Today’s words are – COUP and GOLF. COUP means – a SUDDEN STROKE, AN UNEXPECTED DEVICE OR STRATEGEM, A TERM USED IN VARIOUS WAYS TO CONVEY THE IDEA OF PROMPTNESS AND FORCE. GOLF means – A GAME PLAYED ON A LARGE OPEN COURSE WITH 9 OR 18 HOLES; THE OBJECT IS TO USE AS FEW STROKES AS POSSIBLE IN PLAYING …
Continue ReadingThe word for today is DIPLOMA – which means – FOLDED PAPER. Today it is a document issued by an educational institution. The Greek word- DIPL – means – TWICE. This is better understood by understanding travel in ancient times. The distance from Rome to Britain is about 1100 miles. An official messenger would make the trip by horse in …
Continue ReadingThe word for today is CORDIAL. This may be taken in two ways. It is a warm cozy meaning and we shall take a look at the origin. The Latin word – COR, CORDIS (gen. sing.) means HEART. If something is CORDIAL, it is from THE HEART. The ancient Romans believed that the heart was the seat of not only our emotions …
Continue ReadingThe following words: INSULT, RESULT, EXULT, CONSULT, RESILIENT, SALIENT, SALTATORIAL, & DESULTORY all come from the Latin word meaning TO JUMP – SALIRE. INSULT – means – TO JUMP UPON, TO STOMP RESULT – means – TO JUMP BACK EXULT – means – TO JUMP OUT OF (your body) CONSULT – means – TO JUMP TOGETHER RESILIENT – means – TO JUMP OR SPRING BACK …
Continue ReadingREVOLUTIONARY- as found in the title of Copernicus’ book “DE REVOLUTIONIBUS”. Today we know about Galileo and Copernicus setting the Church straight on what celestial body revolves around another. The Church had taught that man was the center of the universe and that the sun must therefore, revolve around the earth. Galileo and Copernicus using telescopes proved that the earth …
Continue ReadingMany years ago when I was teaching in a Junior High, I knew a very clever man who would identify his problem students as having just one mother. Little did he know that one day some student may appear having two mothers. The word for today is SURROGATE – from the Latin SURROGATUS – meaning A SUBSTITUTE. A surrogate mother …
Continue ReadingThe words – COSMOPOLITE and METROPOLITAN – are used in reference to world travelers and large cities. COSMOPOLITE is the noun form referring to a person who is COSMOPOLITAN – from the Greek words – COSMOS meaning THE WORLD, and POLIS meaning CITY. It is pronounced by placing the accent on the middle part of the wor – COS – …
Continue ReadingThe word ANNIVERSARY usually elicits memories of things past, marriage being one of the most common in memory. There is a Latin verb – VERTO, VERTERE, VERSUS – meaning TO TURN, which is the root in these following words: ANNIVERSARY: the turning of the years (annus – year) TERGIVERSATION: to turn your back (tergum – back) REVERSE, REVERT, REVERSION: to turn back …
Continue ReadingThe following Latin prefixes are used in English: INTER – between, among INTRA – within, inside INTRO – within EXTRA – outside In an intercollegiate contest the contest is between one or more colleges. In an intracollegiate contest the contest is within the same school as when the freshmen play against the sophomores. What is the difference between: INTERMURAL AND …
Continue ReadingThe words – NO, NOT – come from the Latin adverb – NON. This adverb is used in a multitude of English words such as: NONBELIEVER, NONCHALANT, NONCOM, NONCONFORMIST, NONESSENTIAL, NONGRATA, NONNEGOTIABLE, NONPAREIL, NONPARTISAN, NONPLUS, NONPRODUCTIVE, NONSMOKER. NONCHALANT – comes through the French but ultimately from the Latin word – CALERE – which means – TO HEAT UP, TO BE …
Continue Reading