cupidamor
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#11
GRAV comes from the Latin word meaning "heavy, weighty, serious." Thus, a grave matter is serious and important.
gravid Pregnant or enlarged with something.
eg. The gravid sow moved heavily from through to tree, where she settled into the shaded dust and lay unmoving for the rest of the afternoon.
Gravid implies weight and bulk, but actually describes a pregnant female even at an early stage of her pregnancy. It has the related senses of inflation that results from any cause and that will lead to a change of some kind. Thus, a writer may be gravid with ideas as she sits down to write; a speaker may make a gravid pause before announcing his remarkable findings; and a cloud may be gravid with rain.
gravitas Great or very dignified seriousness.
eg. The head of the committee never failed to carry herself with the gravitas she felt was appropriate to her office.
This word comes to us straight from Latin. Among the romans, gravitas was thought to be essential to the character and functions of any adult (male) in authority. Even the head of a household or a low-level official would strive for this important quality. We use gravitas today to identify the same solemn dignity in men and women.
gravitate To move or be drawn toward something, especially by natural tendency or as if by an invisible force.
eg. During hot weather, the town's social life gravitated toward the lake.
To gravitate implies a natural, perhaps irresistible, response to a force that works like gravity, drawing things steadily to it as if by their own weight. Thus, moths gravitate to a flame, children gravitate to an ice-cream truck, gawkers gravitate to an accident, and everyone at a party gravitates to the bar.
gravity Weighty importance, seriousness, or dignity.
eg. Laughing and splashing each other, they failed to realize the gravity of their situation until the canoe was within twenty feet of the falls.
Although closely related to gravitas,gravity can apply to situations and problems as well as to people. Gravity in the physical sense is, of course, what gives us weight and holds us on the earth. But weight can also mean seriousness. Thus, gravity in the nonphysical sense can mean seriousness in a person's manner but also the seriousness or danger in a situation.
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2006-7-3 10:31 PM |
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cupidamor
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#12
LEV comes from the Latin adjective levis, meaning "light", and the verb levare, meaning "to raise or lighten." Levitation is the magician's trick in which a body seems to rise into the air by itself. And a lever is a bar used to lift something by means of leverage.
alleviate To lighten, lessen, or relieve, especially physical or mental suffering.
eg. Cold compresses alleviated the pain of the physical injury, but only time could alleviate the effect of the insult.
Physical pain or emotional anguish, or a water shortage or traffic congestion, can all be alleviated by providing the appropriate remedy. However, some pain or anguish or shortage or congestion will remain: to alleviate is not to cure.
elevate (1) To lift up or raise. (2) To raise in rank or status.
eg. Last year's juniors have been elevated to the privileged status of seniors.
An elevator lifts things up. You may elevate a sprained ankle to reduce the swelling. when a Boy Scout reaches the rank of Eagle Scout, his rank is as elevated as it can get. Elevated language is language that, as in many poems and speeches, sounds format or intellectual or in some way "higher" than common speech.
leavening Something that lightens and raises; something that modifies, eases, or animates.
eg. That speech was on a dull subject - "Microeconomic Theory in the 1970's" - but its leavening of humor made the time pass quickly.
The word leavening, when used in the kitchen, usually refers to yeast or baking powder. (Unleavened bread is often hard and dense; when it is used in religious ceremonies, it may be intended as a reminder of past hardship.) Young children may provide the leavening at a family reunion, and a cheerful receptionist may be the leavening in an otherwise dull office.
levity Frivolity, lack of appropriate seriousness.
eg. The puritan elders tried to ban levity of all sorts from the community's meetings.
Levity originally was thought to be a physical force exactly like gravity but pulling in the opposite direction. Even as late as the last century, scientists were arguing about its existence. But today levity refers to lightness in manner. This was once regarded as almost sinful, so the word has an old-fashioned ring to it and is usually used in a half-serious tone of disapproval.
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2006-7-4 09:32 PM |
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cupidamor
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#13
Words from Mythology and History
cicerone A guide, especially one who takes tourists to museums, monuments, or architectural sites and explains what is being seen.
eg. While in Paris, they placed themselves in the care of a highly recommended cicerone to ensure that they saw and learned what was most noteworthy.
Cicerones (or ciceroni) take their name from the Roman statesman and orator Cicero, who was renowned for his long-windedness as well as for his elegant style, though they rarely match his scholarship or eloquence.
hector To bully; to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure.
eg. He would swagger around the apartment entrance with his friends and hector the terrified inhabitants going in and out.
In the Iliad, Hector was the leader of the Trojan forces, and the very model of nobility and honor. In the war against the Greeks he killed several great warriors before being slain by Achilles. His name began to take on its current meaning only after it was adopted by a crowd of bullying young rowdies in late-17th-century London.
hedonism An attitude or way of life based on the idea that pleasure or happiness should be the chief goal.
eg. In her new spirit of hedonism she we went for a massage, picked up champagne and chocolate truffles, and made a date with an old boyfriend for that evening.
Derived from the Greek word for "pleasure", hedonism over the ages has provided the basis for several philosophies. The ancient Epicureans and the more modern Utilitarians both taught and pursued hedonistic principles. Hedonism is often said to be more typical of those living in southern and tropical climates than of northerners, but it varies greatly from person to person everywhere.
nestor A senior figure or leader in one's field.
eg. After dinner the guest of honor, a nestor among journalists, shared some of his wisdom with the other guests.
Nestor was another character from the Iliad, the eldest of the Greek leaders at Troy. He was noted for his wisdom and his talkativeness, both of which increased as he aged.These days a nestor need not go on at such length; he may share his knowledge or give advice with few words.
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2006-7-5 10:02 PM |
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cupidamor
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#14
Words from Mythology and History
spartan Marked by simplicity and often strict self-discipline or self-denial.
eg. His spartan life bore no relation to the lush language of his poetry.
In ancient times, the Greek city of Sparta had a reputation for enforcing a highly disciplined, severe way of life among its citizens so as to keep them ready for war at any time. The city required physical training for men and women and maintained a common dining hall and communal child care, but provided few physical comforts. The term spartan today may sometimes suggest communal life (for example, in the army) but always significant strictness and frugality.
stentorian Extremely loud, often with especially deep richness of sound.
eg. Even without a microphone, his stentorian voice broadcast the message of peace to the farthest reaches of the auditorium.
Stentor, like Hector, was a warrior in the Iliad, but on the Greek side. His unusually powerful voice made him the natural choice for delivering announcements and proclamations to the assembled Greek army. One who speaks in a stentorian voice thus can be heard clearly at a considerable distance.
stoic seemingly indifferent to pleasure or pain.
eg. She bore the pain of her broken leg with stoic patience.
The stoics were members of a philosophical movement that first appeared in ancient Greece and lasted through the Roman ear. They taught that humans should seek to free themselves from joy, grief, and passions of all kinds in order to attain wisdom. They have given their name to a personal attitude that some cultures and indifiduals still proudly cultivate.
sybaritic Marked by a luxurious or sensual way of life.
eg. Eventually their sybaritic excesses consumed all their savings and forced them to lead a more restrained life.
The ancient city of Sybaris, founded by the Greeks in Italy, was famous for the wealth and hedonistic self-indulgence of its citizens, whose love of extravagance and sensuality made sybaritic a term for such leanings in any era.
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2006-7-6 09:07 PM |
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2006-7-6 10:05 PM |
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cupidamor
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#16
So sorry for long departure. I am back now 
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2006-7-13 08:59 PM |
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cupidamor
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#17
AG comes from the Latin word for "do, go, lead, drive." An agenda is a list of things to be done. An agent is usually someone who does things on behalf of another, just as an agency is an office that does business for others.
agitate (1) To move something with an irregular, rapid, violent action. (2) To stir up or excite.
eg. Philip found Louisa highly agitated at the news of her son's disappearance.
Agitate can mean to shake or stir something physically, but more often its meaning is emotional or political. Agitation for a cause - a new union, civil rights, a change of govenment - involves talking it up, passing out information, and holding meetings, though sometimes as secretly as possible. An agitated person or animal usually feels severely anxious and upset, not pleasantly excited.
litigate To carry on a lawsuit by judicial process.
eg. If the company chooses to litigate, it may give the protesters the chance to make their points even more effectively in the courts and newspapers.
Litigation has become almost a way of life in America, where there are many more lawyers than in any other country on earth. In this increasingly litigious society, the courts have been overwhelmed with petty disputes. Television has responded to the trend by producing heroes like Judge Wapner of People's Court, a man who can show litigants the absurdity of their case while rendering a just verdict. (The Latin litigare includes the root lit, "lawsuit,")
prodigal Recklessly or wastefully extravagant; spendthrift.
eg. Rodney had been the most prodigal with his expected inheritance and had the most to gain from a redistribution of the estate.
The Latin prodigere means "to squander" - that is, to "drive away" money and goods. In the biblical story of the prodigal son, the father welcomes home the spendthrift and now-penniless young man, despite his prodigality, just as the Church stands ready to welcome back the repenting sinner. Prodigal can apply to more than money. Farmers may make prodigal use of their soil, or may give their animals prodigal amounts of antibiotics. Rich countries are almost always prodigal with their resources. In a bloody and pointless war, lives are lost on a prodigal sale.
synagogue The center of worship and communal life of a Jewish congregation; temple.
eg. Though the neighborhood was now dangerous at night, the older members refused to move and abandon the beloved synagogue they had attended since the 1940s.
Synagogue begins with the prefix syn-, "together," so the word refers basically to "coming together." Synagogues have existed for more than 2,500 years. The oldest synagogue in America, dating from 1763, was built in Rhode Island, the most religiously tolerant of the original thirteen colonies.
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2006-7-13 09:42 PM |
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cupidamor
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#18
VEN/VENT comes from venire, the Latin verb meaning "come". To intervene in a case or an argument is to "come between" the two opponents. An avenue is a street, or originally an access road by which to "come toward" something. Groups "come together" at a convention.
advent A coming or arrival; a coming into use.
eg. The advent of spring was always marked by the blue crocuses pushing up through the snow.
Advent includes the prefix ad-, "to or toward", and thus means basically a "coming toward". The Advent season in the Christian religion consists of the weeks leading up to Christmas, when the coming of Christ is anticipated. The advent of mass printing with Gutenberg's printing press in the mid-15th century had an enormous effect on European society and politics; the advent of the computer in the mid-20th century has promised to change ours even more profoundly.
provenance Origin or source.
eg. The wedding guests wondered about the provenance of this mysterious woman, about whom Seth had never breathed a word.
Provenance refers to any source or origin in general, but is used particularly to refer to the history of ownership of a piece of art, which may be necessary to prove that a work is authentic. The provenance of Rubens's paintings is varied; some have been in a single family or in a single museum for centuries, while some have been lost without a trace, leaving their provenance a mystery. Tracing the provenance of an idea or invention such as televison may be a complicated task.
venturesome Inclined to seek out risk or danger; bold, daring, adventurous.
eg. Kate, with her bungee jumping, free-falling, and rock climbing, had always been the most venturesome of the four.
America, perhpas with a touch of arrogance, likes to think of itself as a land of venturesome people who ush fearlessly forward in all ages and in all fields, and it clearly took a venturesome spirit to mount the successful flight to the moon that ended in July 1969. In past centuries, however, the most venturesome explorers were to be found in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Britain - that is, the rich countries on the sea or ocean.
venue (1) The place where a trial is held. (2) The locale of an event.
eg. To Dr. Slaughter the important thing was to get a change of venue; hoping to conceal his past, he wanted a judge who knew him neither by sight nor by reputation.
The importance of venue in jury makeup and the subsequent outcome of a trial was vividly shown in the famous Rodney King case. A surburban jury acquitted the men accused of beating King; after a change of venue, an urban jury convicted two of the men. The venues of championship boxing matches, on the other hand, are chosen with maximum profits in mind.
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2006-7-15 11:34 AM |
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cupidamor
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#19
CAP/CEP/CIP comes from capere, the Latin verb meaning "take, seize." Capture, which is what a captor does to a captive, has the same meaning. Captivate once meant literally "capture," but now means only to capture mentally through charm or appeal. In some other English words this root produces, its meaning is harder to find.
reception (1) The act of receiving. (2) A social gathering where guests are formally welcomed.
eg. Although the reception of her plan was enthusiastic, it was months before anything was done about it.
Reception is the noun form of receive. So at a formal reception guests are received or welcomed or "taken in." If your idea for a great practical joke gets a lukewarm reception, it has not been well-received or accepted. Bad TV receptoin means the signal isn't being received well. And when a new novel receives good reviews we say it has met with a good critical reception.
incipient Starting to come into being or to become evident.
eg. He felt the stirrings of incipient panic as he riffled through the file and realized that the letter had been removed.
An incipient career as an actor in New York tends to involve a lot of waiting on tables while waiting for auditions. Identifying a cancer at its incipient stage may allow its development to be slowed or reversed. An environmental pessimist may speak of the incipient extinction of whales or bald eagles.
perceptible Noticeable or able to be felt by the senses.
eg. Her change in attitude toward him was barely perceptible, and he couldn't be sure that he wasn't imagining it.
Perceptible includes the prefix per-, meaning "through," so the word refers to whatever can be taken in through the senses. A perceptive person picks up hints and shades of meaning that others can't perceive. Such people rely on their sharp perceptions, their observations of whatever kind. So very often what is perceptible to one person - a tiny sound, a slight change in the weather, a different tone of voice - will not be to another.
susceptible (1) Open to some influence; responsive. (2) Able to be submitted to an action or process.
eg. Impressed with her intelligence and self-confidence, he was highly susceptible to her influence.
With its prefix sus-, "up", susceptible refers to what "takes up" or absorbs like a sponge. When negotiating the settlement of World War II at Yalta with Churchill and Roosevelt, Stalin may have found the other two susceptible to his threats and bullying and thus managed to hold on to much of Eastern Europe. Students are usually susceptible to the teaching of a strong and imaginative professor. In a similar way, a sickly child will be susceptible to colds, and an unlucky adult will be susceptible to back problems.
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2006-7-18 10:44 PM |
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cupidamor
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#20
FIN comes from the Latin word for "end" or "boundary." Final describes last things, and a finale or a finish is an ending. But its meaning is harder to trace in some of the other English words derived from it.
affinity (1) Sympathy; attraction. (2) Relationship.
eg. He knew of Carl's affinity to both wine and violence, and intended to take advantage of them.
Affinity gives a sense of things touching along their boundaries and therefore being of interest to each other. Felix Mendelssohn showed an affinity for music at a very early age and composed several fully developed symphonies while still in his teens; Stevie Wonder revealed his own musical affinity long before he made his debut at the age of 10. A strong affinity for another person may deepen into love. a critic may notice affinities between the works of two writers. A naturalist may speak of the affinity between two bird species - that is , their close physical relation to each other.
definitive (1)Authoritative and final.(2) Specifying perfectly or precisely.
eg. The team's brilliant research provided a definitive description of the virus and its strange mutation patterns.
Something definitive is complete and final. A definitive example is the perfect example. A definitive biography contains everything we'll ever need to know about someone. Ella fitzgerald's 1950s recordings of American popular songs have even been called definitive, though no one has ever wanted them to be the last.
infinitesimal Extremely or immeasurably small.
eg. Looking more closely at the research data, he now saw an odd pattern of changes so infinitesimal that they hadn't been noticed before.
Infinitesimal includes the negative prefix in-, "not"; the resulting word describes something endlessly small. When Antonie van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the 17th century, he was able to see organisms that had been thought too infinitesimally small to exist. But today's electron microscope allows us to see infinitesimal aspects of matter even he could not have imagined.
finite Having definite limits.
eg. Her ambitions were infinite, but her wealth was finite.
It came as a shock to America in the early 1970s to realize that world and national resources were finite rather than unlimited. The debate continues as to whether the universe is finite or infinite and, if it is finite, how to think about what lies beyond it. Religion has always concerned itself with the question of the finite (that is, human life on earth) versus the infinite (God, eternity, and infinity). But finite is mostly used in scientific writhing, often with the meaning "definitely measurable"
[ Last edited by cupidamor on 2006-7-20 at 10:56 PM ]
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2006-7-20 10:55 PM |
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2006-7-20 10:55 PM |
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