megalomaniac \ˌme-gə-lō-ˈmā-nē-ˌak\ A mental disorder marked by feelings of great personal power and importance.

• When the governor started calling for arming his National Guard with nuclear weapons, the voters finally realized they had elected a megalomaniac.

Since the Greek root megalo- means “large,” someone who is megalomaniacal has a mental disorder marked by feelings of personal grandeur. Megalomania has probably afflicted many rulers throughout history: The Roman emperor Caligula insisted that he be worshipped as a living god. Joseph Stalin suffered from the paranoia that often accompanies megalomania, and had thousands of his countrymen executed as a result. J.-B. Bokassa, dictator of a small and extremely poor African nation, proclaimed himself emperor of the country he renamed the Central African Empire. And even democratically elected leaders have often acquired huge egos as a result of public acclaim. But megalomaniac is generally thrown around as an insult and rarely refers to real mental illness.

egomaniac \ˌē-gō-ˈmā-nē-ˌak\ Someone who is extremely self-centered and ignores the problems and concerns of others.

• He's a completely unimpressive person, but that doesn't keep him from being an egomaniac.

Ego is Latin for “I,” and in English ego usually means “sense of self-worth.” Most people's egos stay at a healthy level, but some become exaggerated. Egomaniacs may display a grandiose sense of self-importance, with fantasies about their own brilliance or beauty, intense envy of others, a lack of sympathy, and a need to be adored or feared. But, like megalomaniac , the word egomaniac is thrown around by lots of people who don't mean much more by it than blowhard or know-it-all .

PSYCH comes from the Greek word psyche , meaning “breath, life, soul.” Psychology is the science of mind and behavior, and a psychologist treats or studies the mental problems of individuals and groups. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with mental and emotional disorders, and a psychiatrist (like any other doctor) may prescribe drugs to treat them.

psyche \ˈsī-kē\ Soul, personality, mind.

• Analysts are constantly trying to understand the nation's psyche and why the U.S. often behaves so differently from other countries.

Sometime back in the 16th century, we borrowed the word psyche directly from Greek into English. In Greek mythology, Psyche was a beautiful princess who fell in love with Eros (Cupid), god of love, and went through terrible trials before being allowed to marry him. The story is often understood to be about the soul redeeming itself through love. (To the Greeks, psyche also meant “butterfly,” which suggests how they imagined the soul.) In English, psyche often sounds less spiritual than soul , less intellectual than mind , and more private than personality .

psychedelic \ˌsī-kə-ˈde-lik\ (1) Of or relating to a drug (such as LSD) that produces abnormal and often extreme mental effects such as hallucinations. (2) Imitating the effects of psychedelic drugs.

• In her only psychedelic experience, back in 1970, she had watched with horror as the walls began crawling with bizarrely colored creatures.

The most famous—or notorious—of the psychedelic drugs is LSD, a compound that can be obtained from various mushrooms and other fungi but is usually created in the lab. The other well-known psychedelics are psilocybin (likewise obtained from fungi) and mescaline (obtained from peyote cactus). How psychedelics produce their effects is still fairly mysterious, partly because research ceased for almost 20 years because of their reputation, but scientists are determined to find the answers and much research is now under way. Psychedelics are now used to treat anxiety in patients with cancer, and are being tested in the treatment of such serious conditions as severe depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction.

psychosomatic \ˌsī-kō-sə-ˈma-tik\ Caused by mental or emotional problems rather than by physical illness.

• Her doctor assumed her stomach problems were psychosomatic but gave her some harmless medication anyway.

Since the Greek word soma means “body,” psychosomatic suggests the link between mind and body. Since one's mental state may have an important effect on one's physical state, research on new medicines always involves giving some patients in the experiment a placebo (fake medicine), and some who receive the sugar pills will seem to improve. You may hear someone say of someone else's symptoms, “Oh, it's probably just psychosomatic,” implying that the physical pain or illness is imaginary—maybe just an attempt to get sympathy—and that the person could will it away if he or she wanted to. But this can be harsh and unfair, since, whatever the cause is, the pain is usually real.

psychotherapist \ˌsī-kō-ˈther-ə-pist\ One who treats mental or emotional disorder or related bodily ills by psychological means.

• He's getting medication from a psychiatrist, but it's his sessions with the psychotherapist that he really values.

Many psychologists offer psychological counseling, and psychological counseling can usually be called psychotherapy , so many psychologists can be called psychotherapists. The most intense form of psychotherapy, called psychoanalysis , usually requires several visits a week. A competing type of therapy known as behavior therapy focuses on changing a person's behavior (often some individual habit such as stuttering, tics, or phobias) without looking very deeply into his or her mental state.

Quiz 2-1

A. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. psychedelic b. kleptomania c. psyche d. egomaniac e. megalomaniac f. psychosomatic g. dipsomaniac h. psychotherapist

1. Her boss was an ___ who always needed someone around telling him how brilliant he was.

2. Testing ___ drugs on cancer patients was difficult because of their unpredictable mental effects.

3. By now the dictator had begun to strike some observers as a possibly dangerous ___.

4. His fear of AIDS was so intense that he'd been developing ___ symptoms, which his doctor hardly bothered to check out anymore.

5. After finding several of her missing things in the other closet, she began wondering if her roommate was an ordinary thief or actually suffering from ___.

6. They'd only been together two weeks, but already she suspected there was a lot hidden in the depths of her boyfriend's ___.

7. A medical report from 1910 had identified her great-grandfather as a ___, and ten years later his alcoholism would kill him.

8. He hated the thought of drugs but knew he needed someone to talk to, so his brother recommended a local ___.

Answers

B. Match each word on the left to the best definition on the right:

1. psyche a. alcoholic

2. egomaniac b. caused by the mind

3. psychotherapist c. person deluded by thoughts of grandeur

4. psychosomatic d. producing hallucinations

5. dipsomaniac e. compulsive thieving

6. megalomaniac f. mind

7. kleptomania g. extremely self-centered person

8. psychedelic h. “talk” doctor

Answers

CEPT comes from the Latin verb meaning “take, seize.” Capture, which is what a captor has done to a captive, has the same meaning. Captivate once meant literally “capture,” but now means only to capture mentally through charm or appeal. But in some other English words this root produces, such as those below, its meaning is harder to find.

reception \ri-ˈsep-shən\ (1) The act of receiving. (2) A social gathering where guests are formally welcomed.

• Although the reception of her plan by the board of directors 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.” A bad TV reception means the signal isn't being received well. When a new novel receives good reviews, we say it has met with a good critical reception. If it gets a poor reception, on the other hand, that's the same as saying that it wasn't well-received .

intercept \ˌin-tər-ˈsept\ To stop, seize, or interrupt (something or someone) before arrival.

• The explosives had been intercepted by police just before being loaded onto the jet.

Since the prefix inter means “between” (see INTER ), it's not hard to see how intercept was created. Arms shipments coming to a country are sometimes intercepted, but such interceptions can sometimes be understood as acts of war. In football, soccer, and basketball, players try to intercept the ball as it's being passed by the other team. In years gone by, letters and documents being carried between officers or officials were sometimes intercepted when the carrier was caught; today, when these communications are generally electronic, an intercepted e-mail isn't actually stopped, but simply read secretly by a third party.

perceptible \pər-ˈsep-tə-bəl\ Noticeable or able to be felt by the senses.

• Her change in attitude toward him was barely perceptible, and he couldn't be sure he wasn't just 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 minor changes, small clues, or hints and shades of meaning that others can't perceive , so one person's perception —a tiny sound, a slight change in the weather, a different tone of voice—often won't be perceptible to another.

susceptible \sə-ˈsep-tə-bəl\ (1) Open to some influence; responsive. (2) Able to be submitted to an action or process.

• She impressed everyone immediately with her intelligence, so they're now highly susceptible to her influence and usually go along with anything she proposes.

With its prefix sus-, “up,” susceptible refers to something or someone that “takes up” or absorbs like a sponge. A sickly child may be susceptible to colds, and an unlucky adult may be susceptible to back problems. A lonely elderly person may be susceptible to what a con man tells him or her on the phone. And students are usually susceptible to the teaching of an imaginative professor—that is, likely to enjoy and learn from it.

FIN comes from the Latin word for “end” or “boundary.” Final describes last things, and a finale or a finish is an ending. (And at the end of a French film, you may just see the word “Fin.”) But its meaning is harder to trace in some of the other English words derived from it.

confine \kən-ˈfīn\ (1) To keep (someone or something) within limits. (2) To hold (someone) in a location.

• He had heard the bad news from the CEO, but when he spoke to his employees he confined his remarks to a few hints that sales had slipped.

Confine means basically to keep someone or something within borders. Someone confined to a bedroom or a wheelchair is too ill or disabled to be anywhere else. A person under “house arrest” is confined to his or her house by the government. At a business meeting, the discussion may be confined to a single topic. A town may keep industrial development confined to one area by means of zoning. And someone confined to the state prison for 20 years has probably committed quite a serious crime.

definitive \di-ˈfi-nə-tiv\ (1) Authoritative and final. (2) Specifying perfectly or precisely.

• 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 answer is usually a strong yes or no. A definitive biography contains everything we'll ever need to know about someone. Ella Fitzgerald's famous 1950s recordings of American songs have even been called definitive—but no one ever wanted them to be the last.

finite \ˈfī-ˌnīt\ Having definite limits.

• Her ambitions were infinite, but her wealth was finite.

It has come as a shock to many of us to realize that resources such as oil—and the atmosphere's ability to absorb greenhouse gases—are finite rather than unlimited. The debate continues as to whether the universe is finite or infinite and, if it's 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 writing, often with the meaning “definitely measurable.”

infinitesimal \ˌin-ˌfi-nə-ˈte-sə-məl\ Extremely or immeasurably small.

• Looking more closely at the research data, he now saw an odd pattern of changes so infinitesimal that they hadn't been noticed before.

Just as infinite describes something immeasurable (“without limit”), infinitesimal 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 that even Leeuwenhoek could not have imagined.

Quiz 2-2

A. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. confine

b. susceptible

c. definitive

d. reception

e. finite

f. intercept

g. infinitesimal

h. perceptible

1. By the fall there had been a ___ change in the mood of the students.

2. An ___ speck of dust on the lens can keep a CD player from functioning.

3. They waited weeks to hear about the board's ___ of their proposal.

4. Let's ___ this discussion to just the first part of the proposal.

5. Small children are often ___ to nightmares after hearing ghost stories in the dark.

6. He was at the post office the next morning, hoping to ___ the foolish letter he had sent yesterday.

7. We have a ___ number of choices, in fact maybe only three or four.

8. This may be the best book on the subject so far, but I wouldn't call it ___.

Answers

B. Match the word on the left to the correct definition on the right:

1. confine a. noticeable

2. susceptible b. ultimate

3. definitive c. seize

4. reception d. easily influenced

5. finite e. tiny

6. intercept f. limit

7. infinitesimal g. receiving

8. perceptible h. limited

Answers

JECT comes from jacere, the Latin verb meaning “throw” or “hurl.” To reject something is to throw (or push) it back; to eject something is to throw (or drive) it out; and to inject something is to throw (or squirt) it into something else.

interject \ˌin-tər-ˈjekt\ To interrupt a conversation with a comment or remark.

• His anger was growing as he listened to the conversation, and every so often he would interject a crude comment.

According to its Latin roots, interject ought to mean literally “throw between.” For most of the word's history, however, the only things that have been interjected have been comments dropped suddenly into a conversation. Interjections are often humorous, and sometimes even insulting, and the best interjections are so quick that the conversation isn't even interrupted.

conjecture \kən-ˈjek-chər\ To guess.

• He was last heard of in Bogotá, and they conjectured that he had met his end in the Andes at the hands of the guerrillas.

Formed with the prefix con-, “together,” conjecture means literally “to throw together”—that is, to produce a theory by putting together a number of facts. So, for example, Columbus conjectured from his calculations that he would reach Asia if he sailed westward, and his later conjecture that there was a “Northwest Passage” by sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific over the North American continent was proved correct centuries later.

projection \prə-ˈjek-shən\ An estimate of what might happen in the future based on what is happening now.

• The president has been hearing different deficit projections all week from the members of his economic team.

Projection has various meanings, but what they all have in common is that something is sent out or forward. A movie is projected onto a screen; a skilled actress projects her voice out into a large theater without seeming to shout; and something sticking out from a wall can be called a projection. But the meaning we focus on here is the one used by businesses and governments. Most projections of this kind are estimates of a company's sales or profits—or of the finances of a town, state, or country—sometime in the future.

trajectory \trə-ˈjek-tə-rē\ The curved path that an object makes in space, or that a thrown object follows as it rises and falls to earth.

• Considering the likely range, trajectory, and accuracy of a bullet fired from a cheap handgun at 100 yards, the murder seemed incredible.

Formed with part of the prefix trans-, “across,” trajectory means a “hurling across.” By calculating the effect of gravity and other forces, the trajectory of an object launched into space at a known speed can be computed precisely. Missiles stand a chance of hitting their target only if their trajectory has been plotted accurately. The word is used most often in physics and engineering, but not always; we can also say, for example, that the trajectory of a whole life may be set in a person's youth, or that a new book traces the long trajectory of the French empire.

TRACT comes from trahere, the Latin verb meaning “drag or draw.” Something attractive draws us toward it. Something distracting pulls your attention away. And when you extract something from behind the sofa, you drag it out.

traction \ˈtrak-shən\ The friction that allows a moving thing to move over a surface without slipping.

• The spinning wheels were getting no traction on the ice, and we began to slip backward down the hill.

A tractor is something that pulls something else. We usually use the word for a piece of farm machinery, but it's also the name of the part of a big truck that includes the engine and the cab. Tractors get terrific traction, because of their powerful engines and the deep ridges on their huge wheels. A cross-country skier needs traction to kick herself forward, but doesn't want it to slow her down when she's gliding, so the bottom of the skis may have a “fish-scale” surface that permits both of these at the same time.

retract \ri-ˈtrakt\ (1) To pull back (something) into something larger. (2) To take back (something said or written).

• She was forced to retract her comment about her opponent after it was condemned in the press.

The prefix re- (“back”) gives retract the meaning of “draw back.” Just as a cat retracts its claws into its paws when they aren't being used, a public figure may issue a retraction in order to say that he or she no longer wants to say something that has just been said. But it's sometimes hard to know what a retraction means: Was the original statement an error or an outright lie? Sometimes a politician even has to retract something that everyone actually assumes is the truth. Thousands of citizens were forced to publicly retract their “wrong” ideas by the Soviet government in the 1930s and the Chinese government in the 1960s. Someone wrongly accused may demand a retraction from his accuser—though today it seems more likely that he'll just go ahead and sue.

protracted \prō-ˈtrak-təd\ Drawn out, continued, or extended.

• No one was looking forward to a protracted struggle for custody of the baby.

With its prefix pro- , “forward,” protracted usually applies to something drawn out forward in time. A protracted strike may cripple a company; a protracted rainy spell may rot the roots of vegetables; and a protracted lawsuit occasionally outlives the parties involved. Before the invention of the polio vaccines, polio's many victims had no choice but to suffer a protracted illness and its aftereffects.

intractable \ˌin-ˈtrak-tə-bəl\ Not easily handled, led, taught, or controlled.

• Corruption in the army was the country's intractable problem, and for many years all foreign aid had ended up in the colonels' pockets.

Intractable simply means “untreatable,” and even comes from the same root. The word may describe both people and conditions. A cancer patient may suffer intractable pain that doctors are unable to treat. An intractable alcoholic goes back to the bottle immediately after “drying out.” Homelessness, though it hardly existed thirty years ago, is now sometimes regarded as an intractable problem.

Quiz 2-3

A. Choose the odd word:

1. conjecture

a. suppose b. assume c. guess d. know

2. protracted

a. lengthened b. continued c. circular d. extended

3. projection

a. survey b. forecast c. report d. history

4. traction

a. grip b. drive c. pulling force d. steering

5. trajectory

a. curve b. path c. arc d. target

6. retract

a. unsay b. withdraw c. force d. take back

7. interject

a. insert b. grab c. add d. stick in

8. unbelievable

a. impossible b. uncontrollable c. stubborn d. difficult

Answers

B. Match each definition on the left to the correct word on the right:

1. pulling force a. protracted

2. assume b. interject

3. expectation c. trajectory

4. difficult d. traction

5. unsay e. conjecture

6. drawn out f. intractable

7. curved path g. retract

8. interrupt with h. projection

Answers

DUC/DUCT , from the Latin verb ducere, “to lead,” shows up regularly in English. Duke means basically “leader.” The Italian dictator Mussolini was known simply as Il Duce, “the leader.” But such words as produce and reduce also contain the root, even though their meanings show it less clearly.

conducive \kən-ˈdü-siv\ Tending to promote, encourage, or assist; helpful.

• She found the atmosphere in the quiet café conducive to study and even to creative thinking.

Something conducive “leads to” a desirable result. A cozy living room may be conducive to relaxed conversation, just as a boardroom may be conducive to more intense discussions. Particular tax policies are often conducive to savings and investment, whereas others are conducive to consumer spending. Notice that conducive is almost always followed by to.

deduction \dē-ˈdək-shən\ (1) Subtraction. (2) The reaching of a conclusion by reasoning.

• Foretelling the future by deduction based on a political or economic theory has proved to be extremely difficult.

To deduct is simply to subtract. A tax deduction is a subtraction from your taxable income allowed by the government for certain expenses, which will result in your paying lower taxes. Your insurance deductible is the amount of a medical bill that the insurance company makes you subtract before it starts to pay—in other words, the amount that will come out of your own pocket. But deduction also means “reasoning,” and particularly reasoning based on general principles to produce specific findings. Mathematical reasoning is almost always deduction, for instance, since it is based on general rules. But when Dr. Watson exclaims “Brilliant deduction, my dear Holmes!” he simply means “brilliant reasoning,” since Sherlock Holmes's solutions are based on specific details he has noticed rather than on general principles.

induce \in-ˈdüs\ (1) Persuade, influence. (2) Bring about.

• To induce him to make the call we had to promise we wouldn't do it again.

Inducing is usually gentle persuasion; you may, for instance, induce a friend to go to a concert, or induce a child to stop crying. An inducement is something that might lure you to do something, though inducements are occasionally a bit menacing, like the Godfather's offer that you can't refuse. Induce also sometimes means “produce”; thus, doctors must at times induce labor in a pregnant woman. Notice that induct and induction are somewhat different from induce and inducement , though they come from the identical roots.

seduction \si-ˈdək-shən\ (1) Temptation to sin, especially temptation to sexual intercourse. (2) Attraction or charm.

• The company began its campaign of seduction of the smaller firm by inviting its top management to a series of weekends at expensive resorts.

Seduction, with its prefix se-, “aside,” means basically “lead aside or astray.” In Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is forced to wear a large scarlet A, for “adulteress,” after it is revealed that she's been seduced by the Reverend Dimmesdale. Seduction also takes less physical forms. Advertisements constantly try to seduce us (often using sex as a temptation) into buying products we hadn't even known existed.

SEQU comes from the Latin verb sequi, meaning “to follow.” A sequel follows the original novel, film, or television show.

sequential \si-ˈkwen-shəl\ (1) Arranged in order or in a series. (2) Following in a series.

• In writing the history of the revolution, his challenge was to put all the events of those fateful days in proper sequential order.

Things in sequence, or regular order, are arranged sequentially. Most novels and films move sequentially, but some use techniques such as flashbacks that interrupt the movement forward in time. Sequential courses in college must follow each other in the proper order, just like sequential tasks or steps.

subsequent \ˈsəb-si-kwənt\ Following in time, order, or place; later.

• Through all her subsequent love affairs, she never stopped thinking about the man who got away.

The prefix sub- normally means “below,” and the sub- in subsequent seems to imply that everything after the first is somehow inferior. As the definition states, subsequent can refer to time (“All our subsequent attempts to contact her failed”), order (“The subsequent houses on the list looked even worse”), or place (“The subsequent villages on the river heading east become steadily more primitive”). But subsequently , as in “I subsequently learned the real story,” simply means “later.”

consequential \ˌkän-sə-ˈkwen-shəl\ (1) Resulting. (2) Important.

• None of our discussions thus far has been very consequential; next week's meeting will be the important one.

Something consequential follows or comes along with something else. The “resulting” meaning of consequential is usually seen in legal writing. For example, “consequential losses” are losses that supposedly resulted from some improper behavior, about which the lawyer's client is suing. But normally consequential means “significant” or “important,” and it's especially used for events that will produce large consequences , or results.

non sequitur \ˈnän-ˈse-kwə-tər\ A statement that does not follow logically from anything previously said.

• Rattled by the question, his mind went blank, and he blurted out a non sequitur that fetched a few laughs from members of the audience.

Non sequitur is actually a complete sentence in Latin, meaning “It does not follow”—that is, something said or written doesn't logically follow what came before it. It was Aristotle who identified the non sequitur as one of the basic fallacies of logic—that is, one of the ways in which a person's reasoning may go wrong. For Aristotle, the non sequitur is usually a conclusion that doesn't actually result from the reasoning and evidence presented. Sometime when you're listening to politicians answering questions, see how many non sequiturs you can spot.

Quiz 2-4

A. Match the definition on the left to the correct word on the right:

1. out-of-place statement a. deduction

2. persuade b. non sequitur

3. temptation c. induce

4. subtraction d. subsequent

5. helpful e. seduction

6. ordered f. consequential

7. following g. conducive

8. significant h. sequential

Answers

B. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. conducive

b. deduction

c. induce

d. seduction

e. consequential

f. subsequent

g. non sequitur

h. sequential

1. The detectives insisted on a detailed and ___ account of the evening's events.

2. She fended off all his clumsy attempts at ___.

3. Conditions on the noisy hallway were not at all ___ to sleep.

4. There were a few arguments that first day, but all the ___ meetings went smoothly.

5. He sometimes thought that missing that plane had been the most ___ event of his life.

6. They arrived at the correct conclusion by simple ___.

7. He's hopeless at conversation, since practically everything he says is a ___.

8. He had tried to ___ sleep by all his usual methods, with no success.

Answers

Words from Mythology

Apollonian \ˌa-pə-ˈlō-nē-ən\ Harmonious, ordered, rational, calm.

• After a century of Romantic emotion, some composers adopted a more Apollonian style, producing clearly patterned pieces that avoided extremes of all kinds.

In Greek mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun, light, prophecy, and music, and the most revered of all the gods. Partly because of the writings of Nietzsche, we now often think of Apollo (in contrast to the god Dionysus) as a model of calm reason, and we may call anything with those qualities Apollonian. This isn't the whole story about Apollo, however; he had a terrible temper and could be viciously cruel when he felt like it.

bacchanalian \ˌba-kə-ˈnāl-yən\ Frenzied, orgiastic.

• The bacchanalian partying on graduation night resulted in three wrecked cars, two lawsuits by unamused parents, and more new experiences than most of the participants could remember the next day.

The Roman god of drama, wine, and ecstasy, Bacchus was the focus of a widespread celebration, the Bacchanalia. The festivities were originally secret, and only initiated members could participate. There was wine in abundance, and participants were expected to cut loose from normal restraints and give in to all sorts of wild desires. Eventually the Bacchanalia became more public and uncontrolled, finally getting so out of hand that in 186 B.C. the Roman authorities had it banned. Much the same bacchanalian spirit fills tropical carnivals every year, including New Orleans' Mardi Gras.

delphic \ˈdel-fik\ Unclear, ambiguous, or confusing.

• All she could get from the strange old woman were a few delphic comments that left her more confused than ever about the missing documents.

Delphi in Greece was the site of a temple to Apollo at which there resided an oracle, a woman through whom Apollo would speak, foretelling the future. The Greeks consulted the oracle frequently on matters both private and public. The prophecies were given in difficult poetry that had to be interpreted by priests, and even the interpretations could be hard to understand. When Croesus, king of Lydia, asked what would happen if he attacked the Persians, the oracle announced that he would destroy a great empire; what she didn't say was that the empire destroyed would be his own. Modern-day descendants of the oracle include some political commentators, who utter words of delphic complexity every week.

Dionysian \ˌdī-ə-ˈni-zhē-ən\ Frenzied, delirious.

• Only in the tropics did such festivals become truly Dionysian, he said, which was why he was booking his flight to Rio.

Dionysus was the Greek forerunner of Bacchus. He was the inventor of wine, which he gave to the human race. For that gift and for all the wild behavior that it led to, Dionysus became immensely popular, and he appears in a great many myths. He is often shown holding a wine goblet, with his hair full of vine leaves, and attended by a band of goat-footed satyrs and wild female spirits called maenads. In the 19th century, scholars such as Nietzsche claimed that the ancient world could be understood as a continuing conflict between the attitudes represented by Apollo (see  Apollonian  ) and Dionysus—that is, between order and disorder, between moderation and excess, between the controlled and the ecstatic.

jovial \ˈjō-vē-əl\ Jolly, good-natured.

• Their grandfather was as jovial and sociable as their grandmother was quiet and withdrawn.

Jove , or Jupiter, was the Roman counterpart of the Greek's Zeus, and like Zeus was regarded as chief among the gods. When the Romans were naming the planets, they gave the name Jupiter to the one that, as they may have already known, was the largest of all (though only the second-brightest to the naked eye). When the practice of astrology reached the Roman empire from the East, astrologers declared that those “born under Jupiter” were destined to be merry and generous, and many centuries later this would result in the words jovial and joviality .

mercurial \mər-ˈkyu̇r-ē-əl\ Having rapid and unpredictable changes of mood.

• His mother's always mercurial temper became even more unpredictable, to the point where the slightest thing would trigger a violent fit.

The god Mercury, with his winged cap and sandals, was the very symbol of speed, and the planet Mercury was named for him by the Romans because it is the fastest-moving of the planets. His name was also given to the liquid silver metal that skitters around on a surface so quickly and unpredictably. And the word mercurial seems to have come from the metal, rather than directly from the god (or an astrologer's view of the planet's influence). Mercurial people are usually bright but impulsive and changeable (and sometimes a bit unstable).

Olympian \ō-ˈlim-pē-ən\ Lofty, superior, and detached.

• Now 77, he moved slowly and spoke to the younger lawyers in Olympian tones, but his college friends could remember when he was a brash, crazy risk-taker.

The Greek gods lived high atop Mt. Olympus, which allowed them to watch what went on in the human realm below and intervene as they saw fit. They insisted on being properly worshipped by humans, but otherwise tended to treat the affairs of these weak and short-lived creatures almost like a sport. So Olympian describes someone who seems “lofty” and “above it all,” as if surveying a scene in which other people appear the size of ants. The Olympic Games were first celebrated in the 8th century B.C., at the religious site called Olympia (far from Mt. Olympus), and Olympian today actually most often refers to Olympic athletes.

venereal \və-ˈnir-ē-əl\ Having to do with sexual intercourse or diseases transmitted by it.

• In the 19th century syphilis especially was often fatal, and venereal diseases killed some of the greatest figures of the time.

Venus was the Roman goddess of love, the equivalent of the Greek Aphrodite. Since she governed all aspects of love and desire, a word derived from her name was given to the diseases acquired through sexual contact. Most of these venereal diseases have been around for many centuries, but only in the 20th century did doctors devise tests to identify them or medicines to cure them. Today the official term is sexually transmitted disease, or STD; but even this name turns out to be ambiguous, since some of these diseases can be contracted in other ways as well.

Quiz 2-5

Choose the correct synonym and the correct antonym:

1. Dionysian

a. frenzied b. angry c. calm d. fatal

2. apollonian

a. fruity b. irrational c. single d. harmonious

3. mercurial

a. stable b. changeable c. sociable d. depressed

4. jovial

a. youthful b. mean-spirited c. merry d. magical

5. olympian

a. involved b. lame c. detached d. everyday

6. venereal

a. sensual b. intellectual c. diseased d. arthritic

7. bacchanalian

a. restrained b. dynamic c. frenzied d. forthright

8. delphic

a. clear b. dark c. stormy d. ambiguous

Answers

Review Quizzes 2

A. Choose the closest definition:

1. reprobate

a. prosecution b. scoundrel c. trial d. refund

2. intercept

a. throw b. seize c. arrest d. close

3. confine

a. erect b. restrict c. ignore d. lock out

4. deduction

a. addition b. flirtation c. total d. reasoning

5. subsequent

a. unimportant b. early c. first d. later

6. sequential

a. important b. noticeable c. in order d. distant

7. non sequitur

a. distrust b. refusal c. odd statement d. denial

8. conjecture

a. ask b. state c. guess d. exclaim

9. perceptible

a. noticeable b. capable c. readable d. thinkable

10. finite

a. vast b. finished c. nearby d. limited

Answers

B. Match the definition on the left to the correct word on the right:

1. guess a. olympian

2. soul b. perceptible

3. lengthy c. conjecture

4. godlike d. definitive

5. ordered e. protracted

6. clear-cut f. psyche

7. noticeable g. susceptible

8. sensitive h. jovial

9. significant i. sequential

10. jolly j. consequential

Answers

C. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. mercurial

b. induce

c. intractable

d. amicable

e. interject

f. seduction

g. bacchanalian

h. traction

i. retract

j. trajectory

1. The public isn't aware of the company's ___ of Congress through its huge contributions over many years.

2. The truck was getting almost no ___ on the snowy road.

3. The prison situation is ___, and likely to get worse.

4. He tried to ___ his statement the next day, but the damage had been done.

5. Surprisingly, her first and second husbands actually have a completely ___ relationship.

6. The argument had gotten fierce, but he somehow managed to ___ a remark about how they were both wrong.

7. The disappointing ___ of his career often puzzled his friends.

8. She again told her family that nothing could ___ her to marry him.

9. By 2:00 a.m. the party was a scene of ___ frenzy.

10. Her only excuse for her behavior was her well-known ___ temper.

Answers

Unit 3

AMBI EPI HYP/HYPO THERM/THERMO POLY PRIM HOM/HOMO DIS Latin Borrowings

Quiz 3-1 Quiz 3-2 Quiz 3-3 Quiz 3-4 Quiz 3-5 Review Quizzes 3

AMBI means “on both sides” or “around”; ambi- comes from Latin. Most of us are either right-handed or left-handed, but ambidextrous people can use their right and left hand equally well.

ambiguous \am-ˈbi-gyu̇-wəs\ (1) Doubtful or uncertain especially from being obscure or indistinct. (2) Unclear in meaning because of being understandable in more than one way.

• Successful politicians are good at giving ambiguous answers to questions on difficult issues.

Ambiguous comes from the Latin verb ambigere, “to be undecided.” When we say someone's eyes are an ambiguous color, we mean we cannot decide which color they are—blue or green? The ambiguity of the Mona Lisa's smile makes us wonder what she's thinking about. An ambiguous order is one that can be taken in at least two ways; on the other hand, the order “Shut up!” may be rude but at least it's unambiguous.

ambient \ˈam-bē-ənt\ Existing or present on all sides.

• The ambient lighting in the restaurant was low, and there was a bright candle at each table.

Ambient light is the light that fills an area or surrounds something that's being viewed, like a television screen or a painting. Scientists sometimes refer to the ambient temperature, the temperature of the surrounding air. “Ambient music” is the term used today for “atmospheric” background music usually intended for relaxation or meditation. The candlelit restaurant in the example sentence is probably trying for a romantic ambience, or “atmosphere.”

ambivalent \am-ˈbi-və-lənt\ (1) Holding opposite feelings and attitudes at the same time toward someone or something. (2) Continually wavering between opposites or alternative courses of action.

• He was ambivalent about the trip: he badly wanted to travel but hated to miss the summer activities at home.

Ambivalent is a fairly new word, less than a hundred years old, and, not surprisingly, it was first used by psychologists. Since being ambivalent means simply having mixed feelings about some question or issue, some of us spend most of our lives in a state of ambivalence . We might feel ambivalence about accepting a high-paying job that requires us to work long hours, about lending money to someone we like but don't know well—or about ordering a Tutti-Frutti Chocolate Banana Sundae El Supremo after we've been starving on a strict diet for weeks.

ambit \ˈam-bət\ The range or limit covered by something (such as a law).

• The treatment of farm animals generally falls outside the ambit of animal-cruelty laws in the U.S.

Ambit is a rather formal term, often used by lawyers, as in, “With this new legislation, tobacco now falls within the ambit of FDA regulation.” It almost always refers to something abstract rather than an actual physical range. So, for example, an immigrant might live completely within the ambit of her immigrant community until she started college, where she might find herself in a much broader social ambit. Most of the Latin American colonies were established by Spain, but in the 19th century, as the U.S. became stronger and Spain became weaker, they began to enter the ambit of U.S. power.

EPI is a Greek prefix that may mean various things, but usually “on, over” or “attached to.” So an earthquake's epicenter is the ground right over the center of the quake. And your epidermis is the outer layer of your skin, on top of the inner dermis .

epilogue \ˈe-pə-ˌlȯg\ The final section after the main part of a book or play.

• Her editor told her the book really needed an epilogue, to tell where each member of the family is today.

From its Greek roots, epilogue means basically “words attached (at the end).” An epilogue often somehow wraps up a story's action, as in the one for a famous Shakespeare play that ends, “For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” In nonfiction books, we now often use the term afterword instead of epilogue , just as we now generally use foreword instead of prologue (see LOG ). Movies also often have a kind of epilogue—maybe a scene after the exciting climax when the surviving lovers meet in a café to talk about their future. The epilogue of a musical composition, after all the drama is over, is called the coda (Italian for “tail”).

epiphyte \ˈe-pi-ˌfīt\ A plant that obtains its nutrients from the air and the rain and usually grows on another plant for support.

• The strangler fig begins life as an epiphyte on a tree branch, drops its tendrils to take root in the ground around the trunk, and slowly covers and strangles the tree to death.

Epiphytic plants are sometimes known as “air plants” because they seemingly survive on thin air. They rely on their host plants merely for physical support, not nourishment. Tropical epiphytes include orchids, ferns, and members of the pineapple family. To a newcomer in the tropical rain forest, the first sight of a great tree with large epiphytes hanging from every level can be eerie and astonishing. Familiar epiphytes of the temperate zone include lichens, mosses, and algae, which may grow on rocks or water without touching the soil.

epitaph \ˈe-pi-ˌtaf\ An inscription on a grave or tomb in memory of the one buried there.

• The great architect Christopher Wren designed London's majestic St. Paul's Cathedral, the site of his tomb and epitaph: “Si monumentum requiris, circumspice” (“If you seek my monument, look around you”).

Epitaph includes the root from the Greek word taphos, “tomb” or “funeral.” Traditionally, epitaph refers to a tombstone inscription, but it can also refer to brief memorial statements that resemble such inscriptions. One of the most famous is Henry Lee's epitaph for George Washington: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

epithet \ˈe-pi-ˌthet\ (1) A descriptive word or phrase occurring with or in place of the name of a person or thing. (2) An insulting or demeaning word or phrase.

• King Richard I of England earned the epithet “Lionhearted,” while his brother, King John, was given the epithet “Lackland.”

From its Greek roots, epithet would mean something “put on,” or added. Sometimes the added name follows a given name, as in Erik the Red or Billy the Kid. In other cases, the epithet precedes the personal name, as in Mahatma (“Great-souled”) Gandhi. In still others, it's used in place of the actual name, as in El Greco (“The Greek”) or El Cid (“The Lord”). In its other common meaning, an epithet is a mocking or insulting name (like “Lackland” in the example sentence). When enemies are said to be “hurling epithets” at each other, it means they're exchanging angry insults.

Quiz 3-1

A. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. ambiguous

b. epiphyte

c. ambient

d. epitaph

e. epithet

f. ambivalent

g. epilogue

h. ambit

1. An ___ seems to live on air and water alone.

2. When the ___ light is low, photographers use a flash.

3. She felt ___ about the invitation, and couldn't decide whether to accept or decline.

4. Is any ___ inscribed on Grant's Tomb?

5. Andrew Jackson's ___, describing his lean toughness, was “Old Hickory.”

6. Lord Raglan's ___ order confused the commander of the Light Brigade and led to its disastrous charge.

7. Her visit in the spring was a kind of ___ to our relationship, which had really ended two months earlier.

8. The subject really falls within the ___ of economics rather than sociology.

Answers

B. Match each word on the left with its correct definition on the right:

1. ambivalent a. having more than

one meaning

2. epithet b. surrounding

3. ambit c. wavering

4. epiphyte d. grave inscription

5. ambiguous e. range

6. epitaph f. descriptive nickname

7. ambient g. ending

8. epilogue h. non-parasitic plant

growing on another

Answers

HYP/HYPO is a Greek prefix meaning “below, under.” Many hypo- words are medical. A hypodermic needle injects medication under the skin. Hypotension , or low blood pressure, can be just as unhealthy as the better-known hypertension , or high blood pressure.

hypochondriac \ˌhī-pō-ˈkän-drē-ˌak\ A person overly concerned with his or her own health who often suffers from delusions of physical disease.

• Hercule Poirot, the detective hero of the Agatha Christie mysteries, is a notorious hypochondriac, always trying to protect himself from drafts.

One disease a hypochondriac really does suffer from is hypochondria, the anxiety and depression that come from worrying too much about one's own health. Even though it's easy to joke about hypochondriacs, hypochondria is no joking matter for the sufferer. Somewhat surprisingly, the second part of hypochondria derives from chondros, the Greek word for “cartilage.” The cartilage in question is that of the sternum, or breastbone. From ancient times, doctors believed that certain internal organs or regions were the seat of various diseases, both physical and mental, and the area under the breastbone was thought to be the source of hypochondria.

hypoglycemia \ˌhī-pō-glī-ˈsē-mē-ə\ Abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood.

• She had been controlling her hypoglycemia through diet and vitamins, but she now realized she needed to add daily exercise as well.

The root glyk- means “sweet” in Greek, so glyc shows up in the names of various terms referring to a sugar as a chemical ingredient, such as glycerine and monoglyceride . People with diabetes have difficulty controlling the sugar in their blood. Too little can be dangerous; its early symptoms may be as minor as nervousness, shaking, and sweating, but it can lead to seizures and unconsciousness. Luckily, it can be taken care of easily by eating or drinking something high in carbohydrates. Its opposite, hyperglycemia (see HYPER ), is the main symptom of diabetes, and usually requires an injection of insulin, which the sufferer usually gives himself. Today many people—though not doctors—use hypoglycemia to mean a completely different condition, with some of the same milder symptoms, that doesn't involve low blood sugar.

hypothermia \ˌhī-pō-ˈthər-mē-ə\ Subnormal temperature of the body.

• By the time rescuers were able to pull the boy from the pond's icy waters, hypothermia had reached a life-threatening stage.

Hypothermia, which usually results from submersion in icy water or prolonged exposure to cold, may constitute a grave medical emergency. It begins to be a concern when body temperature dips below 95°F, and the pulse, breathing, and blood pressure start to decline. Below 90°, the point at which the normal reaction of shivering ceases, emergency treatment is called for.

hypothetical \ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-tə-kəl\ (1) Involving an assumption made for the sake of argument or for further study or investigation. (2) Imagined for purposes of example.

• The candidate refused to say what she would do if faced with a hypothetical military crisis.

The noun hypothesis comes straight from the Greek word meaning “foundation” or “base”—that is something “put under” something else. So a hypothesis is something you assume to be true in order that you can use it as the base or basis for a line of reasoning—and any such assumption can be called hypothetical. So, for example, the theory that the dinosaurs became extinct because of a giant meteor that struck the earth near the Yucatán Peninsula involves the hypothesis that such a collision would have had such terrible effects on the earth's climate that the great reptiles would have been doomed. Once a hypothesis has been thoroughly studied and researched without being proved wrong, it generally comes to be called a theory instead.

THERM/THERMO comes from the Greek word meaning “warm.” A thermometer measures the amount of warmth in a body, the air, or an oven. A thermostat makes sure the temperature stays at the same level. And it's easy to see why the German manufacturers of a vacuum-insulated bottle back in 1904 gave it the name Thermos.

thermal \ˈthər-məl\ (1) Of, relating to, or caused by heat. (2) Designed to insulate in order to retain body heat.

• A special weave called thermal weave traps insulating air in little pockets to increase the warmth of long underwear and blankets.

In days gone by, much of the male population of the northern states in the cold months would wear a garment of thermal underwear covering the entire body, called a union suit. Union suits kept sodbusters, cowboys, and townsfolk alike not only warm but also itchy and a little on the smelly side (back when bathing once a week was considered the height of cleanliness). Thermal imaging is photography that captures “heat pictures”—rather than ordinary light pictures—of objects. And thermal pollution occurs when industrial water use ends up warming a river in a damaging way. Small-plane pilots use thermal as a noun for a warm updraft, often over a plowed field or desert, that lifts their wings, just as it enables hawks to soar upward without moving their wings.

thermodynamics \ˌthər-mō-dī-ˈna-miks\ Physics that deals with the mechanical actions or relations of heat.

• With his college major in electrical engineering, he assumed it would be an easy step to a graduate-school concentration in thermodynamics.

Thermodynamics (see DYNAM ) is based on the fact that all forms of energy, including heat and mechanical energy, are basically the same. Thus, it deals with the ways in which one form of energy is converted into another, when one of the forms is heat. The study of thermodynamics dates from before the invention of the first practical steam engine—an engine that uses steam to produce physical power—in the 18th century. Today most of the world's electrical power is actually produced by steam engines, and the principal use of thermodynamics is in power production.

thermonuclear \ˌthər-mō-ˈnü-klē-ər\ Of or relating to the changes in the nucleus of atoms with low atomic weight, such as hydrogen, that require a very high temperature to begin.

• In the 1950s and '60s, anxious American families built thousands of underground “fallout shelters” to protect themselves from the radiation of a thermonuclear blast.

Nuclear is the adjective for nucleus , the main central part of an atom. The original nuclear explosives, detonated in 1945, were so-called fission bombs, since they relied on the fission, or splitting, of the nuclei of uranium atoms. But an even greater source of destructive power lay in nuclear fusion , the forcing together of atomic nuclei. The light and heat given off by stars such as the sun come from a sustained fusion—or thermonuclear—reaction deep within it. On earth, such thermonuclear reactions were used to develop the hydrogen bomb, a bomb based on a fusion reaction that merged hydrogen atoms to become helium atoms. The thermonuclear era, which began in 1952, produced bombs hundreds of times more powerful than those exploded at the end of World War II. Why the thermo- in thermonuclear ? Because great heat is required to trigger the fusion process, and the trigger used is actually a fission bomb.

British thermal unit The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at a specified temperature.

• Wood-stove manufacturers compete with each other in their claims of how many British thermal units of heat output their stoves can produce.

Despite its name, the British thermal unit, or BTU, may be more widely used in North America than in Britain. Air conditioners, furnaces, and stoves are generally rated by BTUs. (Though “BTUs” is often short for “BTUs per hour”; in air-conditioner ratings, for instance, “BTUs” really means “BTUs of cooling capacity per hour.”) Fuels such as natural gas and propane are also compared using BTUs. The BTU first appeared in 1876 and isn't part of the metric system—the metric unit of energy is the much smaller joule —so it isn't much used by scientists, but its practicality keeps it popular for consumer goods and fuels. A better-known heat unit is the calorie ; a BTU is equal to about 252 calories. (Since the familiar food calorie is actually a kilocalorie , a BTU equals only about a quarter of a food calorie.)

Quiz 3-2

A. Choose the closest definition:

1. hypothermia

a. excitability b. subnormal temperature c. external temperature d. warmth

2. thermodynamics

a. science of motion b. nuclear science c. science of explosives d. science of heat energy

3. hypoglycemia

a. extreme heat b. low blood sugar c. low energy d. high blood pressure

4. thermal

a. boiling b. heat-related c. scorching d. cooked

5. hypothetical

a. typical b. substandard c. sympathetic d. assumed

6. hypochondriac

a. person with imaginary visions b. person with heart congestion c. person with imaginary ailments d. person with imaginary relatives

7. British thermal unit

a. unit of electricity b. heat unit c. ocean current unit d. altitude unit

8. thermonuclear

a. nuclear reaction requiring high heat b. chemical reaction requiring a vacuum c. biological reaction producing bright light d. nuclear reaction based on distance from the sun

Answers

B. Indicate whether the following pairs of words have the same or different meanings:

1. British thermal unit / calorie

same ___ / different ___

2. hypochondriac / wise man

same ___ / different ___

3. thermal / insulating

same ___ / different ___

4. thermonuclear / destructive

same ___ / different ___

5. hypoglycemia / high blood sugar

same ___ / different ___

6. hypothetical / supposed

same ___ / different ___

7. thermodynamics / explosives

same ___ / different ___

8. hypothermia / low blood sugar

same ___ / different ___

Answers

POLY comes from polys, the Greek word for “many.” A polytechnic institute offers instruction in many technical fields. Polygamy is marriage in which one has many spouses, or at least more than the legal limit of one. And polysyllabic words are words of many syllables—of which there are quite a few in this book.

polyp \ˈpä-ləp\ (1) A sea invertebrate that has a mouth opening at one end surrounded by stinging tentacles. (2) A growth projecting from a mucous membrane, as on the colon or vocal cords.

• She had had a polyp removed from her throat, and for two weeks afterward she could only whisper.

This term comes from polypous , a Greek word for “octopus,” which meant literally “many-footed.” To the untrained eye, the invertebrate known as the polyp may likewise appear to be many-footed, though it never walks anywhere since its “feet” are tentacles, used for stinging tiny organisms which the polyp then devours. The types of tumor known as polyps got their name because some seem to be attached to the surface by branching “foot”-like roots, even though most do not. Polyps of the nose or vocal cords are usually only inconvenient, causing breathing difficulty or hoarseness, and can be removed easily; however, polyps in the intestines can sometimes turn cancerous.

polyglot \ˈpä-lē-ˌglät\ (1) One who can speak or write several languages. (2) Having or using several languages.

• As trade between countries increases, there is more need for polyglots who can act as negotiators.

Polyglot contains the root glot, meaning “language.” It is used both as a noun and as an adjective. Thus, we could say that an international airport is bound to be polyglot , with people from all over the world speaking their native languages. One of history's more interesting polyglots was the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who claimed that he addressed his horse only in German, conversed with women in Italian and with men in French, but reserved Spanish (his original language) for his talks with God.

polymer \ˈpä-lə-mər\ A chemical compound formed by a reaction in which two or more molecules combine to form larger molecules with repeating structural units.

• Nylon, a polymer commercially introduced in 1938, can be spun and woven into fabrics or cast as tough, elastic blocks.

There are many natural polymers, including shellac, cellulose, and rubber. But synthetic polymers only came into being around 1870 with Celluloid, known especially for its use in photographic film. After many decades of development, the polymeric compounds now include polypropylene, used in milk crates, luggage, and hinges; polyurethane, used in paints, adhesives, molded items, rubbers, and foams; and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), used to make pipes that won't rust. And let's not forget polyester , which gave us a lot of uncool clothing in the 1970s but whose strength and resistance to corrosion have ensured that it remains an extremely useful material for all kinds of goods.

polygraph \ˈpä-lē-ˌgraf\ An instrument for recording changes in several bodily functions (such as blood pressure and rate of breathing) at the same time; lie detector.

• My brother-in-law is completely law-abiding, but he's such a nervous type that he's failed two polygraph tests at job interviews.

With its graph- root (see GRAPH ), polygraph indicates that it writes out several different results. A polygraph's output consists of a set of squiggly lines on a computer screen, each indicating one function being tested. The functions most commonly measured are blood pressure, breathing rate, pulse, and perspiration, all of which tend to increase when you lie. Polygraphs have been in use since 1924, and have gotten more sensitive over the years, though many experts still believe that they're unreliable and that a prepared liar can fool the machine. They're used not only for law enforcement but perhaps more often by employers—often the police department itself!—who don't want to hire someone who has broken the law in the past but won't admit to it.

PRIM comes from primus, the Latin word for “first.” Something primary is first in time, rank, or importance. Something primitive is in its first stage of development. And something primeval had its origin in the first period of world or human history.

primal \ˈprī-məl\ Basic or primitive.

• There was always a primal pleasure in listening to the rain beat on the roof at night and dropping off to sleep in front of the fire.

Primal generally describes something powerful and almost instinctual. So when we speak of the primal innocence of youth or the primal intensity of someone's devotion, we're suggesting that the emotions or conditions being described are basic to our animal nature. Sitting around a campfire may feel like a primal experience, in which we share the emotions of our cave-dwelling ancestors. Intense fear of snakes or spiders may have primal roots, owing to the poison that some species carry. In “primal scream” therapy, popular in the 1970s, patients relive painful childhood experiences and express their frustration and anger through uncontrolled screaming and even violence.

primer \ˈpri-mər\ (1) A small book for teaching children to read. (2) A small introductory book on a subject.

• She announced that she'd be passing out a primer on mutual funds at the end of the talk.

Primers were once a standard part of every child's education. The first primer printed in North America, The New England Primer (ca. 1690), was typical; it contained many quotations from the Bible and many moral lessons, and the text was accompanied by numerous woodcut illustrations. We no longer use the word in early education, but it's widely used in everyday speech. Notice how primer is pronounced; don't mix it up with the kind of paint that's pronounced with a long i sound.

primate \ˈprī-ˌmāt\ Any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys.

• Dr. Leakey sent three young women to work with individual primates: Jane Goodall with the chimpanzees, Dian Fossey with the gorillas, and Birute Galdakis with the orangutans.

It was the great biologist Carolus Linnaeus who gave the primates their name, to indicate that animals of this order were the most advanced of all. Linnaeus listed human beings with the apes a hundred years before Charles Darwin would publish his famous work on evolution. When people told him that our close relationship to the apes and monkeys was impossible because it disagreed with the Bible, he responded that, from the biological evidence, he simply couldn't come to a different conclusion. Among the mammals, the primates are distinguished by their large brains, weak sense of smell, lack of claws, long pregnancies, and long childhoods, among other things. Along with the apes and monkey, the Primate order includes such interesting animals as the lemurs, tarsiers, galagos, and lorises.

primordial \prī-ˈmȯr-dē-əl\ (1) First created or developed. (2) Existing in or from the very beginning.

• Many astronomers think the universe is continuing to evolve from a primordial cloud of gas.

Primordial can be traced back to the Latin word primordium, or “origin,” and applies to something that is only the starting point in a course of development or progression. A primordial landscape is one that bears no sign of human use, and a primordial cell is the first formed and least specialized in a line of cells. The substance out of which the earth was formed and from which all life evolved is commonly called “the primordial ooze” or “the primordial soup”—even by scientists.

Quiz 3-3

A. Fill in each blank with the correct letter:

a. primer

b. polyglot

c. primate

d. polygraph

e. polyp

f. primordial

g. polymer

h. primal

1. The only language instruction the child had ever gotten was from a basic ___, but he was already reading at the fifth-grade level.

2. Rubber is a natural ___ that remains the preferred material for many uses.

3. The asteroids in our solar system may be remnants of a ___ cloud of dust.

4. She had never passed a ___ test, since apparently her heart rate always shot up when she was asked a question.

5. All the ___ species look after their children for much longer than almost any other mammals.

6. Having gone to school in four countries as a child, she was already a fluent ___.

7. They were charmed by the ___ innocence of the little village.

8. The medical tests had revealed a suspicious-looking ___ on his stomach.

Answers

B. Indicate whether the following pairs have the same or different meanings:

1. polyp / oyster

same ___ / different ___

2. primate / ape-family member

same ___ / different ___

3. polymer / molecule with repeating units

same ___ / different ___

4. primer / firstborn

same ___ / different ___

5. polyglot / speaking many languages

same ___ / different ___

6. primal / highest

same ___ / different ___

7. polygraph / lie detector

same ___ / different ___

8. primordial / primitive

same ___ / different ___

Answers

HOM/HOMO comes from homos, the Greek word for “same,” which in English words may also mean “similar.” A homograph is a word spelled like another word but different in meaning or pronunciation, and a homosexual is a person who favors others of the same sex. (This root has nothing to do with the Latin homo , meaning “person,” as in Homo sapiens, the French homme , and the Spanish hombre .)

homonym \ˈhä-mə-ˌnim\ One of two or more words pronounced and/or spelled alike but different in meaning.

• The pool of “a pool of water” and the pool of “a game of pool” are homonyms.

Homonym can be troublesome because it may refer to three distinct classes of words. Homonyms may be words with identical pronunciations but different spellings and meanings, such as to, too, and two . Or they may be words with both identical pronunciations and identical spellings but different meanings, such as quail (the bird) and quail (to cringe). Finally, they may be words that are spelled alike but are different in pronunciation and meaning, such as the bow of a ship and bow that shoots arrows. The first and second types are sometimes called homophones , and the second and third types are sometimes called homographs —which makes naming the second type a bit confusing. Some language scholars prefer to limit homonym to the third type.

homogeneous \ˌhō-mə-ˈjē-nē-əs\ (1) Of the same or a similar kind. (2) Of uniform structure or composition throughout.

• Though she was raised in a small town, she found the city more interesting because its population was less homogeneous.

A slab of rock is homogeneous if it consists of the same material throughout, like granite or marble. A neighborhood might be called homogeneous if all the people in it are similar, having pretty much the same background, education, and outlook. Homogeneity is fine in a rock, though some people find it a little boring in a neighborhood (while others find it comforting). Note that many people spell this word homogenous , and pronounce it that way too.

homologous \hō-ˈmä-lə-gəs\ Developing from the same or a similar part of a remote ancestor.

• Arms and wings are homologous structures that reveal the ancient relationship between birds and four-legged animals.

In his famous discussion of the panda's thumb, Stephen Jay Gould carefully explains how this thumb is not homologous to the human thumb. Although the two digits are used in much the same way (the panda's thumb is essential for stripping bamboo of its tasty leaves, the staple of the panda's diet), the panda's thumb developed from a bone in its wrist and is an addition to the five “fingers” of its paw. The tiny stirrup and anvil bones of our inner ear, however, do seem to be homologous with the bones that allow a garter snake to swallow a frog whole.

homogenize \hō-ˈmä-jə-ˌnīz\ (1) To treat (milk) so that the fat is mixed throughout instead of floating on top. (2) To change (something) so that its parts are the same or similar.

• By now the suburb had gotten so homogenized that he couldn't tell the families on his street apart.

Homogenized milk has been around so long—about a hundred years—that many Americans have never seen milk with the cream on top, and probably think cream separation only happens in expensive yogurt. But homogenize was being used before anyone succeeded in getting milk and cream to mix. People who use the word often dislike the idea that everything is becoming the same, whether it's radio shows that are no longer produced locally or schools that rely too much on standardized testing.

DIS comes from Latin, where it means “apart.” In English, its meanings have increased to include “opposite” or “not” (as in distaste, disagreeable ), “deprive of” (disinfect ), or “exclude or expel from” (disbar ). The original meaning can still be seen in a word like dissipate, which means “to break up and scatter.”

dissuade \di-ˈswād\ To convince (someone) not to do something.

• The thought of the danger he might be facing on the journey makes her uneasy, and she's trying to dissuade him from going.

Dissuade is the opposite of persuade , though it's a less common word. The dissuading may be done by a person or by something else: A bad weather forecast may dissuade a fisherman from going out to sea that day, but a warning on a cigarette pack almost never dissuades a real smoker from having his or her next cigarette.

disorient \dis-ˈȯr-ē-ˌent\ To cause to be confused or lost.

• By now the hikers were completely disoriented, and darkness was falling fast.

The Orient is the East (just as the Occident is the West). The verb orient comes from the traditional practice of building Christian churches so that the altar is at the building's easterly end—in other words, “orienting” the church. One reason for this practice is that the Book of Matthew says, “As the lightning comes from the East . . . so also will the Son of Man”—that is, just like the sun in the morning, Jesus in his Second Coming will appear in the East. Orienteering is participating in a cross-country race in which each person uses a map and compass to navigate the course. Orient comes from the word meaning “to rise” (like the sun), and still today it's easy for a hiker to become disoriented when an overcast sky hides the sun.

discredit \dis-ˈkre-dət\ (1) To cause (someone or something) to seem dishonest or untrue. (2) To damage the reputation of (someone).

• His book had been thoroughly discredited by scholars, and his reputation was badly damaged.

Since one meaning of credit is “trust,” discredit means basically “destroy one's trust.” A scientific study may be discredited if it turns out it was secretly written up by someone paid by a drug company. An autobiography may be discredited if someone discovers that the best parts came out of a novel. A lawyer may try to discredit testimony in a trial by revealing that the witness just got out of the slammer. Many political campaigns rely on discrediting one's opponents; desperate politicians have learned that, if they can claim that someone attacking them has been completely discredited, it might work even if it isn't true.

dislodge \dis-ˈläj\ To force out of a place, especially a place of rest, hiding, or defense.

• Senators are attempting to dislodge the bill from the committee, where the chairman has failed to act on it for five months.

A lodge is usually a kind of roominghouse or hotel, and the verb lodge often means staying or sleeping in such a place. Thus, dislodge means removing a person or thing from where it's been staying. So, for instance, you might use a toothpick to dislodge a seed from between your teeth, police might use tear gas to dislodge a sniper from his hiding place, and a slate tile dislodged from a roof could be dangerous to someone hanging out on the street below.

Quiz 3-4

A. Choose the closest definition:

1. dislodge

a. drink slowly b. scatter c. make pale d. remove

2. homonym

a. word meaning the same as another b. word spelled and sounded the same as another c. one with same name as another d. one who loves another of the same sex

3. discredit

a. cancel a bank card b. show to be untrue c. dissolve d. lower one's grade

4. homogeneous

a. self-loving b. unusually brilliant c. having many parts d. consistent throughout

5. dissuade

a. remove b. break up c. advise against d. sweep away

6. homologous

a. of different length b. of similar size c. of different stages d. of similar origin

7. disorient

a. confuse b. disagree c. take away d. hide

8. homogenize

a. treat as the same b. explain thoroughly c. speak the same language d. mix thoroughly

Answers

B. Match the definition on the left to the correct word on the right:

1. word spelled like another a. disorient

2. pry loose b. homogenize

3. having a consistent texture c. dissuade

4. perplex d. homonym

5. evolutionarily related e. discredit

6. damage a reputation f. homologous

7. make the same throughout g. dislodge

8. convince otherwise h. homogeneous

Answers

Latin Borrowings

ad hoc \ˈad-ˈhäk\ Formed or used for a particular purpose or for immediate needs.

• The faculty formed an ad hoc committee to deal with the question of First Amendment rights on campus.

Ad hoc literally means “for this” in Latin, and in English this almost always means “for this specific purpose.” Issues that come up in the course of a project often require immediate, ad hoc solutions. An ad hoc investigating committee is authorized to look into a matter of limited scope. An ad hoc ruling by an athletic council is intended to settle a particular case, and is not meant to serve as a model for later rulings. If an organization deals with too many things on an ad hoc basis, it may mean someone hasn't been doing enough planning.

ad hominem \ˈad-ˈhä-mə-nem\ Marked by an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the arguments made or the issues raised.

• Presidential campaigns have often relied on ad hominem attacks rather than serious discussion of important issues.

Ad hominem in Latin means “to the man”—that is, “against the other person.” The term comes from the field of rhetoric (the art of speaking and writing). If you have a weak argument, one easy way to defend yourself has always been to attack your opponent verbally in a personal way. Since such attacks require neither truth nor logic to be effective, their popularity has never waned.

alter ego \ˈȯl-tər-ˈē-gō\ (1) A trusted friend or personal representative. (2) The opposite side of a personality.

• The White House chief of staff is a political alter ego, who knows, or should know, who and what the President considers most important.

In Latin, alter ego literally means “second I.” An alter ego can be thought of as a person's clone or second self. A professional alter ego might be a trusted aide who knows exactly what the boss wants done. A personal alter ego might be a close friend who is almost like a twin. Alter ego can also refer to the second, hidden side of one's own self. In Robert Louis Stevenson's classic The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is a good-hearted, honorable man; but after taking a potion, his alter ego, the loathsome and diabolical Mr. Hyde, takes over his personality.

de facto \dē-ˈfak-tō\ Being such in practice or effect, although not formally recognized; actual.

• Although there was never a general declaration of war, the two countries were at war in a de facto sense for almost a decade.

Literally meaning “from the fact,” de facto in English can be applied to anything that has the substance of something without its formal name. A de facto government is one that operates with all of the power of a regular government but without official recognition. De facto segregation isn't the result of laws, but can be just as real and deep-rooted as legally enforced segregation. The de facto leader of a group is just the one who all the rest seem to follow. (Compare  de jure  .)

quid pro quo \ˌkwid-ˌprō-ˈkwō\ Something given or received for something else.

• He did something very nice for me years ago, so getting him that job was really a quid pro quo.

In Latin, quid pro quo means literally “something for something.” Originally, the phrase was used to mean the substitution of an inferior medicine for a good one. Today it often doesn't suggest anything negative; for most people, it just means “a favor for a favor.” But in politics the phrase is often used when, for example, a wealthy corporation gives a lot of money to a candidate and expects to get a big favor in return. In such cases, some of us may prefer to describe the money as a bribe and the quid pro quo as a payoff .

ex post facto \ˌeks-ˌpōst-ˈfak-tō\ Done, made, or formulated after the fact.

• When Carl tells us his “reasons” for why he behaved badly, they're nothing but ex post facto excuses for impulsive behavior.