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 (8 page)

As we shall see, there are many English words that are derived from these verbs.

SOME VERY USEFUL LATIN VERBS

 

Principal Parts
English Meaning
Present Stem
Perfect Stem
ago-agere-actum
do, drive
age-
act-
audio-audire-auditum
hear
audi-
audit
capio-capere-captum
7
take
cape- (-cipe-)-
capt- (cept-)
cedo-cedere-cessum
go, yield
cede-
cess-
dico-dicere-dictum
say, speak
dice-
dict-
do-dare-datum
give
da-
dat-
duco-ducere-ductum
lead
duce-
duct-
facio-facere-factum
make
face-(-fice-)
fact- (-fect-)
fero-ferre-latum
bear, carry
fer-
lat-
loquor-loqui-locutum
speak
loque-
locut-
mitto-mittere-missum
send
mitte-
miss-
moveo-movēre-motum
move
movē-
mot-
pono-ponere-positum
put, place
pone-
posit-
scribo-scribere-scriptum
write
scribe-
script-
sto-stare-statum
stand
sta-
stat-
teneo-tenēre-tentum
hold
tenē- (-tinē-)
tent-
venio-venire-ventum
come
veni-
vent-
verto-vertere-versum
turn
verte-
vers
video-vidēre-visum
see
vidē-
vis
voco-vocare-vocatum
call
voca-
vocat-
Be Grateful for Small Things
To the great relief of Latin students everywhere, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions are not declined.
Double Meanings
Sometimes, two words will have the same Latin root, but end up appearing in words that have totally different meanings. For example,
egregious
and
gregarious
both derive from
grex, gregis
= flock
salary
and
saline
both derive from
sal, salis
= salt
money
and
admonish
both derive from
moneo-monēre-monitum
= warn.
Check your unabridged English dictionary for current meanings of these words and how these meanings developed.
 
Doublets
When two different English words derive from the same root and have related meanings but different English spellings, they are called
doublets
. Doublets most often occur when a Latin root comes into English in two different ways: directly from Latin and through an intermediary language, such as French, as well. For example,
amiable
and
amicable
both derive from
amicus, amici
= friend
card
and
chart
both derive from
charta, chartae
= paper
poison
and
potion
both derive from
potio, potionis
= drink
royal
and
regal
both derive from
rex, regis
= king
traitor
and
tradition
both derive from
trado-tradere-traditum
= hand over
Check your dictionary to see if you can find a word that is a doublet of
fragile
.
Un Faux Ami, or What Did I Say?
A word can be spelled the same in two different languages but have no etymological connection. For example, the French word
coin
means corner, while the German word
kind
means child. The French call these seemingly related words
faux amis
, or false friends.?

NAME _______________________________________________________________________
A. Find the stem of each of the following Latin nouns or adjectives and list an English derivative and its current usage. Use your unabridged English dictionary to find the derivative and its definition. Remember: the genitive case (minus the ending) gives each noun or adjective its stem.
Examples

 

Latin Word
Meaning
Stem
English Derivative
Current Usage
liber, liberi
free
liber-
liberal
favorable to progress
audax, audacis
bold
audac-
audacity
boldness, daring
 
 
 
 
 
Latin Word
Meaning
Stem
English Derivative
Current Usage
      1. aqua, aquae
     water
     __________
     __________
     __________
      2. liber, libri
     book
     __________
     __________
     __________
      3. corpus, corporis
     body
     __________
     __________
     __________
      4. nox, noctis
     night
     __________
     __________
     __________
      5. mors, mortis
     death
     __________
     __________
     __________
      6. bellum, belli
     war
     __________
     __________
     __________
      7. canis, canis
     dog
     __________
     __________
     __________
      8. lex, legis
     law
     __________
     __________
     __________
      9. pes, pedis
     foot
     __________
     __________
     __________
     10. vulnus, vulneris
     wound
     __________
     __________
     __________
     11. fama, famae
     rumor, report
     __________
     __________
     __________
     12. lux, lucis
     light
     __________
     __________
     __________
     13. os, oris
     mouth
     __________
     __________
     __________
     14. os, ossis
     bone
     __________
     __________
     __________
     15. gravis, gravis
     heavy
     __________
     __________
     __________
     16. vita, vitae
     life
     __________
     __________
     __________
     17. tempus, temporis
     time
     __________
     __________
     __________
     18. rus, ruris
     countryside
     __________
     __________
     __________
B. In exercises 19–31, find the present or perfect stem, and an English derivative and its current usage for each of the following Latin verbs:

 

rego-regere-rectum = rule
dormio-dormire-dormitum = sleep
rapio-rapere-raptum = seize
relinquo-relinquere-relictum = leave
fallo-fallere-falsum = deceive
miror-mirari-miratum = wonder at
sentio-sentire-sensum = feel
nascor-nasci-natum = be born
mando-mandare-mandatum = order
pendo-pendere-pensum = hang
voco-vocare-vocatum = call
plaudo-plaudere-plausum = clap
Examples

 

Latin Verb
Present Stem
Eng. Derivative
Current Usage
doceo-docēre-doctum (teach)
docē-
docile
easily trained or managed
tango-tangere-tactum (touch)
tange-
tangible
able to be touched; real

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