Read The Greek & Latin Roots of English Online

Authors: Tamara M. Green

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

The Greek & Latin Roots of English (29 page)

What are the literal meanings and current usages of the following words?

 

English Word
Literal Meaning
Current English Usage
34. replication
____________________
____________________
35. supplication
____________________
____________________
36. implication
____________________
____________________
37. complicated
____________________
____________________
38. duplicitous
____________________
____________________
39. compliant
____________________
____________________
40. explicate
____________________
____________________
D. It All Depends …
What are the literal meanings and current usages of the following words?

 

English Word
Literal Meaning
Current English Usage
41. impend
____________________
____________________
42. depend
____________________
____________________
43. expense
____________________
____________________
44. pensive
____________________
____________________
45. suspense
____________________
____________________
46. compendium
____________________
____________________
47. pendulous
____________________
____________________
E. It All Depends on How You Look at It …
What are the literal meanings and current usages of the following words?

 

English Word
Literal Meaning
Current English Usage
48. introspective
____________________
____________________
49. prospective
____________________
____________________
50. retrospective
____________________
____________________
51. spectacular
____________________
____________________
52. perspective
____________________
____________________
53. circumspect
____________________
____________________
54. perspicacious
____________________
____________________
F.
Let Me Count the Change
What are the Latin roots of the following currencies?

 

55. the English pound
____________________
56. the Italian lira
____________________
57. the Spanish peseta
____________________

HUMAN BIOLOGY
and
MEDICINE I

Asclepius, the Greek god of healing and patron deity of physicians (National Museum, Athens)

Life is short, science is long; opportunity is elusive, experiment is dangerous, judgment is difficult. It is not enough for the physician to do what is necessary, but the patient and the attendants must do their part as well, and circumstances must be favorable
.

APHORISMS I.1 (Hippocratic Corpus)

MODERN MEDICINE AND ANCIENT TERMINOLOGY

Perhaps no other area that affects our lives demonstrates so clearly the influence of Greek and Latin on English vocabulary as does the field of medicine. Although new diseases are defined and new technologies devised every day, medicine has created for itself an inexhaustible source for an expanding terminology by continually drawing upon Greek and Latin roots.
1

THE HUMAN BODY

It is not possible to look at the constituent parts of human beings, such as blood, flesh, bones, blood-vessels and the like without considerable distaste
.

ARISTOTLE,
On the Parts of Animals

The human biological and medical sciences have thoroughly investigated the functions and operations of every part of the human body. They have taught us that the body is a wonderful machine that is extraordinarily efficient (most of the time). It is composed of over 200 bones, 700 muscles, and approximately five quarts of blood, and it is covered by about twenty-five square feet of skin. In addition, it possesses a remarkably intricate nervous system, as well as a multitude of organs that carry on vital functions within the machine.

 

English Word
Latin Word
Greek Word
Combining Form
life
vita, vitae
bios (βίος)
bio-
blood
sanguis, sanguinis
hema, hematos (αἱ̑μα)
hema-
or
hemato-; -emia
body
corpus, corporis
soma, somatos (σω̑μα)
somato-
bone
os, ossis
osteon (ὀστέον)
osteo-
muscle
musculus, musculi
mys, myos (μυ̑ς)
myo-
nerve
nervus, nervi
neuron (νευ̑ρον)
neuro-
skin
cutis, cutis
derma, dermatos (δέρμα)
dermato-
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Many bones of the human body derive their names from their seeming resemblance to other objects. For example, the collar bone, or
clavicle
, was thought by early anatomists to resemble the shape of a key, while the shinbone was called a
tibia
because of its similarity in form to a flute. And if you hearing ringing in your ears, that's because the auditory ossicles are called the
malleus, incus
, and
stapes
.

 

Latin Word
English Meaning
clavus, clavi
key > collarbone. What does the
-cle
ending indicate?
patella, patellae
small pan > kneecap
tibia, tibiae
flute > shinbone
fibula, fibulae
buckle, clamp > leg bone that extends from knee to ankle
malleus, mallei
hammer
incus, incudis
anvil
stapes, stapis
stirrup

Like all machines, however, the human body is subject to occasional breakdowns (despite the classical ideal of
sana mens in corpore sano
). When this happens, we visit the doctor; and sometimes, we may even end up as patients in the hospital.

 

Greek or Latin Word
English Meaning
hygieia (ὑγίεια)
health
salus, salutis
health
sanum, sani
healthy
    
mens sana in corpore sano
a sound mind in a sound body
iatros (ἰατρός)
doctor, physician
medicus, medici
healer
doceo-docēre-doctum
show, teach
-logist
specialist (learned borrowing), cf.
-logy
hospes, hospitis
host; guest, stranger
morbus, morbi
illness
patior-pati-passum
suffer, endure
    cf.pascho (πάσχω)
suffer, endure
    > pathos (πάθος)
suffering, misfortune
Is That English?
The French word
jargon
originally meant the chattering of birds, but now means a specialized vocabulary used by a particular group or profession that is difficult for others to understand. For example, when the doctor explains, “I'm afraid you have a rather severe bilateral probital hematoma,” what he really is saying is “Wow! What a horrific-looking black eye.”

MEDICAL SPECIALTIES

Today, of course, most doctors are specialists. There are seemingly as many specialties in medicine as there are parts of the human body, but we can get to the heart of the matter if we are willing to be patient. Let's start at the top and come face to face with what may be bothering us.

 

English Word
Latin Word
Greek Word
Combining Form
head
caput, capitis
cephale (κεφαλή)
cephalo-
brain
cerebrum, cerebri
encephalos (ἐγκέφάλος)
encephalo-
eye
oculus, oculi
ophthalmos (ὀφθαλμός)
ophthalmo-
ear
auris, auri
ous, otos (οὐ̑ς)
oto-
nose
nasus, nasi
rhis, rhinos (ῥίς)
rhino-
mouth
os, oris
stoma, stomatos (στóμα)
stomato-
tooth
dens, dentis
odous, odontos (Οδούς)
odonto-
tongue
lingua, linguae
glossa (γλω̑σσα)
glosso-
or glotta (γλω̑ττα)
glotto-

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