Merriam-Webster’s Vocabulary Builder Unit 17 – Flashcards
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ANIM
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ANIM comes from the Latin anima, meaning "breath" or "soul." So, for example, an animal is a living, breathing thing—though human animals have often argued about whether other species actually have souls.
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animated
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(1) Full of life; lively, vigorous, active. (2) Seeming or appearing to be alive.
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magnanimous
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(1) Showing a lofty and courageous spirit. (2) Generous and forgiving.
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animosity
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Ill will or resentment.
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inanimate
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(1) Not alive; lifeless. (2) Not lively; dull.
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FIG
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FIG comes from a Latin verb meaning "to shape or mold" and a noun meaning "a form or shape." So a figure is usually a shape. A transfiguration transforms the shape or appearance of something. And a disfiguring injury changes the appearance of part of the body for the worse.
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figurative
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(1) Representing form or figure in art. (2) Saying one thing in terms normally meaning or describing another thing.
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configuration
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An arrangement of parts or elements; shape, design.
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effigy
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An image of a person, especially a crude representation of a hated person.
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figment
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Something made up or imagined.
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ANN/ENN
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ANN/ENN comes from Latin annus, meaning "year." An annual event occurs yearly. An anniversary is an example of an annual event, although the older you get the more frequent they seem to be.
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annuity
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Money that is payable yearly or on some regular basis, or a contract providing for such payment.
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superannuated
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(1) Outworn, old-fashioned, or out-of-date. (2) Forced to retire because of old age or infirmity.
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millennium
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(1) A period of time lasting 1,000 years, or the celebration of a 1,000-year anniversary. (2) A period of great happiness and perfection on earth.
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perennial
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(1) Continuing to grow for several years. (2) Enduring or continuing without interruption.
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EV
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EV comes from the Latin aevum, "age" or "lifetime." Though the root occurs in only a few English words, it's related to the Greek aion, "age," from which we get the word eon, meaning "a very long period of time."
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coeval
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Having the same age or lasting the same amount of time; contemporary.
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longevity
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(1) A long duration of life. (2) Length of life; long continuance.
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medieval
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(1) Relating to the Middle Ages of European history, from about A.D. 500 to 1500. (2) Extremely out-of-date.
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primeval
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(1) Having to do with the earliest ages; primitive or ancient. (2) Existing from the beginning.
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CORP
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CORP comes from corpus, the Latin word for "body." A corpse is a dead body. A corporation is also a kind of body, since it may act almost like an individual. And a corps is a "body" of soldiers.
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corporeal
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Having or relating to a physical body; substantial.
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corpulent
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Having a large, bulky body; obese.
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corporal
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Relating to or affecting the body.
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incorporate
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(1) To blend or combine into something already existing to form one whole. (2) To form or form into a corporation.
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TANG/TACT
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TANG/TACT comes from the Latin words tangere, "to touch," and tactus, "sense of touch." So, for instance, to make contact is to touch or "get in touch with".
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tact
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The ability to deal with others without offending them.
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tactile
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(1) Able to be perceived by touching. (2) Relating to the sense of touch.
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tangential
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Touching lightly; incidental.
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tangible
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Able to be perceived, especially by touch; physical, substantial.
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CODI/CODE
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CODI/CODE comes from the Latin codex, meaning "trunk of a tree" or "document written on wooden tablets." A code can be either a set of laws or a system of symbols used to write messages. To encode a message is to write it in code. A genetic code, transmitted by genes, is a set of instructions for everything from blood type to eye color.
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codex
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A book in handwritten form, especially a book of Scripture, classics, or ancient texts.
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codicil
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(1) An amendment or addition made to a will. (2) An appendix or supplement.
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codify
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To arrange according to a system; classify.
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decode
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(1) To put a coded message into an understandable form. (2) To find the underlying meaning of; decipher.
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SIGN
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SIGN comes from the Latin noun signum, "mark or sign." A signal is a kind of sign. Your signature is your own personal sign. And an architect's design marks out the pattern for a building.
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signify
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(1) To be a sign of something; to mean something. (2) To show or make known, especially by a sign.
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insignia
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A badge of authority or honor; a distinguishing sign or mark.
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signatory
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A person or government that signs an agreement with others; especially a government that agrees with others to abide by a signed agreement.
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signet
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(1) A seal used instead of a signature to give personal or official authority to a document. (2) A small engraved seal, often in the form of a ring.
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QUADR/QUART
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QUADR/QUART comes from Latin words meaning "four" or "fourth." In English, a quart is one-fourth of a gallon, just as a quarter is one-court of a dollar. A quadrangle has four sides and angles but isn't necessarily square. And quadruplets are four babies born at the same time.
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quadrant
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(1) A quarter of a circle. (2) Any of the four quarters into which something is divided by two lines intersecting at right angles.
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quadrille
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A square dance popular in the 18th and 19th century, made up of five or six patterns for four couples.
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quadriplegic
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Paralyzed in both arms and both legs.
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quartile
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One of four equal groups each containing a quarter of a statistical population.
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TETR
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TETR comes from the Greek word for "four." In the immensely popular video game Tetris, for example, each of the pieces the game is played with has four segments. But the root usually shows up in long chemical names.
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tetracycline
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A yellow broad-spectrum antibiotic.
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tetrahedron
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A solid shape formed by four flat faces.
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tetralogy
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A set of four connected literary, artistic, or musical works.
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tetrapod
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A vertebrate with two pairs of limbs.
