Vocabulary and Etymology

Since you're reading this, then you probably have some interest in etymology, because it's the study of the history and derivations of words.
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Explain word origins in context of the lesson. For example, while studying Spanish explorers, explain that Balboa, after sailing the choppy waters of the Atlantic, crossed the Isthmus of Panama. Delighted by the calm and peaceful waters on the other side, he named it the Pacific Ocean.

Other words with the same root include pacifist and pacifier , two items associated with peace and calm. Analyze words like "hyperbole" with this absolute amazing, best ever created Greek and Latin Root Lesson Plan linked at the bottom of this article. Engage your class in an analyzing word parts challenge based on the greatest lesson plan ever written in the entire history of education, the Context Clues Challenge Lesson Plan. Teaching is most effective when we model the desired behavior. As you read break down difficult words by analyzing word parts.

For example, you read the word "anachronism. Explain that chrono means time, ism makes it a noun, and an means "without or out of. Give a few examples: References Image from Wikipedia Author's Experience.

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Effective Vocabulary Instruction Increasing student vocabulary enhances their ability to communicate effectively. They are characterised by their good use of language. Soliloquy therefore means the act of speaking to oneself. Speaking loftily and bombastically — in a grand manner is what grandiloquence means. Again, magniloquence means to speak pompously in a highly exaggerated manner. Stay tuned for more GRE vocabulary related perspectives. Want to learn many more words the fun way? Check out our GRE flashcards, tailored for the Indian test-taker! Your email address will not be published.

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In linguistics, the term etymon refers to a word or morpheme e. For example, the Latin word candidus , which means "white", is the etymon of English candid. Etymological theory recognizes that words originate through a limited number of basic mechanisms, the most important of which are language change , borrowing i. While the origin of newly emerged words is often more or less transparent, it tends to become obscured through time due to sound change or semantic change.


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Due to sound change , it is not readily obvious that the English word set is related to the word sit the former is originally a causative formation of the latter. It is even less obvious that bless is related to blood the former was originally a derivative with the meaning "to mark with blood". Semantic change may also occur.

For example, the English word bead originally meant "prayer". It acquired its modern meaning through the practice of counting the recitation of prayers by using beads.

ALS 102 - Studies in Vocabulary and Etymology

English derives from Old English sometimes referred to as Anglo-Saxon , a West Germanic variety, although its current vocabulary includes words from many languages. Pronouns are also cognate: However, language change has eroded many grammatical elements, such as the noun case system, which is greatly simplified in modern English, and certain elements of vocabulary, some of which are borrowed from French.

Although many of the words in the English lexicon come from Romance languages, most of the common words used in English are of Germanic origin. When the Normans conquered England in see Norman Conquest , they brought their Norman language with them. During the Anglo-Norman period, which united insular and continental territories, the ruling class spoke Anglo-Norman , while the peasants spoke the vernacular English of the time.

This led to many paired words of French and English origin.

ALS - Studies in Vocabulary and Etymology - Acalog ACMS™

All these words, French and English, refer to the meat rather than to the animal. Words that refer to farm animals, on the other hand, tend to be cognates of words in other Germanic languages. The variant usage has been explained by the proposition that it was the Norman rulers who mostly ate meat an expensive commodity and the Anglo-Saxons who farmed the animals.


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This explanation has passed into common folklore but has been disputed. English has proved accommodating to words from many languages. Scientific terminology, for example, relies heavily on words of Latin and Greek origin, but there are a great many non-scientific examples.

Spanish has contributed many words, particularly in the southwestern United States. Examples include buckaroo , alligator , rodeo , savvy , and states' names such as Colorado and Florida. Albino , palaver , lingo , verandah , and coconut from Portuguese ; diva and prima donna from Italian. Smorgasbord , slalom , and ombudsman are from Swedish, Norwegian and Danish ; sauna from Finnish ; adobe , alcohol , algebra , algorithm , apricot , assassin , caliber , cotton , hazard , jacket , jar , julep , mosque , Muslim , orange , safari , sofa , and zero from Arabic often via other languages ; behemoth , hallelujah , Satan , jubilee , and rabbi from Hebrew ; taiga , steppe , Bolshevik , and sputnik from Russian.

Bandanna , bungalow , dungarees , guru , karma , and pundit come from Urdu , Hindi and ultimately Sanskrit ; curry from Tamil ; honcho , sushi , and tsunami from Japanese ; dim sum , gung ho , kowtow , kumquat and typhoon from Cantonese.

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Kampong and amok are from Malay ; and boondocks from the Tagalog word for hills or mountains, bundok. Ketchup derives from one or more South-East Asia and East Indies words for fish sauce or soy sauce , likely by way of Chinese, though the precise path is unclear: Surprisingly few loanwords, however, come from other languages native to the British Isles. Those that exist include coracle , cromlech and probably flannel , gull and penguin from Welsh ; galore and whisky from Scottish Gaelic ; phoney , trousers , and Tory from Irish ; and eerie and canny from Scots or related Northern English dialects.

Many Canadian English and American English words especially but not exclusively plant and animal names are loanwords from Indigenous American languages , such as barbecue , bayou , chili , chipmunk , hooch , hurricane , husky , mesquite , opossum , pecan , squash , toboggan , and tomato. The search for meaningful origins for familiar or strange words is far older than the modern understanding of linguistic evolution and the relationships of languages, which began no earlier than the 18th century.