Read The Greek & Latin Roots of English Online

Authors: Tamara M. Green

Tags: #Language Arts & Disciplines, #Linguistics, #General, #Vocabulary, #Etymology

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Greek magical papyrus. The snake swallowing its tail is a symbol of eternity. (Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris)

Graecum est. Non potest legi
. (It's Greek to me; it cannot be read.)
Comment of a medieval scribe who could not decipher the Greek words found in his Latin manuscript

Like Latin, Greek Is an Inflected language with declensions and conjugations. Because most English words derived from Greek roots are learned borrowings, or because the Greek word had passed into Latin before coming into English at a later time, there are not the same strict rules, as there are for Latin-based words, for the formation of Greek-based English vocabulary.
1

THE GREEK ALPHABET

 

Greek Letter
Greek Name
Pronunciation
Transliteration
α,
A
άλφα (alpha)
ă (short)
a
β, B
βη̑τα (beta)
b
b
γ, Γ
γάμμα (gamma)
g (hard)
g
δ, Δ
δέλτα (delta)
d
d
ε, E
ἔ ψιλον (epsilon)
ě (short)
e
ζ, Z
ζη̑τα (zēta)
dz
z
η, H
ή̑τα (ēta)
ā (long)
e
θ, Θ
θη̑τα (thēta)
th
th
ι, I
ίω̑τα (iota)
ĭ (short)
i
κ, K
κάππα (kappa)
k
c or k
λ, L
λάμβδα (lambda)
l
l
μ, M
μυ̑ (mu)
m
m
ν, N
υυ̑ (nu)
n
n
ξ, Ξ
ξι̑ (xi)
x
x
o, O
ὄ μικρόν (omicron)
ŏ (short)
o
π, Π
ρι̑ (pi)
p
p
ρ, P
ῥω̑ (rho)
r
r or rh
σ, ς, Σ
σι̑γμα (sigma)
s
s
τ, T
ταυ̑ (tau)
t
t
υ, Y
ύ̑ ψιλόν (upsilon)
u
y or u
φ, Φ
Φι̑ (phi)
f
ph
χ, X
χι̑ (chi)
ch
ch
ψ, Ψ
ψι̑ (psi)
ps
ps
ω, Ω
ώ μέγα (omega)
ō (long)
o

RULES FOR TRANSLITERATING GREEK WORDS INTO ENGLISH

1. Diphthongs (two vowels that blend into a single sound):

 

Diphthong
Transliteration
Greek Example
English Transliteration
αι
ae, e
φαινόμενον
2
phenomenon
 
 
Α’ιθιοπία
Ethiopia
αυ
au
αύτό
auto (self, same)
ει
ei, i, e
χει̑ρ
chir (hand)
ευ
eu
εύλογία
eulogia (praise)
 
 
ψευ̑δον
pseudon (false)

oe, i, e
ἀμοιβή
ameba
or
amoeba (change)

ou, u
Moυ̑σα
Muse
2. upsilon (υ) is usually transliterated as
y
:
κύκλος = cyclos (circle)
Aἴσχυλος = Aeschylus
3
τύπος = typos (figure, form)
 
When it is part of a diphthong, however, it is transliterated as a
u
.
τραυ̑μα = trauma (wound)
ψευ̑δον = pseudon (false)
3. If a gamma (γ) appears before another gamma, kappa (κ), chi (χ), or xi (ξ), the gamma is pronounced in Greek, and transliterated in English, as an
n
.
ἄγγελος = angelos (messenger)
φάλαγξ = phalanx (phalanx, body of troops)
άγκύρα = ankyra (anchor)
βρόγχος = bronchos (windpipe)
4. If a word begins with a vowel, that vowel is marked with what is called a
breathing sign
. There are two breathing signs: smooth and rough. If a word has a smooth breathing sign, the vowel is given its original value; if it has a rough breathing mark, it is pronounced and transliterated with an initial
h
before the vowel.

 

smooth breathing sign
= ’
rough breathing sign
= ‘
     ἀντί = anti (against)
     ἁρμονία = harmonia (harmony)
     ἰω̑τα = iota
     ὤρα = hora (time)
5. If a word begins with a rho (ρ), the rho always receives a rough breathing sign, and is transliterated as
rh
. If it appears elsewhere in the word, it is transliterated as an
r
.
ῥήτωρ = rhetor (speaker)
ῥόμβος = rhombos (rhombus)
δέρμα = derma (skin)
περί = peri (around)
6. If a word begins with a kappa (κ), it is transliterated either as a
c
or a
k
.

This death mask, made of gold and dating to the sixteenth century BCE, was labeled by the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann as the “mask of Agamemnon.” (National Museum, Athens)

COGNATES

Because both Latin and Greek are members of the Indo-European family and therefore have a common ancestry, many Latin words have Greek cognates (words that are derived from the same earlier forms). Thus we find the following verbs in Greek that are related to Latin verbs we have already seen on the list of “Very Useful Latin Verbs.” These verbs have the same meaning.

 

Latin Verb
Greek Verb
English Meaning
ago
ago (ἄγω)
do, drive
fero
phero (φέρω)
bear, carry
sto
histemi (ἴστημι)
stand, cause to stand
do
didomi (δίδωμι)
give
It's Greek to Me
It's fairly obvious why we call the series of letters with which we construct English written words the
alphabet
, but Greek letters have made their way into our language in other ways:
 
  • Among social animals, such as wolves or chimpanzees, an
    alpha male
    describes the “leader of the pack” who asserts his authority through intimidation and physical force. It is also used unflatteringly to describe a human male with the same qualities.
  • The triangular shape of the capital form of the letter
    delta
    (Δ) gave its name to the geographical feature caused by the divergence of a river into two branches at its mouth.
  • The letter ἰω̑τα is so small and sometimes indistinct that it may be overlooked. Thus, it has come to mean a very tiny measure. “I don't care one iota if I ever learn the Greek and Latin roots of English.”
And then, of course, there are all those scientific terms such as gamma rays, muons, and taus that physicists like to toss around in casual conversation.
What Did You Say?
The ancient Greeks. who were resolutely monolingual and not at all interested in the systematic study of other languages, dismissively defined anyone who did not speak Greek as one who spoke a
glossa barbaros
(γλω̑σσα βάρβαρος), a “foreign language.”

NAME _____________________________________________________________________
A. Transliterate the following Greek words according to the rules given in this chapter. Which of these words came into English unchanged? If the word is unchanged, what is its current meaning? Even if the word does not exist in the transliterated form in English, can you figure out what it might mean in Greek? Use your dictionary as a research tool.

Example

 

Greek Word
Transliteration
Unchanged?
Current or Possible Meaning
θέος
theos
no
god (cf. theology)
γένεσις
genesis
yes
beginning, birth

 

Greek Word
Transliteration
Unchanged?
Current or Possible Meaning
  1. δρα̑μα
____________
______
_______________________
  2. ἴππος
____________
______
_______________________
  3. ξένος
____________
______
_______________________
  4. ἀμφί
____________
______
_______________________
  5. τρόπος
____________
______
_______________________
  6. στρατηγός
____________
______
_______________________
  7. πρέσβυς
____________
______
_______________________
  8. μηχανή
____________
______
_______________________
  9. παραβολή
____________
______
_______________________
10. ὑπό
____________
______
_______________________
11. φύσις
____________
______
_______________________
12. λόγος
____________
______
_______________________
13. μέθοδος
____________
______
_______________________
14. παραγραφή
____________
______
_______________________
15. σύνθεσις
____________
______
_______________________
16. σπέρμα
____________
______
_______________________
17. τράπεζα
____________
______
_______________________
18. φάρμακον
____________
______
_______________________
19. χάρισμα
____________
______
_______________________
20. αἴσθήσις
____________
______
_______________________
21. λέων
____________
______
_______________________
22. χαρακτήρ
____________
______
_______________________
23. ἀξίωμα
____________
______
_______________________
24. βιβλίον
____________
______
_______________________
25. πολυγαμία
____________
______
_______________________
26. ἔμφασις
____________
______
_______________________
27. ὁμογενής
____________
______
_______________________
28. καρδία
____________
______
_______________________
29. ώκεανός
____________
______
_______________________
30. βάρβαρος
____________
______
_______________________
31. κωμῳδία
____________
______
_______________________
32. λευκός
____________
______
_______________________
33. λήθαργος
____________
______
_______________________
34. μυθολογία
____________
______
_______________________
35. διάλυσις
____________
______
_______________________
36. νύμφη
____________
______
_______________________
37. λύρα
____________
______
_______________________
38. θρόνος
____________
______
_______________________
39. γάγγλιον
____________
______
_______________________
40. μανία
____________
______
_______________________
41. νεκρός
____________
______
_______________________
42. μίασμα
____________
______
_______________________
43. ἐικών
____________
______
_______________________
44. σχη̑μα
____________
______
_______________________
45. μνημονικός
____________
______
_______________________
BOOK: The Greek & Latin Roots of English
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