The Greek & Latin Roots of English

The
GREEK & LATIN
ROOTS
of
ENGLISH

FIFTH EDITION

The
GREEK & LATIN
ROOTS
of
ENGLISH

Tamara M. Green

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
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Copyright © 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield
First edition 1990. Second edition 1994. Third edition 2003. Fourth edition 2008.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Green, Tamara Marcus, 1944– author.

The Greek & Latin roots of English / Tamara M. Green. — Fifth edition.

     pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4422-3327-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-3328-7 (electronic)
1. English language—Foreign elements—Greek. 2. English language—Foreign elements—Latin. 3. Greek language—Influence on English. 4. Latin language—Influence on English. 5. English language—Roots. I. Title. II. Title: Greek and Latin roots of English.

PE1582.G6G74 2014

422'.48—dc23                                                                2014008859

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/ NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Preface

1. A Polyglot Stew (Or Food for Thought)

I'm So Hungry!

What Shall We Have for Dinner?

2. Language and History

Language Families

The Branches of the Indo-European Tree

A Brief History of English

An Outline of the History of the English Language

And What Is More

Some Useful Terms

Exercises

3. How Latin Works

Inflected Languages

Latin Nouns and Adjectives

Finding the Stem of a Latin Noun or Adjective

Latin Verbs

Conjugations

Finding the Stem of a Latin Verb

Some Very Useful Latin Verbs

Exercises

4. Latin into English

Forming New Words

I. Adjective-Forming Suffixes Used with Latin Noun Stems

II. Noun-Forming Suffixes Used with Latin Nouns and Adjectives

III. Diminutive-Forming Suffixes with Latin Nouns

IV. Nouns and Adjectives Formed from Latin Verbs

V. Verbal Suffixes

VI. Verbal Learned Borrowings

Exercises

5. How Greek Works

The Greek Alphabet

Rules for Transliterating Greek Words into English

Cognates

Exercises

6. Greek into English

Greek Suffixes

I. Adjective-Forming Suffixes

II. Noun-Forming Suffixes

III. Learned Borrowings

Exercises

7. Latin and Greek Prefixes

I. Latin Prepositions

II. Greek Prepositions

III. Prefixes Derived from Greek and Latin Adjectives and Adverbs

Exercises

8. Latin and Greek Numbers

Countdown

Latin Numbers

Greek Numbers

Exercises

9. Government and Politics

Greek Politics

Roman Politics

Governmental Bureaucracy

The Law

War and Peace

Exercises

10. Psychology

Modern Theories of Psychology

Ancient Psychological Theory

Love and Marriage

States of Feeling

The Four Humors

Star Wars

Science and the Human Mind

Exercises

11. The Social Sciences

Theory and Practice

Anthropology

Sociology

Economics

Exercises

12. Human Biology and Medicine I

Modern Medicine and Ancient Terminology

The Human Body

Medical Specialties

Diagnosis and Treatment

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Exercises

13. Human Biology and Medicine II

Advanced Medical Training

The Circulatory System

The Respiratory System

The Digestive System

The Reproductive System

The Endocrine System

More Useful Beginnings and Endings

Exercises

14. Science and Mathematics

Ancient and Modern Science

The Biological Sciences

Astronomy

Chemistry

Physics

Geology

Geography

Meteorology

Mathematics

Islamic Science

Exercises

15. It's an Academic Question

Greek and Roman Education

Books and Libraries

Exercises

16. The Classical Influence

Europe and the Classical Heritage

The Fine Arts

City Planning

Literature

Theater

Music

Athletics, Competition, and Excellence

Exercises

17. Myth, Religion, and Philosophy

Greek and Roman Religion and Myth

The Greek and Roman Gods

The Calendar

Other Times
…

Other Places
…

Troy

Ancient Peoples and Places

Philosophy

The Language of Christianity

Exercises

18. Lingua Latina Etiam Vivit! (The Latin Language Still Lives!)

Exercises

Greek Vocabulary

Latin Vocabulary

About the Author

Preface

“Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a stone.” Ralph Waldo Emerson's words are a recognition that the development of language and the ways in which we use it have been, in large measure, historically and culturally determined. But it is also true that not only do individuals and cultures shape language but language shapes us; the way we speak and what we say define us and allow us to articulate our worldview. Ideas take on life only when we can give them expression, and one of the ways by which we do this is through our ability to use language. The more adept we are at this, the greater are our opportunities to explore and create and interpret the variety of our experiences.

Because language is a social product, it is constantly changing, not only structurally, but in the very meaning of words. No language perhaps offers a better opportunity to understand linguistic change than English, especially in the realm of vocabulary. English has absorbed vocabulary from other languages, but as a result of both the accidents of history and the great esteem in which ancient Greek and Roman culture had been held in the European tradition, over 60 percent of all English words have Greek or Latin roots; in the vocabulary of the sciences and technology, the figure rises to over 90 percent. Thus, through the study of the Greek and Latin roots of English, students not only can expand their knowledge of English vocabulary, but also come to understand the ways in which the history of the English language have shaped our perceptions of the world around us.

The approach of this text is thematic: vocabulary is organized into various topics, including politics and government, psychology, medicine and the biological sciences, literature, ancient culture, and religion and philosophy. Unlike those textbooks that treat Latin and Greek roots separately, these lessons present the two vocabularies as an organic whole. Thus, the emphasis is placed on language and the way in which it has developed and changed, rather than on single words, or even groups of words. The exercises at the end of each chapter are cumulative, reinforcing both vocabulary already learned and analytical skills developed in previous lessons. In addition to teaching vocabulary skills, the text has another, perhaps more subtle, aim. It is hoped that through the study of the Greek and Latin roots of English, students will begin to learn the pleasures (and pitfalls) of language study.