English Vocabulary via Greek and Latin Root Word Origins
- Magister Brunner
- I have long been fascinated by Greek and Roman mythology, and the Greek and Latin roots of English vocabulary words; their infusion within the English language respectively forms the core of cultural literacy and English vocabulary. Learning a vast array of English vocabulary words can help people write more powerfully, speak clearly and confidently, and read with a much deeper appreciation for great literature, not to mention perform well on college and graduate school entrance examinations, such as the SAT and GRE. Other than intense reading itself, there is no better way of learning and, most importantly, remembering English vocabulary words than by learning Greek and Latin root words. My own love for reading and subsequent keen interest in English vocabulary began with the B.A. (hon) degree in English I received from UW Madison, and continued with the M.A. in English I earned from the University of Virginia; I currently teach Latin and Greek and Roman mythology at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, VA, farm organically, am Executive Editor of Membean.com, and practice yoga and dhyana on a daily basis (qigong when clement!).
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Fallo, fallere, fefelli, falsum--trick, deceive
A fair number of words come from this Latin root, all of which have to do with tricking or deceiving. Something "false" is deceiving, a "fallacious" answer has deviations from the truth, someone who is "infallible" cannot be tricked, and a "fault" in the Earth is a tricky spot from which earthquakes originate, that is, it's not solid, but deceptive. The most interesting etymology with this root is probably the word "faucet:" a faucet does not indicate the ‘true’ flow of water in the pipe, but rather regulates the flow by how much the valve is opened, thereby ‘deceiving’ the user as to its actual flow rate. Check out other word trees at Greek and Latin Roots examples.
