.
7. Entire. Whole or complete; not touched.
8. An integer is a complete or not touched whole; a whole number.
10. State of being untouched or unimpaired; freedom from
corruption or impurity; as, integrity of character.
11. Tact is skill in touching; nice perception or discernment in
dealing with others.
12. Intact. Not touched, especially by anything that misplaces,
harms, or defiles.
13. Tactile. Relating to the sense of touch.
14. A tangent is a line which touches a curve.
15. Anything is tangible when it is capable of being touched, or
perceived by senses.
#tempor# = time.
1. contempor ary, one who
2. contemporane_ous_, quality of
3. ex tempore, out
4. tempor al, relating to
5. tempor ary, that which
6. temporari ly, state of being
7. tempor ize, do
8. tense
9. tempus fugit, flies
1. (con, together) One who lives at the same time together with
another is his contemporary; occurring or existing at the same time.
3. Extempore means, literally, out of the moment. On the spur of
the moment; without previous study or preparation.
4. Relating to time as opposed to eternity; earthly, transient; as,
our temporal affairs.
5. That which lasts for a brief time only; not permanent; as, a
temporary scaffolding.
7. To temporize is to comply with the time or occasion; to yield
to the current of opinion or circumstances; to "do as the times
do".
8. The modification of verbs to indicate time, is called tense.
9. Tempus fugit is a Latin phrase frequently met with in English. It
means, literally, time flies.
#ten, tent, tain# = hold.
1. abs tain, from
2. con tain, together
3. de tain, from
4. detent ion, act of
5. main tain, hand
6. re tain, back
7. sus tain, (sub) under
8. ten ant, one who
9. tenet
10. ten able, capable of
11. ten_acious_, quality of
12. ten_ure_, that which
1. To abstain from drink is to hold from it, to refrain
voluntarily.
2. A vessel contains a liquid when it holds its particles
together.
3. To detain the wages of a laborer is to hold them from him
after they are due.
5. Maintain literally means to hold by the hand; to preserve
from falling. To hold fast; to keep in possession; as, to maintain
one's ground in battle.
7. Sustain. To hold up from beneath; to uphold; to support; to
endure.
8. A tenant is one who holds land under another.
9. A tenet is an opinion or doctrine held as true.
10. Tenable. Capable of being held; as ground taken for
argument.
11. Tenacious. Having the quality of holding fast.
12. One's tenure of office is that time during which he holds
office.
#terr# = earth.
1. in ter, in
2. inter ment, act of
3. sub terranean, under
4. terr ace, that which
5. terra cotta, baked
6. terrestri al, relating to
7. terr ier, that which
8. territ ory, relating to
9. Medi terranean, middle
10. Terra del Fuego, fire
11. Terre Haute, high
12. terra firma, firm
1. To bury in the earth; as a dead body.
3. Situated or occurring under the surface of the earth; as
subterranean forests--buried forests.
4. A terrace is a long mound or raised portion of earth.
5. Terra cotta is literally baked earth. A species of hard pottery
used in building; ornamentation.
6. Terrestrial. Relating to the earth, earthly.
7. A terrier is one of a small breed of dogs, named from their
propensity to scratch the ground or earth in pursuit of prey.
8. Territory. Relating to the earth; a large extent or tract of
land.
9. The Mediterranean Sea is so called because situated in the middle
of the land. In the middle of the ancient known world.
10. Terra del Fuego means literally the land of fire (del, of).
11. Terre Haute means high land. A city in Indiana situated on
high land.
12. Terra firma is a Latin phrase, frequently met in English. It
means firm land.
EIGHTH MONTH.
#ac# = pertaining to.
1. cardi ac, heart
2. demoni ac, demon
3. mani ac, mad
4. zodi ac, animal
1. Cardiac. Pertaining to or resembling the heart; exciting
action in the heart.
2. Demoniac. Pertaining to demons; one possessed of an evil
spirit; a lunatic.
3. Maniac. Raving with madness; crazy; insane.
4. Zodiac. Pertaining to the imaginary animals figured in the
twelve constellations forming a circle around the sun.
#ics# = science of.
1. civ ics, citizen
2. eth ics, character
3. econom ics, (see below)
4. mechan ics, machine
5. opt ics, see
6. phys ics, nature
7. phon ics, sound
8. polit ics, city
1. Civics. The Science which treats of _citizen_ship.
2. Ethics. The science of right conduct--of character-building.
3. Economics literally means, the science of managing the
household; the science of the production and distribution of wealth,
or the means of living well.
4. Mechanics. The science of machinery, or the theory of machines.
5. Optics. The science which treats of light and vision, and all
that is connected with the phenomena of sight.
6. Physics. The science which treats of the forces of nature;
as, gravitation, light, heat, electricity.
7. Phonics. The science of sound; especially of sounds produced by
the human voice.
8. Politics. The science which treats of the government of states
and cities.
#ism# = state of being, theory of.
1. altru ism, other
2. barbar ism, foreign
3. ego tism, self, I
4. commun ism, common
5. hero ism, hero
6. hypnot ism, sleep
7. organ ism, organ
8. sensual ism, sense
1. Altruism. The theory that devotion to the interests of others
is the highest good.
2. Barbarism. The state of being foreign; rude in point of
manners, arts and literature.
3. Egotism. The state of being self-centered, self-conceited, and
unduly self-confident; selfish as opposed to altruistic.
4. Communism. A theory of government and social order according to
which property is held in common, and the profits of all labor
devoted to the general good.
5. The state of being a hero or having heroic qualities; as, lofty
aim, fearlessness, fortitude.
6. Hypnotism. An artificially induced state of sleep, in which the
mind becomes passive, but acts readily upon suggestion or direction.
7. Organism. The state of being composed of different organs or
parts, working together and each necessary to the whole.
8. _Sensual_ism. The state which regards the gratification of the
senses as the highest good.
#y# = state of being.
1. a path y, feel
2. anti pathy, against
3. an arch y, rule
4. bi gam y, marriage
5. eu phon y, sound
6. melan chol y, bile
7. mis anthrop y, mankind
8. phil anthrop y, love
9. mono _pol_y, sell
10. poly gam y, many
11. sym path y, with
1. Apathy (a = without). State of being without feeling; lack of
interest; mental indifference; sluggishness.
2. Antipathy. A state of feeling against or antagonistic to a
person or thing; as, antipathy to spiders.
3. Anarchy (an = without). State of being without rule; social and
political disorder.
4. Bigamy (bi = two). State of being married twice; having two
wives or two husbands at the same time.
5. Euphony (eu = well). State of being agreeable in sound;
well-sounding.
6. Melancholy (melan = black). State of having black bile; gloomy
state of mind arising from grief or natural indisposition.
7. Misanthropy (mis = hatred). State of having hatred for
mankind; ill will for people in general.
9. Monopoly (mono = one). State of having the exclusive (sole)
privilege or power to sell an article at a certain place and time.
11. Sympathy. State of feeling with another (as he feels) on
account of his sufferings, misfortune, or joy.
NOTE.--The suffix y has the same meaning in the following words.
They are, however, too simple to need defining; in fact, there are no
simpler words on which to base definitions: airy, balky, bony, briny,
chunky, downy, dusty, healthy, hearty, miry, musty, rusty, scaly,
showy, sinewy, wealthy, worthy.
#chron# = time.
1. chron ic, pertaining to
2. chronicl er, one who
3. chron ology, science of
4. chrono meter, measure
5. syn chron ous, together
6. ana chron ism, state of
1. Pertaining to time; continuing a long time, as a chronic
disease; hence mild as to intensity and slow as to progress.
2. Chronicler. One who records events in the order of their
occurrence in time.
3. Chronology. The science of ascertaining the true historic order
(in time) of past events and their exact dates.
4. Chronometer. Any instrument for measuring time; as, clock,
watch, dial. Specifically, an instrument of great accuracy used on
vessels for determining longitude.
5. Synchronous. Occurring together in time; happening or
existing at the same time.
6. Anachronism (ana = back). Any error in respect to dates.
Literally, state of being placed at a wrong time. The significance
of ana in this word is not clear; the original meaning probably was,
the referring of an event to a time back of its correct date.
#ge# = earth.
1. geo graph y, write
2. geo logy, science of
3. geo metr y, measure
4. Ge_orge_, (erg) work
1. Geography. A description (writing) of the earth and its
inhabitants.
2. Geology. The science which treats of the structure of the
earth; of its history as regards rocks, minerals, rivers, valleys,
mountains, etc.
3. Geometry. That branch of mathematics which treats of the
measurement of solids, surfaces, lines, and angles. So called because
one of its earliest and most important applications was to the
measurement of the earth's surface.
4. George. A tiller (worker) of the earth; a farmer.
NOTE 1.--Other words, kindred to the above, containing this root-form
are: geometric, geometrical, geometrician, geographic, geologize,
geologist.
NOTE 2.--O is no part of the root. It is the "wedding ring" that
ties roots of families together.
#graph# = write.
1. auto graph, self
2. bio graphy, life
3. chiro graphy, hand
4. tri graph, three
5. graph_ic_, pertaining to
6. graphite
7. litho graph, stone
8. mono graph, single
9. ortho graphy, right
10. para graph, beside
11. phono graph, sound
12. photo graphy, light
13. steno graphy, narrow
14. topo graphy, place
6. Graphite is a mineral used in lead pencils for writing.
7. Lithograph. A writing on stone [Rare]. Made by printing
(writing) from stone; as a picture.
8. Monograph. A written account or description of a single
thing, or class of things.
9. Orthography. The art of writing words correctly (right), or
according to standard usage.
10. Paragraph. (See fifth month, page 29.)
12. A photograph is produced by the action of light (writing, as
it were,) upon chemically prepared paper.
13. Stenography is short (in a somewhat vague sense narrow) hand
writing.
14. Topography. A written description of a particular place,
town, or tract of land; especially the description of the physical
features of a locality.
#log, logy# = speech, reason, science of.
1. logic
2. logic ian, one who
3. apo logy, from
4. chrono logy, time
5. deca logue, ten
6. dia logue, between
7. _epi_logue, upon
8. eu logy, well
9. eulog ize, act of
10. geo logy, earth
11. mono logue, single
12. myth ology, fable
13. ornith ology, bird
14. psych ology, soul
15. pro logue, before
16. theo logy, God
17. dox ology, praise
18. zoo logy, animal
1. Logic. The science of reason.
3. An apology is a speech in defense of what appears to others
wrong, the speaker thereby seeking relief from blame.
5. Decalogue. The ten commandments (speeches) given to Moses on
Mount Sinai.
7. Epilogue. A speech or poem at the end of an argument or
address; a speech upon (on top of, or in addition to) what has been
said.
14. Psychology. The science which treats of the human soul (mind
and spirit included) and its operations.
EIGHTH YEAR.
FIRST MONTH.
#ad# = to, toward.
(ac, af, ag, al, an, ap, ar, as, at, denote the same as ad. The
consonant is changed for the sake of euphony.)
1. ad dress, direct
2. ad equate, equal
3. ad here, stick
4. adher ent, one who
5. a dieu, God
6. ad ject ive, throw
7. ad journ, day
8. ad mon ish, warning
9. ad apt, fit
10. ad opt, choose
11. ad vent, come
12. ad vert ise, turn
13. ag greg ate, flock
14. al lure, entice
15. an nex, bind
16. ap pend, hang
17. af fix, fasten
18. ar rive, bank
19. as sail, leap
20. at tach, fasten
1. To address a letter is to direct it to its destination.
2. One is adequate to a duty or occasion when equal to it.
3. To adhere is to stick to; as, a stamp to an envelope.
4. "Every great man has his adherents" (those who stick to him).
5. Adieu. A farewell; a commendation to the care of God.
6. An adjective is a word added (in a sense thrown) to a noun to
modify its meaning.
7. Adjourn. To put off to another day, or indefinitely.
8. To admonish is to give a friendly warning to; to give advice.
9. To adapt is to fit to a certain purpose.
10. To adopt is to choose (to one's self); as to adopt a
child.
11. Advent. The second coming of Christ (to the earth).
12. To advertise goods is to cause the public to turn their
attention to them.
13. To aggregate is to collect into a flock; to collect into a
mass or sum.
14. To allure is to attempt to entice or draw (to) by the offer
of some good, real or apparent.
15. To annex is to bind, join or add to, as a smaller thing to a
greater.
16. Append means to hang or attach to, as by a string.
17. Affix. To fasten to; to add at the close or end.
18. Arrive literally means to come to the bank or shore (from
out on the water). In present usage it means to reach any object or
result.
19. Assail. To leap toward; to attack with violence.
20. Attach. To fasten to; to affix or connect.
#ante# = before.
1. ante ced ent, go
2. ante di luv ian, wash
3. ante meridi an, midday
4. ante pen ult, last
1. Antecedent. That which goes before in time.
2. Antediluvian (di = away) (ian = one who). One who lived
before the flood (wash away).
3. Antemeridian. Before the middle of the day. Generally
abbreviated to A. M.
4. Antepenult (pen = almost). Before almost the last. The last
syllable of a word but two.
#bi (bis)# = two (twice).
1. bi ceps, head
2. bi cuspid, point
3. bi cycle, circle.
4. bi ennial, year
5. bi gamy, marriage
6. bi mana, hand
7. bi _nomi_al, name or term
8. bi ped, foot
9. bis cuit, cook
10. bi sect, cut
11. bi valve, door
12. ba lance, plate
1. The biceps is a muscle which draws up the forearm; so called
because it has two heads or origins.
2. The bicuspid teeth have two points.
3. A bicycle has two wheels or circles.
4. Biennial means lasting two years or occurring once in two
years.
5. A bigamist is one who has been married twice, and who has two
wives or two husbands at the same time.
6. The bimana are animals having two hands; as man.
7. A binomial in algebra is a quantity consisting of two terms.
8. A biped is an animal having but two feet; as man.
9. Biscuit were so called because formerly baked or cooked twice.
10. To bisect a line is to cut it into two equal parts.
11. Bivalve. Having two doors; as the clam. (Each side or shell is
comparable to a door, opening and shutting on a hinge.)
12. Balances are so called because they consist of two plates or
pans suspended from the balance beam.
#con (col com cor)# = with, together.
1. col lapse, slip, fall
2. col lect, choose, gather
3. col lide, strike
4. col loquy, talk
5. com mingle, mix
6. com _miser_ate, pity
7. com motion, move
8. com mute, change
9. com pany, bread
10. com _posit_ion, put
11. com peer (par), equal
12. con cur, run
13. con fide, faith
14. con cord, heart
15. con flict, strike
16. con _greg_ate, flock
17. con tact, touch
18. cor robor ate, strength
1. A building collapses when its sides fall together; when it
tumbles down.
2. To collect botanical specimens is to gather them together.
3. Two objects collide when they strike together.
4. A colloquy is a talking together of two or more people.
5. Commingle means to mix together; as people in society.
6. Commiserate. To feel sorrow, pain or pity (with another).
7. A commotion is a moving together; a tumult.
8. Commute. To change one thing (with) for another; to exchange.
To substitute a less thing for a greater.
9. Company formerly meant an assembly of people eating _bread
together_.
10. Composition. The act of putting parts together to produce a
harmonious whole.
11. One's compeer is the equal with himself in rank, age, prowess,
etc.
12. Two people concur in regard to a matter when their minds _run
together_; when they agree.
13. To confide in one is to have faith in him; to intrust secrets
with him.
14. Concord means literally heart with heart; agreement; harmony.
15. Conflict. A striking together; hostile contest.
16. To congregate means to flock or assemble together.
17. Contact. A touching together; a close union of bodies.
18. Corroborate. To strengthen; to make more certain; to confirm.
Two statements corroborate when one agrees with the other; each
thus strengthens the other.
#de# = down, from.
1. de capi tate, head
2. de cid uous, fall
3. de fine, end, limit
4. de grade, step, degree
5. de ject ed, cast
6. de pose, place put
7. de preci ate, price
8. de scend, climb
9. de spic able, look
10. de tract, draw
1. Decapitate. To take the head from the body; to behead.
2. The leaves of deciduous trees fall (down) once a year.
3. Define. To put down, or mark out the bounds or limit; to
fence from; to determine the precise meaning; to describe
accurately.
4. Degrade. To reduce from a higher (down) to a lower rank or
degree.
5. Dejected. Cast down in spirit; discouraged.
6. Depose. To put down; especially to remove from a throne or high
station.
7. Depreciate. To put down the price; to reduce the value of.
8. Descend. To climb down.
9. Despicable. Deserving to be looked down upon; low, mean,
contemptible.
10. Detract. To draw from; to take away; as, to take credit or
reputation from.
#capt (caput)# = head.
1. bi ceps, two
2. capit al, pertaining to
3. capt ain, one who
4. capit ul ate, act of
5. de capitate, from
6. cab(b) age, that which
7. per capita, by
8. cap.
9. cape
1. Biceps. A large muscle of the upper arm, so called because it has
two heads or origins.
2. Pertaining to the head; chief; principal; as the capital
city.
3. One who is at the head; a leader; as the captain of a vessel,
or a company of soldiers.
4. Capitulate. To surrender on stipulated terms or conditions; to
draw up items under heads or chapters.
5. Decapitate. To take the head from the body.
6. Cabbage. A vegetable which has a head.
7. By the head; as a per capita tax.
8. A cap is a covering for the head.
9. A cape is a head of land.
#cede, ced, cess# = go, yield.
1. _ac_cede, to
2. _ante_cedent, before
3. _ex_ceed, out, beyond
4. _inter_cede, between
5. _pre_cede, before
6. _pro_ceed, forward
7. _re_cede, back
8. _se_cede, aside
9. _suc_ceed, (sub) after, under
10. access
11. an (te) cestor
12. excess
13. intercessor
14. predecessor
15. process
16. recess
17. secession
18. successor
1. Accede. To yield to; to agree; consent, concur; go to.
2. The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun which goes before it,
and for which the pronoun stands.
3. Exceed. To go beyond what is needed or expected.
4. To go between two persons as a mediator; especially to plead with
the person who has some advantage over the other.
5. Precede. To go before in order of time.
6. To go on or forward; as proceed with your work.
7. Recede. To go back from a given position.
8. To go aside; to separate; as to secede from the church.
9. To go or follow after in order of time; as, one shock
succeeded another with great rapidity.
NOTE 1.--The principal parts of the Latin verb are cedo, cedere,
cessi, cessum. From this it appears that words 10-18 above are
kindred in meaning and correspond to words 1-9.
NOTE 2.--Observe that in three of these words the root is spelled
ceed, in the others cede.
#cent#--hundred.
1. cent enni al, year
2. centi grade, step, degree
3. centi meter, measure
4. centi ped, foot
5. per cent, by
1. Happening once in a hundred years. The Centennial Exposition
was held in Philadelphia in 1876, one hundred years after the signing
of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Divided into one hundred degrees. On the centigrade thermometer
there are one hundred degrees between the freezing point and the
boiling point.
3. Centimeter. The hundredth part of a meter (standard of
measure).
4. Centiped. A segmented invertebrate animal of the class nyrapod
(Greek for many feet), so called because it has a great many
(indefinitely one hundred) feet.
5. By the hundred; as, six per cent; that is, six cents on the
dollar.
#civ# = citizen.
1. _civ_ic, pertaining to
2. civ il, quality of
3. civil ize, to make
4. civil ian, one who
1. Civic. Pertaining to a citizen, or the affairs of a city.
2. Civil. Fit to live in a state or society with citizens.
3. Civilize. To make civil. To instruct in the arts and customs of
_citizen_ship.
4. A civilian is one whose pursuits are those of a citizen and
not of a soldier.
SECOND MONTH.
#ex# = out, beyond, from.
(e, ec, and ef, are euphonic variations of ex.)
1. ex ceed, go
2. ex cept, take
3. ex clude, shut
4. ex _curs_ion, run
5. ex cuse, charge
6. ex hale, breathe
7. ex it, go
8. ex pand, spread
9. ex pect, look
10. ex ped ite, foot
11. ex pel, drive
12. ex pire, breathe
13. ex port, carry
14. ex tent, stretch
15. ex tract, draw
5. To excuse is to relieve (take out) from the charge of blame.
10. To expedite is to hurry forward; especially by removing
hinderances (as from the feet).
#in (il, im, ir)# = in, into, on, not.
1. il leg al, law
2. il liter ate, letter
3. im bibe, drink
4. im mature, ripe
5. im mense, measure
6. im merse, plunge
7. im mort al, death
8. im mut able, change
9. im pel, drive
10. im per vi ous, way
11. im pious, reverent
12. im port, carry
13. im pose, put
14. im pulse, drive
15. im pun ity, punish
16. in carn ate, flesh
17. in clem ent, mild
18. in cognito, known
19. in clude, shut
20. in crease, grow
21. in cred ible, believe
22. in cur, run
23. in dorse, back
24. in duce, lead
25. in del ible, rub out
26. in dent, tooth
27. in evit able, avoid
28. in _fid_el, faithful
29. in fant, speak
30. in grate, thankful
31. in hale, breathe
32. in ject, throw
33. in nate, born
34. in nov ate, new
35. in sect, cut
30. in spect, look
37. in toxic ate, poison
38. in trude, thrust
39. in vade, go
40. in vert, turn
NOTE.--In defining the words in this list choose that meaning of the
prefix from the four given above (in, into, on, not) which is
most suitable; thus: imbibe means to drink in; immature, not
ripe; immerse, to plunge into; indorse, to write on the back of.
2. An illiterate person is one not familiar with letters; one
who has little or no learning.
5. Literally, anything is immense when it can not be measured;
of vast extent.
7. Immortal. Not liable to death.
10. Having no way through (per = through); as, cloth which is
impervious to water; waterproof.
14. An impulse is a sudden mental motive or feeling which tends to
drive one on to say or do something.
15. Not liable to punishment; freedom from the bad consequences
which usually result from an act; as, the magician could eat fire with
impunity.
16. In the flesh; as Christ was the incarnate Son of God.
17. Not mild, but harsh and severe; as inclement weather.
18. Not known; under an assumed name; disguised; as a nobleman
traveling incognito.
21. A story is incredible when it is not capable of being
believed; unworthy of belief.
26. Indent. To cut into points like a row of teeth.
29. Infant. A young babe (not yet able to speak).
35. Insect. A small animal apparently cut into segments.
40. Invert. To turn the outside in; to place in a contrary way.
#ob# = against, in the way of.
(oc, of, op, are euphonic variations of ob.)
1. ob ject, throw
2. ob loqu y, speak
3. ob sta cle, stand
4. ob struct, build
5. ob trude, thrust
6. oc cupy, hold
7. of fend, strike
8. op pon ent, place
1. An objection to a proposition is an opinion thrown against or
in opposition to it.
2. Obloquy. A speaking against; language that casts contempt on
men and their actions.
6. To take and hold (against the possession of another); as to
preempt and occupy a homestead.
#post# = after, behind.
1. post date, date 2. post pone, place 3. post script, write 4.
post meridian, midday 5. post mortem, death 6. pre poster ous,
before
6. Preposterous originally meant, having that first which ought to
be last; hind side before; reversing the natural order. In present
day usage, contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd.
#curr, curs# = run.
1. couri er, one who
2. con cur, together
3. con course, together
4. curs ory, ing
5. course
6. ex curs ion, out
7. in cur, into
8. inter course, between
9. pre curs or, before
10. re course, back
1. A courier is one who runs, or goes hastily with a message.
2. The opinions of people concur when they agree, or run together.
3. A concourse is an assemblage of people who have come (or run)
together.
4. A cursory glance is a hasty, and hence, a running glance.
5. A race course is a place for running.
7. To incur a debt is to run into it.
10. One who adds to his indorsement of a note or check the words
"without recourse", says in effect, "You can't run back on me for
payment".
#dent# = tooth.
1. dent
2. dent al, pertaining to
3. dent ate, shaped like
4. dent ist, one who
5. e dent ate, without
6. dan de lion, of lion
1. A dent is an impression like that made by a tooth.
5. Edentate animals, such as the sloth, are without teeth, or at
least are without the incisors.
6. The dandelion has yellow compound flowers which resemble the
tooth of the lion.
#dict# = speak, say, tell.
1. bene dict ion, well
2. contra dict, against
3. diction ary, that which
4. dict ate, act of
5. e dict, out
6. pre dict, before
7. ver dict, truth
8. male dict ion, bad
1. A benediction is a blessing (a speech to the effect that it may
be well with thee).
3. A dictionary is a book in which we may learn about words, the
elements of speech.
4. To dictate is to speak or say what another shall write or
do.
7. The verdict of a jury is what they say to be the truth in the
case.
#doc, doct# = teach.
1. doc ile, capable of
2. doct or, one who
3. doct rine, that which
4. docu ment, that which
1. Docile. Capable of being easily taught.
2. A doctor is one who, by virtue of his master's degree, is
qualified to teach.
3. Doctrine is that which is taught; a principle taught as a part
of a system of belief.
4. A document is that which teaches by means of the evidence it
gives.
THIRD MONTH.
#pro# = for, forth, forward, before.
1. pro bat ion, try, prove
2. pro bosc is, feed
3. pro crastin ate, tomorrow
4. pro duce, lead
5. pro (f) fer, bear, bring
6. pro fuse, pour
7. pro gnostic ate, know
8. pro gram, write
9. pro gress, step
10. pro ject, cast
11. pro logue, speech
12. pro mise, send
13. pro mote, move
14. pro noun, noun
15. pro pel, drive
16. pro pose, put
17. pro spect, look
18. pro trude, thrust
19. pro vide, see
20. pro voke, call
1. One who joins a church on probation is given a trial to prove
his worthiness before being fully admitted.
2. A hollow organ attached to the head or mouth (the forward
portion) of the animal with which he feeds.
3. To put forward till tomorrow, or to put off from time to time.
"Procrastination is the thief of time."
6. A profuse speaker pours forth ideas freely.
12. One's promise is his word, spoken or written, sent forth as
evidence of something more substantial to follow.
16. When a young man proposes he puts the question before his
lady.
19. A good provider sees necessities _before_hand and prepares to
meet them.
20. To provoke laughter is to call it forth.
#retro# = backward.
1. retro grade, step
2. retro spect, look
#se (sed)# = aside.
1. se cede, go
2. se clude, shut
3. se cure, care
4. se duce, lead
5. se greg ate, flock
6. se lect, gather
3. Secure. Free (aside) from care, as to danger or risk; as,
secure from attack, or secure against loss by fire.
4. Seduce. To lead or draw aside; especially from a path of
rectitude. To lead into evil.
5. Segregate. To place or group (flock) aside from others or the
rest. In science, to put into a new or separate class.
#sub# = under, after, near.
(suc, suf, sug, sup, sur, are euphonic variations of sub.)
1. sub due lead
2. sub jug ate, yoke
3. sub lunar, moon
4. sub merge, plunge
5. sub ordin ate, rank
6. sub poena, penalty
7. sub scribe, write
8. sub side, sit
9. sub soil, ground
10. sub stance, stand
11. sub terr anean, earth
12. sub trahe nd, draw
13. sub urbs, city
14. sub way, way
15. suc cess or, go
16. suc cumb, lie
17. suf fer, bear
18. suf fix, fasten
19. suf focate, throat
20. sup port, carry
1. Subdue. To lead or bring under authority; to conquer.
2. Subjugate. To bring under the yoke of power or dominion.
3. Sublunar. Situated _under_neath the moon; hence earthly.
6. Subpoena. A writ commanding attendance under penalty.
7. Subscribe. To bind one's self to, by writing one's name
_under_neath; as to subscribe to the terms of a contract.
8. Subside. To sit (or settle) under (down).
10. Substance. That which underlies (stands under) all outward
manifestation.
11. Subterranean. Situated or occurring under the surface of the
earth.
12. The subtrahend is placed under the minuend to be drawn from
it.
13. Suburb. A town or village so near to a city that it may be
used for residence by those doing business in the city.
15. One who goes or follows after; as, a successor in office.
16. Succumb. To lie under discouragement, rather than to surmount
it.
19. Certain fumes or vapors under the mouth (or throat), will
suffocate one.
20. Support. To carry on; keep up; as to support a conversation;
to support a war. To bear the weight of, especially by holding up
from beneath (under).
#trans# = across, over, through.
1. trans act, drive
2. trans alpine, Alps
3. trans atlantic, Atlantic
4. tran scend, climb
5. tran scribe, write
6. trans fer, carry
7. trans form, shape
8. trans fuse, pour
9. trans gress, step
10. trans it, go
11. trans late, carry
12. trans lucent, shining
13. trans marine, sea
14. trans migration, moving
15. trans mit, send
16. trans mute, change
17. trans parent, appear
18. trans port, carry
19. trans pose, put
20. trans verse, turn
The literal meanings of the twenty words given above are so apparent
as to need no explanation. Illustrate each with a sentence.
#fin# = end, limit.
1. Final. Pertaining to the end; the last.
2. Finale. The end of a musical composition.
3. Finish. To make an end of.
4. Fine. Well finished. Also, a penalty assessed at the end of
the case.
5. Refine. Finished over (or again).
6. Finite. Having a limit in power or knowledge.
7. Infinite. Having no limit in power or knowledge.
8. Confine. To keep within limits or bounds.
9. Superfine. Over or extra finish.
#firm# = strong, steadfast.
1. _in_firm, not
2. infirm ity, that which
3. infirm ary, place where
4. con firm, with
5. farm
1. Infirm. Not strong, but weak and defective.
2. Infirmity. That with which one is afflicted or infirm.
4. The testimony of one witness is made stronger when that of
another witness agrees with or confirms it.
5. A farm is a substantial possession, steadfast and immovable.
#flex, flect# = bend, turn.
1. flex ible, capable of
2. in flexible, not
3. flexibil ity, quality
4. flect or, that which
5. circum flex, around
6. de flect, from
7. re flection, back
8. re flex, back
4. That which bends; as, the biceps muscle is the flector which
bends the arm.
5. A circumflex is a bending around of the voice,--a rise and a
fall on the same syllable.
7. Reflection. A turning of the thoughts back to things of the
past.
8. Sensations arrested at the nerve centers and turned back without
their reaching the brain results in reflex action.
#flu# = flow.
1. flu ent, characteristic of
2. af fluence, (ad) to
3. con fluence, together
4. in fluence, in
5. influenz a
6. in flux, in
7. super fluous, over
8. fluid
9. flush
1. A fluent speaker uses smooth and flowing language.
2. People of affluence have wealth flowing to them.
3. The confluence of two streams is their flowing together.
4. Influence literally means flowing in. The bringing about a
result by a gradual process; gradual because flowing.
5. Influenza. A disease, somewhat allied to a cold, formerly
attributed to the influence of the stars.
8. A fluid is so called because it is capable of flowing.
9. Flush. To flow swiftly.
FOURTH MONTH.
#vice# = instead of.
1. vice president
2. vice admiral
3. vice roy, king
4. vic ar, one who
5. vice versa, turn
3. Viceroy. A ruler acting with kingly authority instead of the
king.
4. Vicar. In general, one who is authorized to perform functions,
especially religious ones, instead of another.
5. Vice versa. Turned, one instead of the other, interchanged.
#a (an)# = without, not.
1. a byss, bottom
2. a cephal ous, head
3. a chrom atic, color
4. a gnostic ism, knowledge
5. an archy, rule
6. an ecdote, given out
7. an esthetic, feeling
8. an onym ous, name
9. a pathy, suffer, feel
10. a sylum, right of seizure
11. a the ist, God
12. a tom, cut
4. Agnosticism. The doctrine or theory that man has not any real
or absolute knowledge of anything, but can know only "impressions".
5. Anarchy. A state of society in which there is no authority or
ruling power.
6. Anecdote [ec (ex) = out]. Originally a personal or biographical
incident not given out for publication.
7. That which causes a loss of sensation; hence, one who has taken an
anesthetic is without the feeling of pain.
10. Asylum. Originally a place of refuge where criminals or debtors
were free from (without) the right of seizure.
11. Atheist. One who is without belief in the existence of a
God.
12. Atom. The smallest particle of matter; hence a particle which
cannot be further cut or divided.
#auto# = self.
1. auto crat, rule
2. auto graph, write
3. auto bio graphy, life
4. auto maton, strive
5. auto mobile, move
6. aut ops y, see
1. Autocrat. An absolute sovereign, one who has the ruling power
all in him_self_.
3. Autobiography. A writing of one's life by him_self_.
4. Automaton. A self acting (striving) machine; one having its
motive power within itself.
6. Autopsy. Seeing by one's self; personal observation or
examination.
#epi# = upon.
1. epi cycle, circle
2. epi demic, people
3. epi dermis, skin
4. epi gram, write
5. epi sode, way
6. epi taph, tomb
7. epi thet, place
8. epi zooetic, animal
1. Epicycle. A circle whose center moves around upon, or in, the
circumference of another circle; as the orbit of the moon in its
motion with the earth around the sun.
4. Epigram. Literally, to write upon. A short, pointed poem, or a
bright thought concisely and sharply expressed.
5. Episode. Something which happens upon the way, or comes in
incidentally to the main enterprise.
7. Epithet. An adjective or term placed upon a person or thing and
expressing some quality especially appropriate to that person or
thing.
8. Epizooetic. A disease upon many animals in a community.
#micro# = little.
micro be, life; micro cosm, world; micro scope, see, view.
#grat (grac)# = pleasing, favor, thankful.
1. grati tude, ness
2. grate ful, full of
3. grati fy, make
4. in grati ate, into
5. in grate, not
6. un grateful, not
7. dis grace, from
8. grac ious, having
9. a gree, (ad) according to
10. gratis
11. grace
4. To become ingratiated with another is to get into his favor.
"The pigmy had contrived to ingratiate himself into every man's
affection."--Stanley.
5. An ingrate is not thankful for benefits received.
7. One in disgrace is out of (away from) favor with others.
9. An agreement is entered into according to the pleasure of
both parties.
10. Gratis. Out of, or because of, favor; without recompense.
11. Grace. Literally, pleasing; beloved.
#greg# = flock, herd.
1. ag gregate, (ad) to
2. con gregate, together
3. gregari ous, quality
4. se gregate, aside
3. Gregarious. Quality or characteristic of animals which tend to
gather in flocks; as, sheep, geese, deer.
4. Segregate. To separate (aside) from others and form into an
isolated group (flock).
#ject# = cast, throw.
1. ab ject, away
2. de jected, down
3. e ject, out
4. in ject, in
5. ob ject, against
6. pro ject, forth
7. re ject, back
8. ad jective, to
9. inter jection, between
10. sub ject, under
#leg# = law.
1. leg al, pertaining to
2. il legal, not
3. legal ity, state of
4. legal ize, make
5. legis late, bring forth
6. privi lege, private
6. A private law, a peculiar benefit, right, or favor not enjoyed by
others or by all, is a privilege.
FIFTH MONTH.
#aceous# = having the quality of.
[In defining words of this ending, combine the meaning of the suffix
with the meaning of the root; thus, cretaceous means having the
quality of chalk.]
1. creta ceous, chalk
2. crust aceous, shell
3. carbon aceous, coal
4. farin aceous, grain
5. herb aceous, herb
6. sapon aceous, soap
#al# = pertaining to.
1. capit al, head
2. corpor al, body
3. cymb al, cup
4. dent al, tooth
5. di al, day
6. fest al, feast
7. fili al, son, daughter
8. fin al, end
9. flor al, flower
10. frug al, fruit
11. jovi al, merry
12. leg al, law
13. miner al, mine
14. nas al, nose
15. nat al, born
16. nomin al, name
17. norm al, rule
18. pen al, punishment
19. plur al, more
20. reg al, king
21. roy al, king
22. rur al, country
23. vit al, life
24. voc al, voice
1. Pertaining to the head, as, capital punishment, which
involves the forfeiture of the head.
10. A frugal person is economical with his means, hence fruitful
in saving.
16. Pertaining to the name only, not real; as, a nominal
Christian.
17. Pertaining to the standard or rule; as, the normal color of
the crow is black.
#ence#, as a suffix to nouns like the following, means state of being.
1. abs tin ence, hold
2. af flu ence, flow
3. bene vol ence, wish
4. con dol ence, grief
5. con fid ence, faith
6. de pend ence, hang
7. im pot ence, power
8. omni pot ence, all
9. re tic ence, silent
10. sequ ence, follow
1. State of holding from something which tempts and entices; as,
abstinence from strong drink.
2. (See third month, page 63.)
3. State of being actively desirous (wishing) for the well-being
of others. "The laws of social benevolence require that every man
should try to assist others by his experience."
4. Condolence. State of being in grief or sympathy with others
on account of their afflictions.
5. Confidence. State of being confident (of having faith in
others or in one's self).
6. Dependence. State of being dependent (of hanging [relying] on
others for support).
7. Impotence. State of being impotent (of having no power; weak;
feeble).
8. Omnipotence. State of being all powerful.
9. Reticence. State or quality of being silent; refraining from
speech.
10. Sequence. State of being sequent (following); order of
following.
#ance#, as a suffix to nouns like the following, means state of being.
1. con cord ance, heart
2. con son ance, sound
3. dis cord ance, heart
4. dis son ance, sound
5. domin ance, master
6. ex pect ance, look
7. fragr ance, scent
8. re pugn ance, fist
9. sembl ance, similar
10. temper ance, time
1. Concordance. State of being heart with heart; harmony;
agreement.
2. Consonance. State of agreement of sound with sound; tones in
unison.
8. Repugnance. Literally, the state of being disposed to fight
(strike) back (with the fist) [obsolete]. Opposition; aversion;
dislike.
10. Temperance. State of being well timed (regular in habits) in
eating, drinking, sleeping, exercising, etc.
#ent# = one who, that which.
1. ad her ent, stick
2. ante ced ent, go
3. belliger ent, wage war
4. de pend ent, hang
5. equi val ent, power
6. in solv ent, loosen
7. pre ced ent, go
8. op pon ent, place
9. re pell ent, drive
10. tang ent, touch
NOTE.--The meanings of the above prefixes have frequently been given.
Combine the meaning of suffix, root, and prefix, adding other words
when necessary, to make definitions. The only word in the list which
can give any difficulty is number four, which is explained in the work
of seventh year, sixth month, page 35.
#ment# = mind.
1. mental
2. comments
3. mention
4. memento
5. demented
1. One's mental powers are the powers of his mind, including
intellect, feeling, and will.
2. One's comments on a topic generally reveal to some degree the
state of his mind in regard to it.
3. The mention of a thing calls it to mind.
4. A memento is a reminder.
5. A demented person has the powers of his mind impaired.
#mit, mitt# = send, let go.
1. ad mit, to
2. com mit, with
3. e mit, out
4. o mit, (ob) by
5. per mit, through
6. re mit, back
7. sub mit, under
8. trans mit, across
1. A ticket will admit you (let you go) to the entertainment.
2. To place in custody; to entrust with; as to commit a fund to
the care of trustees; to commit (send) a prisoner to jail.
3. To send or give out; as, the fountain emits water.
4. To let go by; to neglect; to overlook; as, to omit a fact.
5. A permit will let you go through the factory.
6. To remit is to send (back) value for value received.
7. To give up or let one's self go under the government of
another; to yield, or surrender. "Do not submit yourself to insult."
8. To send (across) from one to another; as, to transmit a
message.
#norm# = rule.
1. norm al, pertaining to
2. ab normal, from
3. e normous, out
4. enorm ity, state of
1. Pertaining to the usual rule or type; as, his pulse is
normal.
2. Deviating from the natural condition, course, or rule; as, an
abnormal appetite.
3. Out of the ordinary; not conforming to the usual rule; as the
death rate was enormous.
4. The state or quality of being enormous; especially the quality
of being extremely bad; as, the enormity of his crime.
#pater# = father.
1. patern al, pertaining to
2. patri arch, rule
3. patron ize, act of
4. patri cide, kill
5. patri ot, one who
6. patrimony
1. Pertaining to a father; fatherly; as, paternal love.
2. Patriarch. One of the fathers and rulers of a tribe or race;
particularly applied to the early tribes of mankind.
3. Patronize. To act like a patron, or one who protects, fosters,
or supports some enterprise, as a father looks after those under his
care.
4. Patricide. The killing of a father.
5. Patriot. One who loves and supports the institutions of his
country somewhat as a father cares for the interests of his family.
6. Patrimony. An inheritance from an ancestor; especially from one's
father.
SIXTH MONTH.
#fy# = to make.
1. ampli fy, large
2. certi fy, certain
3. clari fy, clear
4. dei fy, god
5. exempli fy, example
6. falsi fy, false
7. forti fy, strong
8. horri fy, horror
9. identi fy, the same
10. justi fy, right
11. lique fy, liquid
12. magni fy, large
13. puri fy, pure
14. rare fy, rare
15. recti fy, right
16. terri fy, frighten
17. testi fy, witness
18. typi fy, type
19. veri fy, true
20. vivi fy, life
#ile# = pertaining to, belonging to, capable of, like.
1. ag ile, act
2. duct ile, draw
3. frag ile, break
4. fert ile, bear
5. host ile, enemy
6. juven ile, young
7. puer ile, child
8. serv ile, serve
9. vers atile, turn
10. vir ile, man
2. A ductile substance is one which is capable of being drawn
into wire.
9. A versatile person is capable of turning readily from one thing
to another; manysided.
#ine# = belonging to, like.
1. aquil ine, eagle
2. bov ine, cow
3. can ine, dog
4. dent ine, tooth
5. div ine, deity
6. fel ine, cat
7. femin ine, woman
8. mar ine, sea
9. mascul ine, male
10. sal ine, salt
1. An aquiline nose is one hooked like the beak which belongs to
an eagle.
3. The canine teeth are so called because they correspond to those
best developed in the dog.
#ion# = the act of, ing. (In many words ion means that which.)
1. ablut ion, washing away
2. bisect ion, cutting in two
3. expans ion, spreading out
4. expuls ion, driving out
5. inspect ion, looking into
6. intercess ion, going between
7. collect ion, gathering together
8. combust ion, burn
9. commot ion, move
10. frict ion, rub
11. junct ion, join
12. opt ion, choose
13. resurrect ion, rising again
14. secess ion, going aside
15. stat ion, stand
16. tens ion, stretch
1. An ablution is the act of washing away, or cleansing.
15. A station is a standing place for the train.
#ite# = one who.
1. A Canaanite is one who dwelt in the land of Canaan.
2. A Dowieite is one who is a follower of Dowie.
3. A favorite is one who receives special favor.
4. A hypocrite is one who pretends to be what he is not.
5. An Israelite is one who is a descendant of Israel, or Jacob.
6. A Levite is one who is a descendant of Levi.
#port# = carry.
1. port able, capable of
2. port folio, leaf
3. port er, one who
4. ex port, out
5. im port, into
6. re port, back
7. sup port, under
8. trans port, across
9. port
1. Capable of being carried or moved without difficulty; as, a
portable engine.
2. Portfolio. A case or folder in which leaves of loose paper or
other stationery may be carried.
3. Porter. Literally, one who carries burdens.
7. Support. To carry or uphold from beneath (under).
9. Port. The manner in which one carries himself.
#rupt# = break.
1. ab rupt, away
2. bank rupt, bench
3. dis rupt, apart
4. e ruption, out
5. inter rupt, between
6. rupt ure, ing
7. rout
8. route
2. At Florence, it is said, a trader or money changer who failed in
business had his banca, or money bench, broken; hence, one who is
unable to pay his debts is bankrupt.
6. A rupture is a breaking apart; as the rupture of a blood
vessel.
7. To break the ranks of, and throw into confusion; as to rout an
enemy.
8. Route originally meant a road broken through a new and
untraveled section of country. After thus broken it became a way or
route for travel.
#scribe, script# = write.
1. circum scribe, around
2. de scribe, down
3. in scribe, in, upon
4. pre scribe, before
5. sub scribe, under
6. tran scribe, across
7. post script, after
8. in scription, upon
9. scribe
10. scribble
11. script
12. scripture
1. Circumscribe. To draw (write) a bounding line around; hence,
to lay down the limits or restrict the action of.
9. A scribe, in Jewish history, was a custodian and writer of the
official records of the nation.
10. To scribble is to do hasty or careless writing.
11. Script consists of characters written by hand.
12. Scripture. The sacred writings of any people.
#spec, spect# = look, see, view.
1. a spect, (ad) toward
2. circum spect, around
3. ex pect, out
4. in spect, into
5. per spective, through
6. pro spect, before
7. retro spect, backward
8. spectat or, one who
9. sus pect, under
10. spectacle
11. spectacles
1. The appearance of a thing as viewed (looked toward or at) by
the eye or mind; as, a stern aspect; the southern aspect of a
house.
2. Looking around in all directions, as against danger or error. "Of
all these circumstances, the slow, circumspect eye of the master
took cognizance one by one."
5. Perspective. That which is seen through an opening or vista.
The effect of distance upon the appearance of objects.
9. Suspect. To underlook; to imagine or infer that appearances
misrepresent; hence one who suspects is inclined to look beneath
the surface.
10. Spectacle. Something exhibited to be looked at, especially if
it be held worthy of unusual notice.
SEVENTH MONTH.
#ory# = place where.
1. arm ory, arms
2. deposit ory, put away
3. dorm itory, sleep
4. fact ory, make
5. laborat ory, work
6. manufact ory, hand made
7. observ atory, observe
8. prepar atory, to make ready
9. reform atory, form again
10. terr itory, land
1. An armory is a place where arms and other instruments of war
are kept.
2. A depository is a place where things are or may be put away
for safe keeping.
5. A laboratory is, literally, a place for labor; particularly a
place for scientific experimentation.
6. A manufactory was formerly so called because it named a _place
where_ things were made by hand. The first part of the word is now
generally omitted, and appropriately so, because a small part of the
work in a factory is done by hand.
10. Territory is extent of land belonging to or ruled by the
government. Literally it means a place where there is land.
#ous# = having, consisting of, full of, pertaining to.
1. amphi bi ous, double + life
2. aque ous, water
3. bili ous, bile
4. clamor ous, to cry out
5. decidu ous, fall
6. furi ous, rage
7. greg arious, flock
8. hetero gene ous, other + kind
9. homo gene ous, like + kind
10. im per vi ous, no + through + way
11. numer ous, number
12. preci ous, price, value
13. pre coci ous, early + ripe
14. ponder ous, weigh
15. pre poster ous, before + after
16. viv acious, life
1. Living both on land and in water. "Seals of amphibious nature,
are either for the land or water."
2. Pertaining to, or containing water; as, an aqueous vapor.
3. A state of ill health due to a disordered condition of the liver,
the gland which secretes bile.
4. Consisting of loud and repeated outcries or noise; as, a
clamorous crowd.
5. The leaves of deciduous trees fall once a year.
8. Consisting of unlike elements or ingredients of different
(other) kinds.
13. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed; as, a
precocious child.
15. Contrary to nature, reason, or common sense. Originally,
preposterous meant having the after part before.
#ulent# = full of.
1. corp ulent, body
2. fraud ulent, fraud
3. op ulent, wealth
4. succ ulent, juice
5. esc ulent, food
6. vir ulent, poison
1. A corpulent person is one who has an excess of fat; hence,
literally speaking, is full of body.
4. Succulent plants are full of juice; as, the stalk of the sugar
cane.
5. Esculent plants are those suitable for food (literally, _full
of food_).
"Every lover of that invaluable esculent (the potato) has reason to
remember with gratitude the settlers of Londonderry."--Whittier.
#ure# = act or state of, that which.
1. capt ure, take
2. depart ure, from + part
3. en clos ure, within + shut
4. fixt ure, fasten
5. fract ure, break
6. gest ure, act, do
7. junct ure, join
8. manu fact ure, hand + make
9. overt ure, open
10. past ure, feed
11. pict ure, paint
12. pleas ure, please
13 post ure, place
14. pro ced ure, forward + go
15. rapt ure, carry away
16. script ure, write
17. signat ure, mark or sign
18. sut ure, sew
19. text ure, weave
20. verd ure, green
#y# = state of being, full of, consisting or made of.
1. bloody
2. dewy
3. dressy
4. curly
5. faulty
6. filthy
7. fleshy
8. frosty
9. fussy
10. gaudy
11. gloomy
12. grassy
13. guilty
14. hardy
15. hoary
16. lofty
17. marshy
18. rainy
19. rosy
20. sandy
21. shady
22. spunky
23. thirsty
24. wealthy
While the above words serve to illustrate the use of y as a suffix,
to analyze them would not be profitable. On account of their
simplicity no illustrations are needed to show their use, and no
definitions; in fact, there are no words simpler on which to base
definitions.
The eight words following, which end in y, can, however, be analyzed
with profit:
1. an arch y, without + rule
2. a path y, without + feel
3. aut ops y, self + see
4. col loqu y, together + speak
5. ob loqu y, against + speak
6. poly gam y, many + marriage
7. sym path y, together + feel
8. sym phon y, together + sound
#tort, tors# = twist, wring, wrest.
1. con tort, together
2. dis tort, aside
3. ex tort, out
4. re tort, back
5. torch
6. tor ment, that which
7. tortoise
8. tort ure, that which
1. To twist together; to turn awry. "A form contorted and
misshapen from that which nature gave."
2. To twist aside; to twist out of shape; to wrest from the true
meaning. "For gold the hireling judge distorts the laws."
3. To wring or wrest out of or away from; to get by force or by
taking unfair advantage. "'Till the injurious Romans did extort this
tribute from us, we were free."
4. To bend, twist or turn back. A retort is a short and pointed
reply turned back on an assailant. A retort tube is one twisted
or bent back at one end.
5. The torch is so called because the wick is twisted like a rope.
6. Torment comes from tormentum, a machine (engine) for throwing
stones to inflict torture.
7. The tortoise is so called because of its twisted or crooked
feet.
8. Wringing pain; anguish of body or mind. "In ancient Greece,
torture was never employed except in case of treason".
#tract# = draw.
1. abs tract, away
2. at tract, to
3. con tract, together
4. de tract, from
5. dis tract, apart
6. ex tract, out
7. pro tract, forward
8. re tract, back
9. re treat, back
10. sub tract, under
11. trace
12. tract able, capable of
13. trail
14. train
1. To draw away; to consider apart. "In truth the object and
sensation are the same thing and cannot be abstracted from each
other."
2. To draw to or toward. A magnet attracts iron filings.
3. To draw together or closer. Heat expands and cold contracts.
4. To draw away from. To take away a part of something, especially
from one's credit. "Should I detract his worth, 'twould argue want of
merit in myself."
5. To draw apart or away. The attention is distracted when it is
drawn apart from the thing in hand.
6. To draw out, to withdraw. Honey is sometimes extracted from the
honeycomb and the comb replaced in the beehive.
7. To draw forward; to extend or prolong; as, "England desired not
to protract the war."
8. To draw back; to take back what has been said. When one finds he
has said a hasty thing he would do well to retract it.
9. To draw back, as from an enemy. "Come, shepherd, let us make an
honorable retreat."
10. To draw away; as apart from the whole. Literally to draw away
from under, or in an underhanded way, as by stealth. The word is
very seldom used literally.
11. A trace is one of the tugs or straps by which a vehicle is
drawn.
12. A tractable child is one which can be easily led or drawn.
13. Trail means to draw along, or what is drawn.
14. A train consists of cars drawn by a locomotive.
#ven, vent# = come.
1. ad vent, to
2. ad vent ure, upon
3. a venue, to
4. con vene, together
5. circum vent, around
6. e vent, out
7. inter vention, between
8. in vent, upon
9. re venue, back
10. pre vent, before
1. A coming or arrival of any important event or personage. The
advent of summer. An Adventist is one who makes the second
personal coming of Christ a special feature in his doctrine.
2. An adventure is a stirring experience, come upon, as it were,
suddenly and unexpectedly.
3. That which comes to a certain place. Formerly an avenue was a
roadway bordered with trees which comes to a residence.
4. To come together. "The household fowls convene."
5. To circumvent an individual is to gain an advantage over him in a
secret and round about (coming around) way.
6. The outcome of an occurrence; as, "In that event all will be
right." "Marriage is the principal event for good or evil in all
lives."
7. The act of coming between persons or objects; especially
interference with the acts of others.
8. To come upon; to find out or discover.
9. Revenue is that which comes back, as from an investment; income
from all forms of one's property.
10. To stop or hinder from happening by means of previous measures.
Originally prevent meant to come before; as in Matt. xvii:25:
"When Peter was come into the house, Jesus prevented him."
#vers, vert# = turn.
1. ad verse, to (against)
2. ad vers ity, state of
3. ad vert, to
4. ad vert ise, act of
5. a vers ion, away
6. a vert, away
7. di verse, apart
8. di version, aside
9. di vorce, apart
10. in vert, into
11. per verse, thoroughly
12. re verse, back
13. trans verse, across
14. versat ile, capable of
15. vers ion, that which
16. vertex
17. vertigo
18. vortex
1. Turned against; antagonistic. Adverse winds. "Error is
adverse to human happiness."
2. State of adverse fortune; a condition of calamity, distress, or
unhappiness. "Ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved
you out of all adversities."
3. To turn the mind or attention to; as, "I will only advert to
some leading points in the argument."--Emerson.
4. To advertise an article is to cause the public to turn
attention to it.
5. A turning away from. "Adhesion to vice and aversion to
goodness."
6. To turn away or aside. "Till ardent prayer averts the public
woe."
7. Diverse ways are different ways--they turn apart.
8. The act of turning aside from a course; as the diversion of the
mind from study.
9. A judgment or decree dissolving marriage, and thus turning
husband and wife apart from each other.
10. To turn into another position; as, upside down, inside out, end
for end, etc.
11. A perverse inclination is one thoroughly wrong or turned
from the right.
12. To turn back; as to reverse an engine.
13. A transverse beam is one turned across others.
14. Capable of moving or turning around; as a versatile spindle;
turning with ease from one thing to another; many sided; as, a
versatile writer.
15. That which is translated (or turned) from another language;
as, the King James version of the Bible.
16. The highest point, peak, or summit. Literally the turning point.
17. A turning or whirling around; dizziness or giddiness.
"That old vertigo in his head
Will never leave him till he's dead."
18. A _whirl_pool. (Vortex is another form of vertex.)
EIGHTH MONTH.
#ic# = pertaining to.
1. aqua tic, water
2. arc tic, bear
3. barbar ic, foreign; uncivilized
4. chron ic, time
5. civ ic, citizen
6. dom estic, house
7. epi dem ic, upon + people
8. erra tic, wander
9. Homer ic, Homer
10. luna tic, moon
11. lyr ic, lyre, harp
12. metal lic, metal
13. metr ic, measure
14. numer ic, number
15. op tic, eye
16. pan ic, Pan
17. phon ic, sound
18. publ ic, people
19. rust ic, country
20. techn ic, art, trade
2. Arctic means, literally, pertaining to the northern
constellations called the Great and Little Bears; hence pertaining
to the north polar regions.
8. Erratic means wandering from the proper or usual course in
opinion or conduct.
9. Homeric means relating to Homer, the great epic poet of ancient
Greece, or to the poetry which he wrote.
10. A lunatic is one who is periodically insane, with intervals of
sanity (as if affected by the moon).
11. Lyric poetry is that which is adapted to the lyre or harp; fit
to be sung to an accompaniment.
16. Panic means sudden or groundless fright, such as was said to
have been caused by Pan, the god of pastures and forests.
#ise, (ize)# = make, do, cause.
1. ad vert ise, to + turn
2. critic ise, judge
3. familiar ize, family
4. fertil ize, bear, produce
5. leg alize, law
6. re cogn ize, again + know
7. sym path ize, with + feel
8. tan tal ize, Tantalus
9. agonize
10. brutalize
11. civilize
12. crystallize
13. equalize
14. generalize
15. harmonize
16. humanize
17. idolize
18. magnetize
19. modernize
20. naturalize
21. organize
22. realize
23. systematize
24. tyrannize
1. A merchant when he advertises goods hopes thereby to cause
people to turn their attention to them.
2. To criticise is to (make) pass judgment upon.
3. To familiarize means, literally, to make as one of the
family, to become intimate with.
4. Ground is fertilized when it is caused to produce more
abundantly.
5. Any conduct is legalized when it is made lawful.
6. We recognize a person when we know him again; as, one whom we
have known before.
7. To sympathize is to feel with another.
8. Tantalize is derived from Tantalus, a Phyrgian king who,
according to Greek mythology, was punished in the lower world by being
placed in a lake of pure water up to his chin, while there hung over
him luscious fruit, the fruit and the water receding whenever he
sought to satisfy his hunger or thirst. Hence tantalize means to
tease or torment by presenting something desirable to the view and
frustrating expectation by keeping it out of reach.
Words 9 to 24 may be defined in a simple and satisfactory manner by
using some meaning of the suffix ize in the definition with the
first part of the word; thus, agonize means to cause to have
agony.
#ist# = one who.
1. agri cultur ist, field + culture
2. an arch ist, without + rule
3. art ist, art
4. a the ist, without + god
5. botan ist, plant
6. de ist, god
7. dent ist, tooth
8. flor ist, flower
9. ge olog ist, earth + science
10. hypno tist, sleep
11. journ alist, day
12. jur ist, right
13. loy alist, law
14. oc ulist, eye
15. optim ist, best
16. pessim ist, worst
17. re viv alist, again + life
18. roy alist, king
19. sci entist, knowledge
20. somn ambul ist, sleep + walk
4. An atheist is one who is without belief in a personal God.
6. A deist is one who believes in God but denies revealed
religion.
15. An optimist is one who holds the opinion that all events are
ordered for the best.
16. A pessimist is one who has a disposition to take the least
hopeful (worst) view of things; one who believes that the ultimate
tendency of the world is toward evil and not good.
#oid# = having the form of, shaped like.
1. aster oid, star
2. dent oid, tooth
3. ethm oid, sieve
4. spher oid, sphere
5. typh oid, cloud, stupor
6. variol oid, various
#meter, metr# = measure.
1. anemo meter, wind
2. baro meter, weight
3. chrono meter, time
4. dia meter, across
5. gas ometer, gas
6. ge ometer, earth
7. hexa meter, six
8. hydro meter, water
9. lacto meter, milk
10. metr ic, pertaining to
11. penta meter, five
12. peri meter, around
13. thermo meter, heat
14. tri gon ometry, three + angle
1. The anemometer is an instrument for measuring the force and
velocity of the wind.
2. The barometer measures the weight of the atmosphere, and thus
aids in determining the indications of the weather.
3. A chronometer is an instrument for measuring time.
Specifically, it is a large and very accurate watch for use in
astronomical observations.
6. Geometry literally means earth measure. It treats of the
measurement of surfaces, and is therefore applied in the measurement
of land.
7. The hexameter in poetry is a measure having six poetic feet
to the line.
8. The hydrometer is used for measuring the specific gravity of
water and other liquids.
9. The lactometer is used for measuring the purity and richness of
milk.
10. The metric system of weights and measures is one in which the
meter is the unit of measure.
12. The perimeter is the measure around a body or figure.
14. Trigonometry treats of measurements based on the triangle
(three angles).
#phon# = sound.
1. eu phony, well
2. phon etic, pertaining to
3. phon ic, pertaining to
4. phono graph, write
5. sym phony, with
6. tele phone, far
#polis# = city.
1. acro polis, high, upper
2. Anna polis, Ann
3. Constantin ople, Constanine
4. Indiana polis, Indiana
5. metro polis, mother
6. Minne apolis, Minne
7. police
8. politics
1. The acropolis was the upper part of a Grecian city. It
commanded a view of the surrounding country.
2. Named for Queen Ann.
3. A contraction of Constantinopolis. Named for Constantine.
4. Indiana means, literally, the land of the Indians.
Indianapolis means city of Indiana.
5. The metropolis is the chief, or mother city, of the state or
country.
6. The city of Minne (haha).
7. A police force is a body of civil officers in a city organized
for its protection.
8. Politics is the science of government in state or city.
#scop# = view.
1. horo scope, hour
2. kaleido scope, beautiful + form
3. micro scope, small
4. stereo scope, solid
5. tele scope, far
1. The horoscope is an instrument for viewing the heavens at the
hour of one's birth, by which the astrologers professed to foretell
the events of a person's life.
2. The kaleidoscope is an optical instrument in which an endless
variety of beautiful patterns or forms may be viewed by changing
its position.
4. The stereoscope is an instrument, with two eye glasses, for
giving to pictures the appearance of solid forms as seen in nature.
PART TWO
Letters, Sounds, Syllables, Words,
Principles of Pronunciation, and
Rules of Spelling.
SEVENTH YEAR.
(First Month.)
TERMS TO BE DEFINED.
An ELEMENTARY SOUND is the simplest sound of spoken language.
There are forty-four elementary sounds in the English language. As
there are only twenty-six letters in the alphabet some letters
represent more than one sound. Certain marks or distinguishing
characters used with the letters to indicate the various sounds are
called DIACRITICAL MARKS.
PHONOTYPY is a method of representing each of the elementary sounds by
a distinct printed character or letter.
The VOCALS or TONICS are those elementary sounds made by an unmodified
or uninterrupted tone of the voice; as [=a], [)e].
The SUBVOCALS or SUBTONICS are those elementary sounds made by the
tone of the voice modified by the organs of speech, making an
undertone; as b, d, g, r.
The ASPIRATES or ATONICS are those elementary sounds made by merely
breathing modified by the organs of speech; sometimes called breath
sounds; as p, t, s.
TABLE OF ELEMENTARY SOUNDS.
[From Swett's Normal Word Book.]
I. Vocals.
+--------------+-------------------------+
| a | [=a]-le, [=a]i-m |
| ae | ae-lms, ae-rt |
| [a:] | [a:]-ll, b-[a:]-ll |
| [)a] | [)a]-n, m-[)a]-n |
| a | [-c]-a-re, a-ir |
| [.a] | [.a]-sk, f-[.a]-st |
| [=e] | [=e]-ve, b-[=e] |
| [ve] | [ve]-nd, m-[ve]-n |
| [~e] | h-[~e]-r, [~e]-rr |
| [=i], [=y] | [=i]-ce, b-[=y] |
| [)i], [)y] | [)i]-t, h-[)y]-mn |
| [=o] | [=o]-ld, n-[=o] |
| [vo] | [vo]-n, n-[vo]-t |
| [o:], [=oo] | m-[o:]-ve, m-[=oo]-n |
| [=u] | [=u]-se, m-[=u]-[s,]e |
| [vu] | [vu]-p, b-[vu]-t |
| u | u-rge, b-u-rn |
| [u.], [)oo] | f-[u.]-ll, w-[)oo]-l |
| oi, oy | oi-l, b-oy |
| ou, ow | ou-t, ow-l |
+--------------+-------------------------+
II. Subvocals.
+----------+-------------------------------+
| b | b-i-b, b-a-be |
| d | d-i-d, d-ea-d |
| [=g] | [=g]-i-[=g], [=g]-a-[=g] |
| j | j-ar, j-et |
| l | l-u-ll, te-ll |
| m | m-ai-m, [-c]a-me |
| n | n-u-n, n-o-ne |
| ng, [n=] | ri-ng, i-[n=]-k |
| r | r-oa-r, r-ea-r |
| th | th-ese, wi-th |
| v | val-ue, v-ain |
| w | w-ell, w-eb |
| y | y-es, y-et |
| z | z-one, z-est |
| zh, z | a-z'-ure, sei-z'-ure |
+----------+-------------------------------+
III. Aspirates.
+--------------+-------------------------+
| f | f-i-fe, o-ff |
| h | h-at, h-ome |
| k | k-ite, k-ill |
| p | p-i-pe, to-p |
| s | s-un, s-ame |
| t | t-en-t, t-ar-t |
| ch | ch-ur-ch, ch-ild |
| sh | sh-all, wi-sh |
| th | th-in, th-ree |
| wh | wh-ere, wh-y |
+--------------+-------------------------+
NOTE.--The foregoing forty-four sounds are those most employed in the
English language. Some of these sounds are represented by other
letters, as shown in the following:
#IV.--Table of Equivalents.#
[Dictionary Work--Metcalf & DeGarmo.]
CHAR. EQUIV.
[=e] = [=i]
[~e] = [~i] = u
[=a] = [e=]
a = e
o = [a:] (broad a)
[o:] = [=oo] = [u:]
[)i] = [)y]
[)u] = [.o]
[)o] = [a.]
[o.] = [)oo] = [u.]
[=i] = [=y]
oi = oy
ou = ow
[=u] = ew
CHAR. EQUIV.
j = [.g] (soft)
g = [=g] (hard)
z = [[s.]=]
k = [-c] = [-c]h
f = ph
s = c (cedilla c)
sh = ch
[n=] = ng
x = ks
[x=] = gz
COGNATE sounds are such as are produced by the same organs of speech
in a similar position. The cognates are in pairs, as follows:
Vowels: [=a] [)e], [=e] [)i], a [)a], ae [.a], [a:] [)o], u [)u],
[=o][=o] [)oo]; consonants: g' k, b p, d t, j ch, th th, v f, z s.
#[Second Month.]#
LETTERS.
A LETTER is a mark or character used to represent a sound,--usually an
elementary sound.
An ALPHABET is an orderly arrangement of all the letters of a
language.
The NUMBER OF LETTERS in the different alphabets vary, as follows:
English 26, Arabic 28, French 25, German 26, Greek 24, Hebrew 22,
Italian 21, Russian 33, Spanish 27, Sanskrit 49. The Chinese have no
alphabet, but about 20,000 syllabic characters.
The POWER OF A LETTER is the elementary sound for which it stands.
LETTERS AS TO FORM are either script or print.
There are many different STYLES OF LETTERS; as, Roman, Italic, Old
English, and Script.
As to SIZE letters are both capital and lower case.
#[Third Month.]#
VOWELS.
A VOWEL sound is a free and uninterrupted sound of the voice. The
vowel sounds are formed by the voice modified, but not interrupted, by
the various positions of the tongue and lips.
A CONSONANT sound is an articulate sound made by the obstructed voice,
and which in utterance is usually combined with a vowel sound.
There is no absolute division between vowels and consonants. Certain
vowels are so open as to be only vowels, certain consonants are so
close as to be only consonants; but there are yet others which have
the value now of vowels and now of consonants; as, i, u, w, and
y.
"Y as a vowel is a substitute for i, and i is a consonant as a
substitute for y. W and y are vowels: (1) When they end words or
syllables, (2) when they are not followed by a vowel in the same
syllable, (3) when they are followed by a silent vowel in the same
syllable. W and y are consonants when they begin words or
syllables and are immediately followed by a vowel. I is a consonant
when it represents the consonant y, as in alien. U is a
consonant when it represents the consonant w, as in quick,
language."--Irish's Orthography.
A DIPHTHONG is produced by running together two vowel sounds in the
same syllable.
A diphthong is PROPER if both the vowels are sounded; as o and i
in boil.
An IMPROPER DIPHTHONG or DIGRAPH is merely a collection of two vowels
in the same syllable, of which only one is sounded; as in rain,
teach.
The diphthongs in the following words are all that are in common use,
viz.: t_oi_l, t_oy_, s_ou_nd, c_ow_, p_ea_l, _oi_l, _au_dible,
_aw_ning, s_ay_, s_ei_ne, p_eo_ple, f_eu_d, ob_ey_, esch_ew_,
bel_ie_ve, l_oa_n, h_oe_, h_ue_, j_ui_ce. Of these oi, oy, ou,
and ow are the only proper diphthongs.
A TRIPHTHONG is produced by running together three vowel sounds in the
same syllable.
A triphthong is PROPER if all three of the vowels are sounded. (But
there are no proper triphthongs that I know of.)
A triphthong is IMPROPER or is called a TRIGRAPH if one or two of the
three vowels is silent; as in ad_ieu_, b_eau_ty.
#[Fourth Month.]#
CONSONANTS.
CONSONANTS are divided on three different bases; as follows:
I. MUTES and SEMIVOWELS.
The mutes represent an explosive sound, and are so called because the
mouth organs are closed just before the sound is uttered and the voice
is momentarily mute.
The four subvocals b, d, j, g, and their cognates, p, t,
ch, and k, are generally classed as mutes. Pronounce them and see
if they do not represent explosive sounds.
All other consonants are semivowels, and are pronounced with a
continuous sound. The sound may be continued so long as the breath
lasts; but in the case of mutes the sound must stop with the explosive
utterance.
II. The SUBVOCALS and ASPIRATES are shown in the vertical columns of
the table below. The subvocals are sometimes called voice consonants
and the aspirates breath consonants. These are fit terms, for they
indicate the basis of classification.
III. LABIALS, LINGUA-DENTALS, and PALATALS constitute a classification
of the consonants with respect to the place of formation. Bead the
table from left to right. The lips have most to do with making the
labial sounds; the lingua-dentals are formed at the point of the
tongue in contact with the teeth, the palatals between the tongue
and hard and soft palate.
#Consonant Table.#
#Subvocals.# #Aspirates.#
(Voice.) (Breath.)
Labials. { b p
(Lips.) { v f
{ w wh
{ m
Lingua- { d t
Dentals. { z s
(Point of{ th (sonant) (non-sonant) th
tongue.) { l
{ n
{ r
Palatals.{ zh sh
(Between { j ch
tongue { g k
and { y
palate.) { h
{ ng
EIGHTH YEAR.
#[First Month.]#
SYLLABLES.
SYLLABLE literally means taken together.
A SPOKEN SYLLABLE is an elementary sound, or a combination of
elementary sounds, uttered together, or with a single impulse of the
voice. It constitutes a word or a part of a word.
A WRITTEN or printed syllable is a part of a word separated from the
rest, and capable of pronunciation by a single impulse of the voice.
As to where a word shall be divided in making it into syllables
depends upon the PURPOSE OF SYLLABICATION. When the purpose is to show
the derivation the division is made with reference to the component
parts (roots, prefixes, and suffixes); but if the purpose is to
indicate correct pronunciation, the result may be very different. For
illustration, the following words are divided, first, to show
derivation: abs-tract, bene-vol-ent, pre-de-cess-or, e-duc-ate,
phon-o-typ-y, pro-gress, e-lig-ible; and, second, to indicate correct
pronunciation: ab-stract, be-nev-o-lent, pred-e-ces-sor, ed-u-cate,
pho-not-y-py, prog-ress, el-i-gi-ble.
While in the illustrations here given the syllables formed for one
purpose are very different from those formed for the other, yet in the
majority of words the resulting syllables are the same whether divided
for one purpose or for the other.
In the United States the prevailing purpose of syllabication is to
indicate pronunciation.
The ULTIMATE syllable of a word is the last (ultimus = last); the
PENULTIMATE is next to the last (pen = almost); the ANTEPENULTIMATE
is the third from the last (literally, before almost the last);
the PREANTEPENULTIMATE is the fourth from the last (literally,
before the one that is before the one almost last).
#[Second Month.]#
ACCENT.
ACCENT is stress of voice on a particular syllable in pronouncing a
word.
In long words two, and sometimes three, syllables are accented. But
one syllable is always accented more strongly than the others are. The
stronger accent is called the PRIMARY accent, the weaker is called the
SECONDARY. Thus, in am' mu ni' tion the primary accent falls on the
third syllable and the secondary on the first.
The "PRINCIPLES" which govern the placing of accent are complicated.
The International Dictionary says there are no principles by which to
determine the accent in English. Another high authority says: "All
attempts to assign rules for the place of the accent in English only
serve to render the subject hopelessly intricate and confounded."
There are, however, certain tendencies which mature pupils might
profitably consider, but the limited scope of this book will not
permit me to attempt to set them forth.
In the words of the following list the accent changes with a change of
meaning. When nouns or adjectives these words are accented on the
first syllable; when verbs, on the second:
abstract
accent
compound
conflict
concert
contract
contrast
converse
convict
desert
escort
export
ferment
forecast
frequent
incense
insult
permit
prefix
present
produce
project
record
survey
#[Third Month.]#
WORDS.
A WORD is a sign of an idea. It may be either spoken or written.
A PRIMITIVE, OR ROOT, word is one not derived from any other word of
the language; as, fix, strike, man.
A DERIVATIVE is a word formed from a primitive by changing it
internally, or by adding a prefix or suffix; as, men, suffix,
strikers.
A SIMPLE WORD is a single word. It may be either primitive or
derivative.
A COMPOUND WORD is a combination of two or more simple words; as,
buck-saw, well-behaved, school-room.
A word of one syllable is a monosyllable (mono = one); of two
syllables, a dissyllable (dis = two); of three syllables, a
trisyllable (tri = three); of three or more syllables, a
polysyllable (poly = many).
The ROOT of a word is its fundamental or elementary part which carries
the primitive notion or significance with it, without prefix or
suffix; as, ge (earth), graph (write), vol (wish).
A PREFIX is a significant syllable joined to the beginning of a word;
as, _auto_graph, _circum_vent, _amphi_theater.
A SUFFIX is a significant syllable joined to the end of a word; as,
man ly, fert ile, ment ion.
AFFIX is a general term for prefixes and suffixes; it may be applied
to either or to both together.
SEVENTH YEAR.
#[Fifth Month.]#
SILENT LETTERS.
Silent letters have at least four uses:
1. To modify sounds of other letters in the same syllable.
Drop final silent e from such words as the following and note the
effect on the sound of the other vowel in the same syllable: bare,
pure, ripe, lame.
2. To indicate pronunciation.
In the four words last given, for illustration, the pronunciation
changes when the final silent e is dropped.
Another class of words ending in ce and ge retain the final silent
e on adding a suffix beginning with a or o to preserve the soft
sound of c and g, and with it the correct pronunciation of the
word; as, serviceable, noticeable, changeable, courageous.
3. To show the meaning of words.
Illustrations: clime, climb, plumb, belle, butt, dyeing,
singeing, guilt, damn.
4. To show the derivation of words.
Numerous illustrations are found in words derived from the Greek. In
chronic, and chronology, the h is silent, but serves to indicate
that the root of those words is identical with the Greek root chron,
which means time. Similarly the g in gnostic, the e in
eulogy, p in pneumonia, the h in chromatic.
In honour and favour u is silent, and therefore a useless
letter, so far as sound is concerned. The u signifies that the word
came to us through the French, instead of directly from the Latin. The
question is, whether we shall go to the trouble of writing the extra
letter in a large class of such words for the sake of the historical
association. Perhaps one in a thousand would choose to do so, but
others of us are more intent on saving time and ink. When the spelling
reform idea becomes operative with English speaking people, a great
many silent letters will go the way of the u in labour, favour,
and the like.
The following are some of the numerous classes of silent letters
together with the principle found to be operative through them.
#[Sixth Month.]#
"E final is silent when preceded by another vowel in the same
syllable."
change sense adverse Chinese condense
brace quite bade oppose deceive
force scribe burlesque embrace machine
crease measure canine emerge endorse
cease absolve caprice examine advise
#[Seventh Month.]#
"B is usually silent before t or after m in the same syllable."
lamb tomb numb debt bomb
comb thumb dumb doubt crumb
limb climb plumb redoubt jamb
#[Eighth Month.]#
"C is silent before k in the same syllable. C is silent in czar,
victuals, muscle, corpuscle, indict, and Connecticut."
back deck lack stack Patrick
buck duck hack stick reckon
burdock chick luck suck thicken
clock click lick beckon Cossack
EIGHTH YEAR.
#[First Month.]#
"D is silent before g in the same syllable."
edge hedge ridge lodge misjudge
wedge budge bridge sledge judgment
pledge drudge fudge begrudge lodgment
#[Second Month.]#
"G is silent before m or n in the same syllable."
phlegm malign gnaw campaign gnash
arraign paradigm feign foreign gnu
benign diaphragm reign design seignior
resign gnat assign gnarl consign
#[Third Month.]#
"H is silent when it follows g or r in the same syllable."
ghost myrrh rheumatism rhapsody rhinoceros
aghast hemorrhage rhyme rhythm Rhine
gherkin rhubarb rhombus rhomboid catarrh
#[Fourth Month.]#
"K is silent before n in the same syllable."
knack kneel knot knap sack knob
knave knife knock knowledge knucks
knead knight knoll knuckle knarl
knee knit know knell knout
#[Fifth Month.]#
"N final after l or m is silent."
hymn contemn solemn limn damn
kiln condemn column autumn
#[Sixth Month.]#
"T is silent before ch in the same syllable."
hitch pitch match notch catch
kitchen botch hatch scratch patch
latch Dutch watch Mitchell satchel
thatch ditch witch batch Scotch
#[Seventh Month.]#
"W is silent before r in the same syllable."
wrestle wren wrist writing wreak
wrong wrote wreck wrest writ
wring wraith awry write wrought
wrath wretch wreath wrinkle wrangle
#[Eighth Month.]#
"Gh is always silent after i and, when not a substitute for f or
k, is also silent after au and ou."
sight plight weigh fraught through
light wright weight caught although
fight height freight thought slaughter
might wight aught daughter laughter
SEVENTH YEAR.
PRINCIPLES OF PRONUNCIATION WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
#[Sixth Month.]#
"A constituting or ending an unaccented syllable is short Italian
a."
again America banana fatality papa
alas amuse canine fatigue parasol
algebra apparatus China lapel pica
alkali area data massacre sacrament
amass arena drama ornament valise
#[Seventh Month.]#
"E constituting or ending a syllable is long."
depot memento obedience really society
event museum penal recess superior
feline nausea precedence resource theater
frequent negro precise sacrilegious theology
mechanic notoriety pretense secretary veto
#[Eighth Month.]#
"O constituting or ending a syllable is long."
broken explosive melodeon poem spoken
chosen gondola melody police tobacco
composition licorice open potato trophy
coquet location opponent promotion zodiac
cupola locust pantomime proviso zooelogy
EIGHTH YEAR.
#[Fourth Month.]#
"_I_constituting or ending an unaccented syllable, not initial, is
always short, and is usually short even in initial syllables, if
unaccented."
divide tirade sentinel fidelity residence
direct intimate continent digest levity
finance indivisible defensible hilarious reticent
imitate equidistant predicate maritime reticule
piazza nobility finance invitation direction
In the initial syllables i, bi, chi, cli, cri, pri,
tri, however, i is generally long.
idea biology climatic primeval tripod
idle Chinese criterion triangular triune
isothermal chirography biennial binomial priority
#[Fifth Month.]#
E before terminal n should always be silent in participles, and
also in most other words.
given stolen ridden bidden forsaken
taken proven shaken woven gotten
broken driven written shaven risen
spoken frozen arisen chidden smitten
fallen hidden beaten eaten stricken
also
heaven oaken happen burden leaven
often leaden seven garden brazen
widen golden even eleven christen
But in the following words e should be sounded:
hyphen chicken marten lichen sudden
linden linen gluten mitten aspen
E should also be sounded in any word (not a participle) in which
terminal en is immediately preceded by l, m, n, or r.
women Ellen Helen omen pollen
barren linen woolen Allen Warren
#[Sixth Month.]#
"E before terminal l should usually be sounded."
Abel model morsel cancel marvel
level travel rebel gravel barrel
nickel apparel towel channel kennel
chapel citadel revel Mabel libel
camel laurel bevel funnel parcel
But in the following words and in their derivatives e before
terminal l should not be sounded:
easel weasel ravel mantel shekel
navel chattel shrivel drivel snivel
shovel grovel mussel hazel teasel
#[Seventh Month.]#
"In most words i before terminal l or n should be sounded."
Latin vigil anvil goblin coffin
cavil cabin council rosin origin
javelin pencil axil assassin tranquil
resin bobbin violin peril moccasin
retail satin utensil pistil daffodil
In the following words i should not be sounded:
devil basin evil cousin weevil raisin
#[Eighth Month.]#
"I accented in most words from the French has the sound of long
e."
pique quarantine police critique unique
machine routine ravine regime intrigue
caprice suite valise Bastile magazine
guillotine fatigue antique
SEVENTH YEAR.
RULES OF SPELLING.
Many people think that rules of spelling are of no value, because they
are hard to remember and because of numerous exceptions. This is
certainly true of a great many such rules (and there are a great
many); but three or four of these rules apply to so many words
difficult to spell, and they have such a small number of exceptions
that they are well worth while. Several hundred words are spelled
according to the first rule given below. The rule itself is short, and
all of the exceptions could be learned "for keeps" by a pupil in an
hour. But pupils must have drill in applying the rules or they may
be able to repeat the rules perfectly and glibly and not be able to
spell the words coming under them.
Since the rule given for the work of the first month, seventh year,
and that given for the second month, are counterparts, each of the
other, I prefer to take them together. Knowing that "_silent final e
is dropped when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added_", we
naturally infer its counterpart, viz.: "_Silent final e is retained
when a suffix beginning with a consonant is added._"
To bring about the necessary drill and insure attention to the
application of the rule, I suggest that a class of pupils, reciting by
turns, spell at least twenty-five words according to the following
model. [The words are on the board in this form: love + able, care +
less.]
"The suffix able begins with the vowel a; therefore when it is
added to the word love the final silent e is dropped, and the word
is spelled lovable." Or,
"The suffix less begins with the consonant l; therefore, when it
is added to the word care the final silent e is not dropped, and
the word is spelled careless."
Words to be spelled according to this model should be mixed,--those in
which the suffix to be added begins with a vowel mixed with those in
which the suffix begins with a consonant. Exceptions ought to be
thrown into the mixture, and when a pupil comes to an exception, he
can proceed according to the model, concluding with, "but this word is
an exception to the rule".
Fifty words are here given to illustrate this rule, but pupils who
want to do thorough work should spell several such fifties.
#[First Month.]#
love--able adventure--ous decide--ing
care--less change--ing ice--berg
blame--able extreme--ly house--keeper
achieve--ment fickle--ness idle--ness
brake--man fore--cast excite--ment
cure--able compare--able console--able
discourage--ment continue--ally endure--ance
prove--able contrive--ance amaze--ment
move--able guide--ance fierce--ness
acquire--ing forgive--ness peace--ful
else--where hate--ful deface--ment
enlarge--ment believe--ing disgrace--ful
admire--able converse--ed blue--ish
abide--ing hedge--hog lodge--ing
advertise--ment achieve--ing amuse--ment
eye--brow hoarse--ness dine--ing
pursue--ing argue--ing revenge--ful
EXCEPTIONS.
Words ending in ce and ge retain the e when a suffix beginning
with a or o is added.
changeable challengeable pronounceable
exchangeable peaceable advantageous
chargeable serviceable outrageous
manageable traceable courageous
marriageable noticeable vengeance
OTHER EXCEPTIONS.
hoeing singeing seer nursling truly
shoeing tingeing seeing loathsome duty
toeing freeing agreeable awful wisdom
dyeing fleeing mileage duly wholly
Five other exceptions, to be remembered together: argument, judgment,
lodgment, abridgment, acknowledgment.
The exceptions here given, which are practically all of the exceptions
to this rule, should be reviewed until they cannot be forgotten. The
value of the rule depends much on a thorough committal of the
exceptions.
#[Third Month.]#
Rule II: "When a suffix is added to a word ending in y, preceded by
a consonant, the y is changed to i, unless the suffix begins with
i."
Model for drill on this rule (supply + ed, display + ed are written on
the board):
"The y in supply is preceded by a consonant, therefore, when the
suffix ed is added the y is changed to i and the word is
spelled, supplied." Or,
"The y in display is preceded by a vowel, therefore when the suffix
ed is added the y is not changed, and the word is spelled,
displayed."
carry + ed study + es espy + ed juicy + est
hurry + es destroy + ed deny + ing homely + est
marry + ing pity + ing survey + ed pity + ful
decay + ed pity + less employ + ing rally + es
annoy + s joy + less noisy + est pretty + est
copy + ed city + es mighty + er pity + able
EXCEPTIONS.
y does not change before 's; as in
la'dy's en'e my's ba'by's coun'try's
Other exceptions to the rule, or to what is inferred from it:
staid (or stayed) slain dry'ly la'dy like
paid dai'ly dry ness la dy bug
laid sly ly (but, dri'er, la dy ship
said sly ness dri'est) ba by hood
saith shy ly shy ness ba by house
#[Fourth and Fifth Months.]#
Rule III: "Monosyllables or words accented on the last syllable,
ending in a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, double the
final consonant on receiving a suffix beginning with a vowel." This
rule carries with it the inference that the final consonant is not
doubled unless these conditions are all complied with.
Model for drill on this rule:
"Refer is not a monosyllable, but it is accented on the last
syllable; it ends in a single consonant r, preceded by a single
vowel e; therefore, on adding the suffix ed, beginning with the
vowel e, the final consonant r is doubled, and the word is
spelled, referred."
refer + ed gallop + ed suspend + ed suffer + ing
omit + ed abhor + ence kidnap + ed travel + ed
cheat + ed join + ing admit + ing rebel + ious
flatter + ed benefit + ed differ + ence fertil + izer
prefer + ing permit + ed enamel + ed quarrel + ing
remit + ance map + ing drug + ist brag + art
heap + ing connect + ing emit + ed unfit + ed
confer + ing offer + ed conceal + ed parallel + ed
acquit + ed* commit + ee shelter + ed stir + ing
root + ed squeal + ing intermit + ent equal + ed
depend + ent begin + er cheer + ed vigor + ous
occur + ed shovel + ed forgot + en regret + ed
submit + ed transmit + ed drum + er spin + ing
* After q, u is a consonant.
EXCEPTIONS.
The final consonant is not doubled when, in the derivative, the accent
is thrown from the last syllable of the primitive; as, re fer',
ref'er ence.
ref'er ence def'er ence ref er ee'
pref er ence in fer ence ref'er a ble or
con fer ence pref er a ble re fer'ri ble
OTHER EXCEPTIONS.
gas es (but gassy) tranquillity
gas eous humbug ging trans fer able
crystallize humbug ged ex cellence
chagrined
NOTE.--There is a large class of words ending in l, and accented on
some other syllable than the last, in whose derivatives the l is
doubled by many writers; but it accords more with the analogy of the
language not to double the l. Such words are the following: apparel,
cancel, channel, cudgel, dishevel, drivel, duel, enamel, equal,
gambol, grovel, jewel, libel, marshal, marvel, metal, model, panel,
peril, quarrel.
REFERENCE TABLE OF SUFFIXES.
able, see ble
age, that which, having
ain, see ian
al, pertaining to
an, pertaining to, one who
ant, one who, that which, quality of, condition of
ary, one who, that which, place where, condition of, quality of,
pertaining to
ate, act of, state of, shaped like
ble, capable of, fit to be
cle, little, that which
ed, condition of
ee, one who
ence, see ant
ent, see ant
er, one who, that which
es, see er
et, little
ful, full of, having
fy, to make
ial, see al
ian, one who
ible, see ble
ic, pertaining to
il, see ile
ile, capable of, quality of
ion, act of, state of, that which
ious, see ous
ish, act of
is, that which
ise, see ize
ism, state of, doctrine of
ist, one who
ity, that which, state of being, quality of
ive, that which, quality of
ize, act of
lent, full of
less, without
ly, state of being
ment, that which
oid, form
or, one who
ory, see ary
ous, full of, quality of, having
tic, see ic
tude, quality of
ty, see ity
ure, that which, act of
y, that which
INDEX TO ROOTS.
This index is to be used as a cross-reference by means of which, words
in different parts of the book having a common root may be associated.
Page.
act 11, 61
ambl 15, 18, 82
anim 25, 35
*ann 11
aqua 74, 80
arch 28, 45, 82
*art 12
*aster 12
*aud 13
bi, be 9, 64, 65, 74
brev 9, 39
burse 13, 20
*capt, caput 53
*ced, cess 53
*cent 54
cept 14, 55
*chron 46
cep, cip 18, 50
*civ 55
clam, claim 20, 74
clud, clus 16
cogn 20, 56, 81
*cord, card 17
*corpus, corpor 17
*cura, curo 18
*curr 58
cuspid 21, 35, 50
cycl 21, 50, 64
*dent 58
*dict 58
*doc, doct 59
dors 26, 56
dote 25, 63
*duc 22
dur 32, 33
*fac, fec, fic 23
femin 35, 71
*fer, lat 24
*fest 24
fid 39, 51, 56, 67
*fin 62
*firm 62
fix 19, 49, 60
*flex, flect 62
flor 39, 66, 82
*flu 63
*foli 26
form 15, 25, 61, 73
*fort 26
*fract, frang 27
*frater 27
fresh 20, 40
fuse 13, 59, 61
fy 70
gam 21, 28, 45
*ge 47
gnost 59, 63
gon 26, 83
grad, gress 52, 54, 59, 60, 61
*graph 47
*grat, grac 65
*greg 65
hale 55, 56
hypnot 45, 82
itio, it 9, 55, 61
*ject 66
journ 49, 82
junct 71, 75
juven 20, 70
laps 20, 51
lect 51, 60, 71
*leg 66
*liber 30
*liter 31
loc 13, 40
*log, logy 48
loqu 51, 57, 59, 76
luc 39, 61
luna 60, 80
lut, luv 9, 50
*manu 31
mar 61, 71
*mater 32
matur 19, 56
*ment 68
meridi 50, 57
*meter 83
mingle 14, 51
*mit 69
moni 19, 49
mort 39, 56, 57
mot 40, 51, 59, 71
mut 32, 51, 56, 61
nat 40, 56, 66
nomi 21, 28, 50, 66
*norm 69
nov 20, 56
numer 38, 74
opo, opt 29, 44, 64, 76, 80
*pater 69
path 25, 29, 30, 45, 63, 76, 81
*ped, pod 36
*pel, puls 35
*pend, pens 35
*phon 83
ple, plen 20, 40
*polis 84
*pon, pos 37
*port 72
preci 52, 74
roy 63, 66, 82
*rupt 72
sal 34, 71
scend 52, 61
*scop 84
*scrib, scrip 72
secu 15, 40
sect 13, 14, 21, 50, 56, 71
soci 25, 32
solv 9, 68
son 25, 68
*spec 73
sta, sist 11, 15, 57, 60, 71
struct 20, 57
surrect 20, 71
*tang, tact 41
*tempor 41
*ten, tain 42
*terr 43
thesis 25, 29, 64
*tors, tort 76
*tract 77
trude 56, 57, 59
une 21, 39
use, uti 9, 32, 39
vade 15, 56
*ven 78
*vers, vert 79
via, vi 15, 21, 56, 74
vir 21, 70
viv 39, 70, 74, 82
vol 10, 67
zoo 48, 64
* Given in the Illinois State Course of Study.
INDEX TO PREFIXES.
Page.
a (an) 63
a, ab, abs 9
ad (ac, etc.) 49
ambi, amphi 9
ante 50
anti 25
auto 64
bene 10
bi 50
circum 10
con (col, etc.) 51
contra 11
de 52
dia 26
dis 13
en (on) 26
epi 64
ex (e, ec) 55
extra 14
in (im) 56
inter 14
micro 65
non 15
mono 28
ob (op) 57
para 29
per 15
peri 29
post 57
pre 18
pro 59
re 20
retro 60
se 60
semi 20
sub (suc, etc.) 60
super 20
syn (sym) 29
tele 30
trans 61
tri 21
uni 25
vice 63
INDEX TO SUFFIXES.
Page
able 32
ac 44
aceous 66
acy 33
al 66
an 33
ance 68
ary 34
ate 35
ence 67
ent 68
fy 70
ic 38, 80
ics 44
id 39
ile 70
ine 71
ion 71
ise 81
ist 82
ism 45
ite 71
ity 39
ive 40
ment 40
oid 82
ory 73
ous 74
ulent 75
ure 75
y 45, 75
CONTENTS.
Seventh Year.
First Month. Page.
Word Analysis 9-13
Elementary Sounds 85
Rule of Spelling 100
Second Month.
Word Analysis 13-18
Letters, Alphabet, etc. 87
Rule of Spelling 100
Third Month.
Word Analysis 18-24
Vowels 88
Rule of Spelling 101
Fourth Month.
Word Analysis 25-28
Consonants 89
Rule of Spelling 102
Fifth Month.
Word Analysis 28-32
Silent Letters--Principle 93
Rule of Spelling 102
Sixth Month.
Word Analysis 32-38
Silent Letters--Principle 94
Principle of Pronunciation 96
Seventh Month.
Word Analysis 38-43
Silent Letters--Principle 94
Principle of Pronunciation 97
Eighth Month.
Word Analysis 44-48
Silent Letters--Principle 95
Principle of Pronunciation 97
Eighth Year.
First Month.
Word Analysis 49-55
Syllables 90
Silent Letters--Principle 95
Second Month.
Word Analysis 55-59
Accent 91
Silent Letters--Principle 95
Third Month.
Word Analysis 59-63
Words 92
Silent Letters--Principle 95
Fourth Month.
Word Analysis 63-66
Silent Letters--Principle 95
Principle of Pronunciation 97
Fifth Month.
Word Analysis 66-70
Silent Letters--Principle 96
Principle of Pronunciation 98
Sixth Month.
Word Analysis 70-73
Silent Letters--Principle 96
Principle of Pronunciation 98
Seventh Month.
Word Analysis 73-80
Silent Letters--Principle 96
Principle of Pronunciation 99
Eighth Month.
Word Analysis 80-84
Silent Letters--Principle 96
Principle of Pronunciation 99
Reference Table of Suffixes 105
Index to Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes 106-107
Transcriber's notes:
The legend for reading accented characters:
[=x] macron (straight line) above the letter
[x_] macron (straight line) below the letter
[:x] diaeresis (umlaut) above the letter
[x:] diaeresis (umlaut) below the letter
[)x] breve above the letter
[x)] breve below the letter
[~x] tilde above the letter
[x~] tilde below the letter
[-x] overlay hyphen through the letter