Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis 2014

18 How to check your standing as an amateur etymologist
Part three Finishing with a feeling of complete success

(Answers to Teaser Questions in Chapters 3-7, 9-12, and 14-16)

Chapter 3:

1. Anthropocentric an adjective built on anthropos, mankind; Greek kentron, center, and the adjective suffix -ic, describes thinking, assumptions, reasoning, etc. that see mankind as the central fact, or ultimate aim, of the universe. The noun forms are either anthropocentrism am) or anthropocentricity

2. Andromania a combination of andros, man (male), plus mania, madness, signifies an obsession with males. Person: andromaniac, one who is mad about men; adjective: andromaniacal

3. Gynandrous combining gyne, woman, with andros, man (male), describes:

a. plants in which the male and female organs are united in the same column; or.

b. people who physically have both male and female sexual organs, often one or both in rudimentary form; or

c. (a more recent meaning) people who exhibit, or are willing to own up to, the male and female emotional characteristics that everyone possesses.

The word may have the roots in reverse, becoming androgynous with all three meanings identical to those of gynandrous.

Hermaphroditic a combination of Hermes, the Greek god who served as messenger or herald (in Roman mythology, this god was known as Mercury, and is conventionally pictured with wings on his heels), and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty (in Roman mythology, Venus), has either of the first two meanings of gynandrous.

The noun form of gynandrous is gynandry of and rogynous, androgyny of hermaphroditic, hermaphroditism

The individual plant is an androgyne plant or person, a hermaphrodite

4. Monomania combining monos, one, and mania, madness, is an obsession with one thing, or obsessiveness in one area. Person: monomaniac; adjective: monomaniacal

5. A misandrisl (mis-AN'-drist), combining misein', to hate, with andros, man (male), hates men. Noun: misandry

Adjective: misandrous

Key: 1—mankind, 2-center, 3-man (male), 4-madness, 5-woman, 6-Hermes, the messenger of the gods, 7-Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, 8-one, 9-to hate

Chapter 4:

1. Pedodontia is the specialty of child dentistry—paidos, child, plus odontos, tooth. Specialist: pedo- dontist. Adjective: pedodontic.

2. Cardialgia heart pain—kardia, heart, plus algos, pain.

3. Odontalgia toothache.

4. Nostalgia Adjective: nostalgic.

Key: 1-child, 2-heart, 3-pain, 4-tooth, 5-a return

Chapter 5:

1. Eighty to eighty-nine years old. From Latin octoginta, eighty. People of other ages are as follows:

(a) 50-59: quinquagenarian

(b) 60-69: sexagenarian

(d) 90-99: nonagenarian

(e) 100 and over: centenarian

2. Cacophony Adjective: cacophonous

3. Cacopygian

4. Telescope (tele- plus skopein, to view) or telebinoculars; telephone; television.

Check your learning

Key: 1-eighty, 2-fifty, 3-sixty, 4-seventy, 5-ninety, 6-one hundred, 7-ugly, harsh, bad, 8-sound, 9-buttock, 10-distance, from afar, 11-to view

Chapter 6:

1. Sophomore; from sophos plus moros, foolish, the word etymologically designates one who is half wise and half foolish. The adjective sophomoric describes people, attitudes, statements, writings, etc. that are highly opinionated, selfassured, and coming off as if wise, but which in reality are immature, inexperienced, foolish, etc.

2. Sophisticated The verb is sophisticate, the noun sophistication. One who is worldly-wise is a sophisticate

Sophisticated has in recent years taken on the added meaning of highly developed, mature, or complicated; appealing to a mature intellect; or aware and knowledgeable. Examples: sophisticated machinery, electronic equipment; a sophisticated approach; a sophisticated audience, group, staff, faculty, etc.

3. One who is obsessed with books, especially with collecting books.

4. (a) speaking one language, (b) speaking two languages, (c) speaking three languages.

Multilingual (multus, many, plus lingua)—speaking many languages.

A linguist is one who is fluent in many languages, or else an expert in linguistics (or both).

Multus, as indicated, means many, as in multitude, multiply, multiple, multicolored, multifarious, multilateral, etc., etc.

5. (a) France, (b) Russia, (c) Spain, (d) Germany, (e) Japan, (f) China.

6. (a) androphile, (b) gynephile (or philogynist), (c) pedophile, (d) zoophile, (e) botanophile.

But pedophilia is another story. A pedophiliac sexually molests young children—such love little kids can do without!

Check your learning

Key: 1-wise, 2-foolish, 3-book, 4-madness, 5-tongue, 6-one, 7-two, 8-three, 9-many, 10-France, Il-Russia, 12-Spain, 13-Germany, 14-Japan, 15-China, 16-man (male), 17-woman, 18-to love, 19-child, 20-animal, 21-plant

Chapter 7

1. A notable is someone well-known.

2. To notify is, etymologically, to make known—notus + -fy, a derivation of facio, to make.

Notice, as a noun, is what makes something known;. to notice, as a verb, is to observe (something or someone) so that it, he, or she becomes known to the observer.

-Fy, as a verb suffix, means to make. So simplify is to make simple, clarify, to make clear; liquefy, to make liquid; putrefy, to make (or become) rotten or putrid; stupefy, to make stupid, or dumb, with astonishment (note the -e preceding the suffix in liquefy, putrefy, stupefy); fortify, to make strong; rectify, to make right or correct; etc., etc.

3. Chronograph is an instrument that measures and records short intervals of time.

4. To generate is to give birth to, figuratively, or to create or produce, as a turbine generates power, a person’s presence generates fear, etc. The noun is generation, which, in another context, also designates the people born and living about the same time (the older, previous, or next generation, the Depression generation, etc.), or a period, conventionally set at about thirty years, between such groups of people.

To regenerate is to give birth to again, or to be bom again. Some creatures can regenerate new limbs or parts if these are lost or cut off—or the limbs or parts regenerate.

Re- means, of course, again; or, in some words, as recede, regress, etc., back.

5. Omnipotent — all-powerful; omnis plus potens, potentis, powerful.

Omnipresent — present all over, or every where.

Nouns: omnipotence, omnipresence.

6. Anaphrodisiac — both a noun and an adjective. Saltpeter is supposedly an anaphrodisiac; so, some people say, is a cold shower, which is highly doubtful. The best temporary anaphrodisiac is probably sexual intercourse. Some women who were teen-agers when Elvis Presley was at the height of his popularity have told me that the young man’s gyrating hips were aphrodisiacal—I will take their word for it, as Elvis has never turned me on. On the other hand, if you want to talk about Diane Keaton or Raquel Welch ... or especially Marilyn Monroe. . .

Check your learning

Key: 1-known, 2-time, 3-to write, 4-birth, 5-again, 6-all, 7-powerful, 8-not (negative)

Chapter 9:

1. Magnanimity Adjective: magnanimous

2. Bilateral as in a bilateral decision, i.e., one made by the two sides or two people involved. On the other hand, a unilateral decision is made by one person, without consultation with others.

3. Transcribe. Noun: transcription. A stenographer transcribes shorthand notes into English words, or a musical transcriber arranges or adapts a musical composition for an instrument, group, etc. other than the one for which the work was originally written.

4. Malaria was once thought to have been caused by the “bad air” of swamps; actually, it was (and is) transmitted to humans by infected anopheles mosquitoes breeding and living in swamps and other places where there is stagnant water.

5. Confection. The word is hardly used much today with this meaning, except perhaps by members of an older generation who remember confectioner's shops and confectionery stores. Now such places are called ice cream stores (or ice cream parlors) and are run, at least on the west coast, by Baskin-Robbins or Farrell’s; or they are called candy shops; or, when I was growing up, candy stores, where the kids all hung out, and candies could be bought for a penny apiece, with Hershey bars selling for a nickel (that’s why they are called “the good old days”).

Check your learning

Key: 1-big, large, great, 2-mind, 3-two, 4-one, 5-side, 6-across, 7-to write, 8-bad, evil, 9-together, 10-to make

Chapter 10:

1. Modus operandi. Method (or mode) of working (or operating). Pronounced the word is not, of course, restricted to the special methods used by a criminal, but may refer to the method or style of operating characteristic of any other professional. Modus vivendi etymologically “method of living,” is the style of life characteristic of a person or group.

2. Circumscription. To circumscribe also means, figuratively, to write (a line) around (one’s freedom of action), so that one is restricted, limited, hemmed in, as in, “a life circumscribed by poverty, by parental injunctions, or by an overactive conscience, etc.,” or “actions circumscribed by legal restraints.” The noun circumscription has the figurative meaning also.

3. Somniloquent Noun: somniloquence or somniloquy the latter noun also designating the words spoken by the sleeper. One who habitually talks while asleep is a somniloquist

4. An aurist is an ear specialist, more commonly called an otologist from Greek olos, ear. Noun: otology.

Adjective: ontological

It is difficult at this point to resist telling a well-known story about medical specialists. In fact it’s impossible to resist, so here it is:

A dentist, doing his first extraction on a patient, was under-

standably nervous. When he got the molar out, his hand shook, he lost his grip on the instrument, and the tooth dropped down into the patient’s throat.

“Sorry,” said the doctor. “You’re outside mvspecialty now. You should see a laryngologist!

By the time the unfortunate victim got to the laryngologist, the tooth had worked its way much further down. The laryngologist examined the man.

“Sorry,” said the doctor, “You’re outside my specialty now. You should see a gastrologist!

The gastrologist X-rayed the patient. “Sorry,” said the doctor, “the tooth has traveled into your lower intestines. You should see an enterologist!

The enterologist took some X rays. “Sorry, the tooth isn’t there. It must have gone down farther. You should see a proctologist!

Our patient is now on the proctologist’s examining table, in the proper elbow-knee position. The doctor has inserted a proctoscope and is looking through it.

“Good heavens, man! You’ve got a tooth up there! You should see a dentist!”

5. Aural refers to the ears or to the sense or phenomenon of hearing. Monaural reproduction, as of music over a radio or by a phonograph record, for example, has only one source of sound, and technically should be called monophonic — monos, one, plus phone, sound. Binaural may mean having two ears or involving the use of both ears, or, recently, descriptive of sound from two sources, giving a stereophonic effect—stereos, deep, solid, plus

phone.

6. A noctambulist walks at night—nox, noctis, night, plus ambulo, to walk. Noun: noctambuUsm

7. Somnific : a somnific lecture, movie, effect, etc.

8. Circumambulate To circumnavigate is to sail around—circum, around, plus navis, ship.

Check your learning

Key: 1-mode, method, 2-of working, 3-to live, 4-around, 5-to write, 6-sleep, 7-to speak, to talk, 8-ear, 9-ear, 10-anus, 11-deep, solid, 12-sound, 13-one, 14-two, 15-night, 16-to walk, 17-to make

Chapter 11

1. Matronymic Or, if you prefer to use the Greek root for mother (meter, metr-), metronymic. The Greek word metra, uterus, derives from meter, naturally enough, so metritis is inflammation of the uterus; metralgia is uterine pain; endometriosis is any abnormal condition of the uterine lining—endo, inside; metra, uterus; -osis, abnormal condition.

2. (a) An incendiary statement, remark, speech, etc. figuratively enflames an audience, sets them afire, gets them excited, galvanizes them into action, etc.

(b) Incense (IN'-sens) is a substance that sends off a pleasant odor when burned—often, but not necessarily, to mask unpleasant or telltale smells, as of marijuana smoke, etc.

(c) To incense (in-SENS') is to anger greatly, i.e., to “burn up.” “I’m all burned up” is etymologically an accurate translation of “I’m incensed.”

3. (a) Ardent — burning with zeal, ambition, love, etc., as an ardent suitor, worker, etc.

(b) Ardor — the noun form of ardent—buming passion, zeal, enthusiasm, etc. Alternate noun: ardency

4. Megaphone.

5. Megalopolis

6. Police. Politics.

7. Bibliokleptomaniac : one who has an obsession for stealing books. Not too many years ago, an author titled his book, Steal This Book!, perhaps hoping to appeal to bibliokleptomaniacs; if the appeal was successful enough, his royalty statements must have been minuscule indeed!

Gynekleptomaniac.

Pedokleptomaniac.

Androkleptomaniac.

Demokleptomaniac.

If you prefer to use shorter words, compulsive kidnapper or obsessive abductor will do as well for these words.

8. Acromaniac.

Agoramaniac.

Claustromaniac.

9. Kleptophobe; pyrophobe; gynephobe; androphobe; demophobe.

Triskaidekaphobia is the morbid dread of the number 13, from Greek triskai, three, deka, ten, and phobia.

10. Gnosiology the science or study of knowledge.

11. Amadeus is love (Latin amor) God (Latin deus). Theophilus is love (Greek philos) God (Greek theos). Gottlieb is love (German Lieb) God (German Gott).

Perhaps this explains why he started composing at the age of four and wrote forty-one symphonies.

12. Cellophane—cellulose made to be transparent, i.e., to show what’s wrapped in it.

13. Hypoglycemia — low blood sugar, a common ailment today, though I believe the AMA has called it a “non-disease” (Greek hypos, under; glykys, sweet; haima, blood).

Haima, blood, is found in many English words, the root spelled either hem- or -em. Here are a few, with their etymological interpretations:

(a) Hemorrhage—excessive blood flow.

(b) Anemia—“no blood”—actually a pathological reduction of red blood corpuscles.

(d) Hemophilia—“love of blood”—actually a hereditary condition, occurring in males, in which the blood clots too slowly.

(e) Hemoglobin—“blood gobules”—actually the red coloring matter of the red blood corpuscles.

Hyperglycemia is the opposite of hypoglycemia.

14. (a) Pantheon — a temple built in Rome

in 27 b.c. for “all the gods.”

(b) Pandemonium — a word supposedly coined by poet John Milton in Paradise Lost to signify the dwelling place of all the demons; now any wild and noisy disorder.

(c) Panorama—a view (or a picture of such a view) all around—pan, all, plus horama, view. The adjective: panoramic

15. Monarchy—rule by one person.

Key: 1-mother, 2-name, 3-mother, 4-uterus, 5-inside, 6-to set on fire, 7-to bum, 8-big, large, great, 9-city, 10-people, 11-highest, 12-market place, 13-enclosed place,

14-three, 15-ten, 16-knowledge, 17-love, 18-God, 19-God, 20-love, 21-to show, 22-under, 23-sweet, 24-blood, 25-not, negative, 26-over, 27-all, 28-view, 29-to rule, 30-one

Chapter 12

1.Survive. Noun: survival.

2. Vivarium — enclosed area in which plants and (small) animals live in conditions resembling their natural habitat. The suffix -ium usually signifies place where—solarium, a place for the sun to enter, or where one can sunbathe; aquarium, a place for water (Latin aqua, water), or fish tank; podium, a place for the feet (Greek podos, foot), or speaker’s platform; auditorium, a place for hearing (or listening to) concerts, plays, etc. (Latin audio, to hear).

3. Vita etymologically, life, is one’s professional or career resume.

4. (a) Unicom (Latin cornu, horn).

(b) Uniform.

(d) Unity.

(e) Unicycle (Greek kyklos, circle, wheel).

5. Anniversary—a year has turned.

6. (a) Universe—everything turning as one. (b) University — highest institute of education—universal subjects taught, learned, etc., i.e., the curriculum covers the universe, is in no way restricted, etc.

7. (a) Interstate.

(b) International.

(d) Interrupt (Latin rumpo, ruptus, to break).

(e) Interpersonal.

8. (a) Intrastate.

(b) Intranational.

(d) Intramuscular.

Check your learning

Key: 1-to live, 2-foot, 3-life, 4-horn, 5-circle, wheel, 6-year, 7-to turn, 8-one, 9-between, 10-within

Chapter 14:

1. “View of Death.”

2. Thanatology.

4. (a) Predict.

(b) Prediction.

5. Nostopathy — “disease” (tensions, insecurities, conflicts) on returning home after leaving the service. Some veterans could not face the freedom and responsibilities of being on their own. The Army, Navy, or Air Force had fed and clothed them and made decisions for them; now they had to readjust to civilian life.

6. (a) Vulpicide.

(b) Lupicide.

(d) Vrsicide.

Key: 1-death, 2-science, study, 3-view, 4-voice, 5-beforehand 6-before, 7-to say or tell, 8-a return, 9-disease, 10-fox, 11-wolf, 12-cat, 13-bear, 14-fish, 15-devour, 16-to kill (killing), 17-dog, 18-powerful

Chapter 15:

1. Synagogue.

2. Symbiosis Adjective: symbiotic

People (for example lovers, spouses, parent and child, etc.) also may live in a symbiotic relationship, each depending on the other for important services, emotional needs, etc.; each also providing these for the other.

3. Symphony; symphonic.

4. Symmetrysymmetrical

5. Syndrome

6. Hippodromethe word today is often used

as the name of a movie theater or other place of entertainment.

7. Hippopotamus.

Key: 1-with, together, 2-leader, leading, 3-life, 4-sound, 5-measurement, 6-a running, 7-horse, 8-river

Chapter 16:

1. Non sequitur — “it does not follow.”

2. (a) Second—following after the first.

(b) Consecutive—following in proper order

(d) Prosecute—to follow before; hence to pursue (something) diligently or vigorously in order to complete it successfully (prosecute a campaign); or to start, or engage in, legal proceedings against, especially in an official capacity.

3. (a) Superior.

(b) Superficial.

(d) Supernatural.

(e) Supervise.

4. (a) Cadence — fall and rise of the voice in speaking; hence inflection, rhythm beat, etc. of sound or music. Adjective: cadent

(b) Occidental — etymologically, falling. Hence relating to western countries, since the sun falls in the west; also, a native of such a country. Noun: OccidentThe sun rises in the east, so Latin orior, to rise, is the origin of the Orient, oriental, etc., and also of the verb orient To orient is to adjust to a place or situation; etymologically, to turn, or face, east. Noun: orientation. " I’m finally oriented" does not mean that I’m easternized or facing east, but that I have become familiar with, and comfortable in, a place, job, situation, etc. So to disorient . is to remove (someone’s) orientation, or to confuse or bewilder, especially in reference to locality, direction, etc. Noun: disorientation.

(c) Deciduous — falling down (Latin prefix de-). This adjective refers to trees whose leaves fall (down) every autumn.

(d) Incident—that which falls upon, befalls, or happens.

(e) Accident—that which falls to (ac- is a respelling of ad-, to, toward) someone or something (by chance).

(f) Coincidence—co- is a respelling of con-, together. A coincidence occurs when two things befall, or happen, together, or at the same time, and by chance.

5. Indolent Noun: indolence

6. Dolores—from Spanish Maria de los Dolores, Mary of the Sorrows; hence, I guess, someone who is generally sorrowful, though the few Doloreses I have known do not live up to their etymology.

Key: 1-to follow, 2-through, 3-beforehand, 4-above, 5-to flow, 6-to fall, 7-to rise, 8-negative prefix, 9-to, toward, 10-to suffer, to grieve, 11-negative prefix

Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis 2014

18 How to check your standing as an amateur etymologistPart three Finishing with a feeling of complete success

18 How to check your standing as an amateur etymologist
Part three Finishing with a feeling of complete success