CHAPTER 14

How to Talk About Common Phenomena and Occurrences

Sessions 39–41 · Source

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What word aptly describes:

dire poverty?
emotion experienced without direct participation?
something which lasts a very short time?
an inoffensive word for an unpleasant idea?
light and easy banter?
someone who is cowlike in his stolidity?
homesickness?
harsh sound?
a meat-eating animal?
something kept secret?

Session 39

This world, Robert Louis Stevenson once claimed—with, I think, questionable logic—is so full of a number of things that we should all be as happy as kings.

I doubt very strongly that happiness comes from the outside, or that kings are necessarily happy. But I will go this far (and no further) with Stevenson: the world is certainly full of a number of things. For instance, poverty and misery, hospitals and insane asylums, slums and racial restrictions, cut-down forests and once fertile lands becoming progressively more arid, war and death and taxes and bumbling diplomats. I know that Stevenson had a different sort of thing in mind, for romantic poets tend to view the world through rose-tinted spectacles, but it is often necessary to counter one extreme with another—and I simply wish to set the record straight.

In this chapter we are going to discuss a number of things to be found in the world and in the minds of its inhabitants—poverty and wealth; secondhand emotions; the relativity of time; praise of various sorts; small talk and how to indulge in it; animals; longings for the past; sounds; eating habits; and many kinds and conditions of secrecy.

As you see, when you start exploring ideas, as we constantly do in these chapters, you never know what will turn up.

Session 39: 10 Key Words

IDEAS

1. for want of the green stuff

There are those people who are forced (often through no fault of their own) to pursue an existence not only devoid of such luxuries as radios, television sets, sunken bathtubs, electric orange-juice squeezers, automobiles, Jacuzzis, private swimming pools, etc., but lacking also in many of the pure necessities of living—sufficient food, heated homes, hot water, vermin- and rodent-free surroundings, decent clothing, etc.

Such people live:

in penury

2. at least watch it

All normal people want and need love and at least a modicum of excitement in their lives—so say the psychologists. If no one loves them, and if they can find no one on whom to lavish their own love, they may often satisfy their emotional longings and needs by getting their feelings secondhand—through reading love stories, attending motion pictures, watching soap operas, etc.

These are:

vicarious feelings

3. time is fleeting

During the late winter and early spring of 1948–49, great numbers of people went practically berserk joining and forming “pyramid clubs.” If you have not heard of this amazing phenomenon, I won’t attempt to describe it in any of its multifarious ramifications, but the main point was that you paid two dollars, treated some people to coffee and doughnuts, and shortly thereafter (if you were gullible enough to fall for this get-rich-quick scheme) supposedly received a return of some fantastic amount like $2,064 for your investment.

For a short time, pyramid clubs were a rage—soon they had vanished from the American scene.

Anything that lasts for but a short time and leaves no trace is:

ephemeral

4. how not to call a spade…

Words are only symbols of things—they are not the things themselves. (This, by the way, is one of the basic tenets of semantics.) But many people identify the word and the thing so closely that they fear to use certain words that symbolize things that are unpleasant to them.

I know that this is confusing, so let me illustrate.

Words having to do with death, sex, certain portions of the anatomy, excretion, etc. are avoided by certain people.

These people prefer circumlocutions—words that “talk around” an idea or that mean or imply something but don’t come right out and say so directly.

For example:

WORD	CIRCUMLOCUTION
die	expire; depart this life; pass away; leave this vale of tears
sexual intercourse	(intimate) relations; “playing house”; “shacking up”
prostitute	lady of the evening; fille de joie; painted woman; lady of easy virtue; fille de nuit; streetwalker; hooker
house of prostitution	house of ill-fame; bawdyhouse; house of ill-repute; bagnio; brothel; bordello; “house”; “massage parlor”
buttocks, behind	derrière; rear end; butt; tail
breasts	bosom; bust; curves
toilet	powder room; little girl’s room; facilities; washroom; lavatory; head

The left-hand column is the direct, non-pussyfooting word. The right-hand column is made up of:

euphemisms

5. small talk

“Whenever I’m in the dumps, I get a new suit.”

“Oh, so that’s where you get them!”

“Lend me a dime—I want to phone one of my friends.”

“Here’s a quarter—call them all.”

“The doctor says I have snoo in my blood!”

“Snoo? What’s snoo?”

“Not a darn! What’s new with you?”

“What are twins?”

“Okay, what are twins?”

“Womb mates!”

“I took a twip yesterday.”

“A twip?”

“Yes, I took a twip on a twain!”

These are examples of:

badinage

6. everything but give milk

You’ve seen a cow contentedly munching its cud. Nothing seems capable of disturbing this animal—and the animal seems to want nothing more out of life than to lead a simple, vegetable existence.

Some people are like a cow—calm, patient, placid, phlegmatic, vegetable-like. They are:

bovine

7. good old days

Do you sometimes experience a keen, almost physical, longing for associations or places of the past?

When you pass the neighborhood in which you were born and where you spent your early years, do you have a sharp, strange reaction, almost akin to mild nausea?

When you are away from home and friends and family, do pleasant remembrances crowd in on your mind to the point where your present loneliness becomes almost unbearable, and you actually feel a little sick?

This common feeling is called:

nostalgia

8. sounds that grate

Some sounds are so harsh, grating, and discordant that they offend the ear. They lack all sweetness, harmony, pleasantness. Traffic noises of a big city, electronic rock music, chalk squeaking on a blackboard…

Such blaring, ear-splitting, or spine-tingling sounds are called:

cacophonous

9. eating habits

Lions, tigers, wolves, and some other mammals subsist entirely on flesh. No spinach, salad greens, whole-wheat cereals, sugar, or spices—just good, red meat.

These mammals are:

carnivorous

10. private and public

There are certain things most of us do in private, like taking a bath. Some people like to engage in other activities in complete privacy—eating, reading, watching TV, sleeping, for example.

The point is that, while these activities may be conducted in privacy, there is never any reason for keeping them secret.

But there are other activities that are kept not only private, but well-shrouded in secrecy and concealed from public knowledge. These activities are unethical, illegal, or unsafe—like having an affair with someone whose spouse is your best friend, betraying military secrets to the enemy, trading in narcotics, bribing public officials, etc.

Arrangements, activities, or meetings that fall under this category are called:

clandestine

Can you pronounce the words?

1. penury PEN′-yə-ree

2. vicarious vī-KAR′-ee-əs

3. ephemeral ə-FEM′-ə-rəl

4. euphemism Yōō′-fə-miz-əm

5. badinage BAD′-ə-nahzh

6. bovine BŌ′-vīn′

7. nostalgia nə-STAL′-jə

8. cacophony kə-KOF′-ə-nee

9. carnivorous kahr-NIV′-ər-əs

10. clandestine klan-DES′-tin

Do you understand the words? (I)

Score: 0 / 0 out of 10

1. Do wealthy people normally live in penury?
2. Is a vicarious thrill one that comes from direct participation?
3. Do ephemeral things last a very short time?
4. Is a euphemism the substitution of an inoffensive term for another of the same meaning that may sound offensive, vulgar, or indelicate?
5. Does badinage show lighthearted frivolity?
6. Are bovine people high-strung and nervous?
7. Does one get a feeling of nostalgia for past occurrences and relationships?
8. Is cacophony pleasant and musical?
9. Do carnivorous animals eat meat?
10. Is a clandestine meeting conducted in secrecy?

Do you understand the words? (II)

Score: 0 / 0 out of 10

1. penury—affluence
2. vicarious—actual
3. ephemeral—eternal
4. euphemism—less offensive word
5. badinage—light, teasing talk
6. bovine—high-strung
7. nostalgia—longing for the past
8. cacophony—euphony
9. carnivorous—herbivorous
10. clandestine—hidden

Can you recall the words?

Score: 0 / 0 out of 10

1. harsh sound: C__________________
2. having a short life: E__________________
3. dire poverty: P__________________
4. substitution of an indirect or pleasant word or phrase for a possibly offensive one of the same meaning: E__________________
5. experienced as a spectator, rather than as a participant: V__________________
6. acute feeling of homesickness: N__________________
7. light, half-teasing banter: B__________________
8. subsisting solely on meat: C__________________
9. cowlike; stolid: B__________________
10. secret; concealed: C__________________

Session 40: Origins and Related Words

1. money, and what it will buy

The modern world operates largely by means of a price structure—wealth and poverty are therefore words that indicate the possession, on the one hand, or the lack, on the other, of money.

Penury, from Latin penuria, need, neediness, is dire, abject poverty, complete lack of financial resources. It is one of the two strongest English words there are to denote absence of money. The adjective form, penurious (pə-NYOO′-ree-əs or pə-NOO′-ree-əs), strangely enough, may mean poverty-stricken, but more commonly signifies stingy, close-fisted, niggardly; so sparing in the use of money as to give the appearance of penury.

Penurious is a synonym of parsimonious (pahr′-sə-MŌ′-nee-əs), but is much stronger in implication. A parsimonious person is stingy; a penurious person is twice as stingy. Penury, then, is poverty; penuriousness is stinginess, excessive frugality. The noun form of parsimonious is parsimony (PAHR′-sə-mō′-nee).

A somewhat milder word than penury for poverty (if you can imagine a mild degree of poverty) is indigence (IN′-də-jəns). Indigent (IN′-də-jənt) people are not absolutely penniless—they are simply living in reduced circumstances, forgoing many creature comforts, forced to undergo the type of hardships that may accompany a lack of sufficient funds.

On the other hand, a close synonym of penury, and one of equal strength, is destitution (des′-tə-TOO′-shən). Destitute (DES′-tə-toot) people do not even have the means for mere subsistence—as such, they are perhaps on the verge of starvation. Penury and destitution are not merely straitened circumstances—they are downright desperate circumstances.

To turn now to the brighter side of the picture, the possession of money, especially in increasing amounts, is expressed by affluence (AF′-loo-əns). Affluent (AF′-loo-ənt) people, people of affluence, or those living in affluent circumstances, are more than comfortable; in addition, there is the implication that their wealth is increasing. People who live in affluence probably own large and costly homes, run big, new cars, belong to expensive golf or country clubs, etc.

A much stronger term is opulence (OP′-yə-ləns), which not only implies much greater wealth than affluence, but in addition suggests lavish expenditures and ostentatiously luxurious surroundings. People of opulence own estates; drive only outrageously expensive and specially equipped cars (Rolls-Royces, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, etc.); have a corps of servants, including a major-domo; belong to golf and yacht and country clubs, etc., etc. Embroider the fantasy as much as you wish to. Opulent (OP′-yə-lənt) may describe people, surroundings, styles of life, or the like.

Affluent is a combination of the prefix ad-, to, toward (changing to af- before a root beginning with f), plus the Latin verb fluo, to flow—affluence is that delightful condition in which money keeps flowing to us, and no one ever turns off the spigot. Other words from the same root, fluo, to flow, are fluid, influence, confluence (a “flowing together”), fluent (the words flow smoothly), etc.

Opulent is from Latin opulentus, wealthy. No other English words derive from this root.

2. doing and feeling

If you watch a furious athletic event, and you get tired, though the athletes expend all the energy—that’s vicarious fatigue.

If your friend goes on a bender, and as you watch him absorb one drink after another, you begin to feel giddy and stimulated, that’s vicarious intoxication.

If you watch a mother in a motion picture or dramatic play suffer horribly at the death of her child, and you go through the same agony, that’s vicarious torment.

You can experience an emotion, then, in two ways: firsthand, through actual participation; or vicariously, by becoming empathetically involved in another person’s feelings.

Some people, for example, lead essentially dull and colorless lives. Through their children, through reading or attending the theater, however, they can experience all the emotions felt by others whose lives move along at a swift, exciting pace. These people live at second hand; they live vicariously.

3. time is relative

Elephants and turtles live almost forever; human beings in the United States have a life expectancy in general of sixty-eight to seventy-six years (though the gradual conquest of disease is constantly lengthening our span); dogs live from seven to ten years; and some insects exist for only a few hours or days.

One such short-lived creature is the dayfly, which in Greek was called ephemera. Hence anything so short-lived, so unenduring that it scarcely seems to outlast the day, may be called ephemeral.

A synonym of ephemeral is evanescent (ev′-ə-NES′-ənt), fleeting, staying for a remarkably short time, vanishing. Something intangible, like a feeling, may be called evanescent; it’s here, and before you can quite comprehend it, it’s gone—vanished.

The noun is evanescence (ev′-ə-NES′-əns); the verb is to evanesce (ev′-ə-NES′).

Evanescent is built on the prefix e- (ex-), out, the root vanesco, to vanish, and the adjective suffix -ent.

The suffix -esce often, but not always, means begin to. -Escent may mean becoming or beginning to. Thus:

adolescent—beginning to grow up; beginning to become an adult
evanesce—begin to vanish
convalesce—begin to get well after illness
putrescent—beginning to rot; beginning to become putrid
obsolescent—becoming obsolete

4. an exploration of various good things

A euphemism is a word or expression that has been substituted for another that is likely to offend—it is built on the Greek prefix eu-, good, the root pheme, voice, and the noun suffix -ism. (Etymologically, “something said in a good voice!”) Adjective: euphemistic (yoo-fə-MIS′-tik)

Other English words constructed from the prefix eu-:

1. euphony (YOO′-fə-nee)—good sound; pleasant lilt or rhythm (phone, sound)

Adjective: euphonic (yoo-FON′-ik) or euphonious (yoo-FŌ′-nee-əs)

2. eulogy (YOO′-lə-jee)—etymologically, “good speech”; a formal speech of praise, usually delivered as a funeral oration. Logos in this term means word or speech, as it did in philology. Logos more commonly means science or study, but has the alternate meaning in eulogy, philology, monologue, dialogue, epilogue (words upon the other words, or “after-words”), and prologue (words before the main part, “before-words,” or introduction).

Adjective: eulogistic (yoo′-lə-JIS′-tik); verb: eulogize (YOO′-lə-jīz′); person who delivers a eulogy: eulogist (YOO′-lə-jist)

3. euphoria (yoo-FAWR′-ee-ə)—good feeling, a sense of mental buoyancy and physical well-being

Adjective: euphoric (yoo-FAWR′-ik)

4. euthanasia (yoo′-thə-NAY′-zhə)—etymologically, “good death”; method of painless death inflicted on people suffering from incurable diseases—not legal at the present time, but advocated by many people. The word derives from eu- plus Greek thanatos, death.

5. exploration of modes of expression

Badinage is a half-teasing, non-malicious, frivolous banter, intended to amuse rather than wound. Badinage has a close synonym, persiflage (PUR′-sə-flahzh′), which is a little more derisive, a trifle more indicative of contempt or mockery—but still totally unmalicious.

In line with badinage and persiflage, there are four other forms of expression you should be familiar with: cliché (klee-SHAY′), bromide (BRŌ′-mīd′), platitude (PLAT′-ə-tood), and anodyne (AN′-ə-dīn′).

A cliché is a pattern of words which was once new and fresh, but which now is so old, worn, and threadbare that only banal, unimaginative speakers and writers ever use it. Examples are: fast and furious; unsung heroes; by leaps and bounds; conspicuous by its absence; green with envy; etc. The most devastating criticism you can make of a piece of writing is to say, “It is full of clichés”; the most pointed insult to a person’s way of talking is, “You speak in clichés.”

A bromide is any trite, dull, and probably fallacious remark that shows little evidence of original thinking, and that therefore convinces a listener of the total absence of perspicacity on the part of the speaker.

For instance, some cautious, dull-minded individual might warn you not to take a chance in these words: “Remember it’s better to be safe than sorry!”

Your sneering response might be: “Oh, that old bromide!”

A platitude is similar to a cliché or bromide, in that it is a dull, trite, hackneyed, unimaginative pattern of words—but, to add insult to injury (cliché), the speaker uses it with an air of novelty—as if he just made it up, and isn’t he the brilliant fellow!

An anodyne, in the medical sense, is a drug that allays pain without curing an illness, like aspirin or morphine. Figuratively, an anodyne is a statement made to allay someone’s fears or anxieties, not believed by the speaker, but intended to be believed by the listener. “Prosperity is just around the corner” was a popular anodyne of the 1930s.

A bromide is also a drug, formerly used as a sedative. Sedatives dull the senses—the statement labeled a bromide comes from a speaker of dull wit and has a sedative effect on the listener. The adjective is bromidic (brō-MID′-ik), as in “his bromidic way of expressing himself.”

Platitude derives from Greek platys, broad or flat, plus the noun suffix -tude. Words like plateau (flat land), plate and platter (flat dishes), and platypus (flat foot) all derive from the same root as platitude, a flat statement, i.e., one that falls flat, despite the speaker’s high hopes for it. The adjective is platitudinous (plat′-ə-TOO′-də-nəs), as in, “What a platitudinous remark.”

Anodyne is a combination of the negative prefix an- with Greek odyne, pain. Anodynes, as drugs, lessen pain; as statements, they are intended to reduce or eliminate emotional pain or anxiety.

Review of Etymology

Write the English word that uses the given prefix, root, or suffix.

Score: 0 / 0 of 22

1. penuria — need, neediness
2. ad- (af-) — to, toward
3. fluo — to flow
4. opulentus — wealthy
5. ephemera — dayfly
6. e-, ex- — out
7. vanesco — to vanish
8. -esce — begin to
9. -ent — adjective suffix
10. -ence — noun suffix
11. eu- — good
12. pheme — voice
13. -ism — noun suffix
14. phone — sound
15. -ic — adjective suffix
16. -ous — adjective suffix
17. logos — word, speech
18. -ize — verb suffix
19. thanatos — death
20. platys — broad or flat
21. an- — negative prefix
22. odyne — pain

Can you pronounce the words? (I)

1. penurious pə-NYOO′-ree-əs or pə-NOO′-ree-əs

2. penuriousness pə-NYOO′-ree-əs-nəs or pə-NOO′-ree-əs-nəs

3. parsimonious pahr′-sə-MŌ′-nee-əs

4. parsimony PAHR′-sə-mō′-nee

5. indigence IN′-də-jəns

6. indigent IN′-də-jənt

7. destitution des′-tə-TOO′-shən

8. destitute DES′-tə-toot

9. affluence AF′-loo-əns

10. affluent AF′-loo-ənt

11. opulence OP′-yə-ləns

12. opulent OP′-yə-lənt

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. evanescent ev′-ə-NES′-ənt

2. evanescence ev′-ə-NES′-əns

3. evanesce ev′-ə-NES′

4. euphemistic yoo-fə-MIS′-tik

5. euphony YOO′-fə-nee

6. euphonic yoo-FON′-ik

7. euphonious yoo-FŌ′-nee-əs

8. eulogy YOO′-lə-jee

9. eulogistic yoo′-lə-JIS′-tik

10. eulogize YOO′-lə-jīz′

Can you pronounce the words? (III)

1. euphoria yoo-FAWR′-ee-ə

2. euphoric yoo-FAWR′-ik

3. euthanasia yoo′-thə-NAY′-zhə

4. persiflage PUR′-sə-flahzh′

5. cliché klee-SHAY′

6. bromide BRŌ′-mīd′

7. bromidic brō-MID′-ik

8. platitude PLAT′-ə-tood

9. platitudinous plat′-ə-TOO′-də-nəs

10. anodyne AN′-ə-dīn′

Can you work with the words? (I)

Matched: 0 / 8

Can you work with the words? (II)

Matched: 0 / 8

Can you work with the words? (III)

Matched: 0 / 7

Can you work with the words? (IV)

Matched: 0 / 10

Do you understand the words? (I)

Score: 0 / 0 of 10

1. Do penurious people satisfy their extravagant desires?
2. Is penuriousness the characteristic of a miser?
3. If you are parsimonious with praise, do you lavish it on others?
4. Are people with extremely low incomes forced to live a life of parsimony?
5. Is indigence a sign of wealth?
6. Are indigent people often aided by state welfare?
7. If you live in a state of destitution, do you have all the money you need?
8. Is a completely destitute person likely to have to live in want?
9. Does a person of affluence generally have petty money worries?
10. Are opulent surroundings indicative of great wealth?

Do you understand the words? (II)

Score: 0 / 0 of 10

1. Can you engage in vicarious exploits by reading spy novels?
2. Does an evanescent feeling remain for a considerable time?
3. Do parents generally indulge in euphemisms in front of young children?
4. Is poetry generally euphonious?
5. Does a sincere eulogy indicate one’s feeling of admiration?
6. Is euphoria a feeling of malaise?
7. Is euthanasia practiced on animals?
8. Is persiflage an indication of seriousness?
9. Does a liberal use of clichés show original thinking?
10. Is an anodyne intended to relieve fears?

Do you understand the words? (III)

Score: 0 / 0 of 5

1. Is a platitude flat and dull?
2. If a person uses bromides, is he likely to be an interesting conversationalist?
3. If you indulge in persiflage, are you being facetious?
4. Are the works of Beethoven considered euphonious?
5. Can parents receive a vicarious thrill from their children’s triumphs?

Can you recall the words?

Score: 0 / 0 of 30

1. a statement, usually untrue, meant to alleviate fear: A__________________
2. light banter: P__________________
3. a hackneyed phrase: C__________________
4. fleeting—lasting a very short time (adj.): E__________________
5. laudatory—delivered in tones of formal praise (adj.): E__________________
6. process of painlessly putting to death a victim of an incurable disease: E__________________
7. stingy (adj.): P__________________
8. in want (adj.): D__________________
9. wealth: A__________________
10. immense wealth: O__________________
11. adverb describing the manner of responding empathetically to another’s acts: V__________________
12. stinginess (noun): P__________________
13. poverty: I__________________
14. poverty: D__________________
15. impermanence: E__________________
16. pleasing sound: E__________________
17. substituting inoffensive words (adj.): E__________________
18. sense of well-being: E__________________
19. trite remark: B__________________
20. banal remark: P__________________
21. begin to vanish (v.): E__________________
22. poverty-stricken (adj.): I__________________
23. wealthy (adj.): A__________________
24. wealthy (adj.): O__________________
25. feeling tiptop (adj.): E__________________
26. pleasant in sound (adj.): E__________________
27. formal praise: E__________________
28. trite (adj.): B__________________
29. flat, dull (adj.): P__________________
30. to praise: E__________________

Session 41: Origins and Related Words

1. people are the craziest animals

Bovine, placid like a cow, stolid, patient, unexcitable, is built on the Latin word for ox or cow, bovis, plus the suffix -ine, like, similar to, or characteristic of. To call someone bovine is of course far from complimentary, for this adjective is considerably stronger than phlegmatic, and implies a certain mild contempt on the part of the speaker. A bovine person is somewhat like a vegetable: eats and grows and lives, but apparently is lacking in any strong feelings.

Humans are sometimes compared to animals, as in the following adjectives:

1. leonine (LEE′-ə-nīn′)—like a lion in appearance or temperament.

2. canine (KAY′-nīn′)—like a dog. As a noun, the word refers to the species to which dogs belong. Our canine teeth are similar to those of a dog.

3. feline (FEE′-līn′)—catlike. We may speak of feline grace; or (insultingly) of feline temperament when we mean that a person is “catty.”

4. porcine (PAWR′-sīn′)—piglike.

5. vulpine (VUL′-pīn′)—foxlike in appearance or temperament. When applied to people, this adjective usually indicates the shrewdness of a fox.

6. ursine (UR′-sīn′)—bearlike.

7. lupine (LOO′-pīn)—wolflike.

8. equine (EE′-kwīn′)—horselike; “horsy.”

9. piscine (PIS′-īn′)—fishlike.

All these adjectives come from the corresponding Latin words for the animals; and, of course, each adjective also describes, or refers to, the specific animal as well as to the person likened to the animal.

leo — lion
canis — dog
felis — cat
porcus — pig
vulpus — fox
ursus — bear
lupus — wolf
equus — horse
piscis — fish

The word for meat from a pig—pork—derives, obviously, from porcus. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the Great Bear and the Little Bear, the two conspicuous groups of stars in the northern sky (conspicuous, of course, only on a clear night), are so labeled because in formation they resemble the outlines of bears. The feminine name Ursula is, by etymology, “a little bear,” which, perhaps, is a strange name to burden a child with. The skin disease lupus was so named because it eats into the flesh, as a wolf might.

2. you can’t go home again

Nostalgia, built on two Greek roots, nostos, a return, and algos, pain (as in neuralgia, cardialgia, etc.), is a feeling you can’t ever understand until you’ve experienced it—and you have probably experienced it whenever some external stimulus has crowded your mind with scenes from an earlier day.

You know how life often seems much pleasanter in retrospect? Your conscious memory tends to store up the pleasant experiences of the past (the trauma and unpleasant experiences may get buried in the unconscious), and when you are lonely or unhappy you may begin to relive these pleasant occurrences. It is then that you feel the emotional pain and longing that we call nostalgia.

The adjective is nostalgic (nos-TAL′-jik), as in “motion pictures that are nostalgic of the fifties,” or as in, “He feels nostalgic whenever he passes 138th Street and sees the house in which he grew up.”

3. soundings

Cacophony is itself a harsh-sounding word—and is the only one that exactly describes the unmusical, grating, ear-offending noises you are likely to hear in man-made surroundings: the New York subway trains thundering through their tunnels (they are also, these days in the late 1970s, eye-offending, for which we might coin the term cacopsis, noun, and cacoptic, adjective), the traffic bedlam of rush hours in a big city, a steel mill, an automobile factory, a blast furnace, etc. Adjective: cacophonous (kə-KOF′-ə-nəs).

These words are built on the Greek roots kakos, bad, harsh, or ugly, and phone, sound.

Phone, sound, is found also in:

1. telephone—etymologically, “sound from afar”

2. euphony—pleasant sound

3. phonograph—etymologically, “writer of sound”

4. saxophone—a musical instrument (hence sound) invented by Adolphe Sax

5. xylophone—a musical instrument; etymologically, “sounds through wood” (Greek xylon, wood)

6. phonetics (fə-NET′-iks)—the science of the sounds of language; the adjective is phonetic (fə-NET′-ik), the expert a phonetician (fō′-nə-TISH′-ən)

7. phonics—the science of sound; also the method of teaching reading by drilling the sounds of letters and syllables

4. the flesh and all

Carnivorous combines carnis, flesh, and voro, to devour. A carnivorous animal, or carnivore (KAHR′-nə-vawr′), is one whose main diet is meat.

Voro, to devour, is the origin of other words referring to eating habits:

1. herbivorous (hur-BIV′-ər-əs)—subsisting on grains, grasses, and other vegetation, as cows, deer, horses, etc. The animal is a herbivore (HUR′-bə-vawr′). Derivation: Latin herba, herb, plus voro, to devour

2. omnivorous (om-NIV′-ər-əs)—eating everything: meat, grains, grasses, fish, insects, and anything else digestible. The only species so indiscriminate in their diet are humans and rats, plus, of course, some cats and dogs that live with people (in contrast to felines and canines—lions, tigers, bobcats, wolves, etc.—that are not domesticated). Omnivorous (combining Latin omnis, all, with voro, plus the adjective suffix -ous) refers not only to food. An omnivorous reader reads everything in great quantities (that is, devours all kinds of reading matter).

3. voracious (vaw-RAY′-shəs)—devouring; hence, greedy or gluttonous; may refer either to food or to any other habits. One may be a voracious eater, voracious reader, voracious in one’s pursuit of money, pleasure, etc. Think of the two noun forms of loquacious. Can you write two nouns derived from voracious? (1) voraciousness, (2) voracity (vaw-RAS′-ə-tee).

5. “allness”

Latin omnis, all, is the origin of:

1. omnipotent (om-NIP′-ə-tənt)—all-powerful, an adjective usually applied to God; also, to any ruler whose governing powers are unlimited, which allows for some exaggeration, as King Canute the Great proved to his sycophantic courtiers when he ordered the tide to come so far up the beach and no further. He got soaking wet! (Omnis plus Latin potens, potentis, powerful, as in potentate, a powerful ruler; impotent (IM′-pə-tənt), powerless; potent, powerful; and potential, possessing power or ability not yet exercised). Can you write the noun form of omnipotent? omnipotence (om-NIP′-ə-təns). Noun of impotent: impotence (IM′-pə-təns).

2. omniscient (om-NISH′-ənt)—all-knowing: hence, infinitely wise. (Omnis plus sciens, knowing.) We have discussed this adjective in a previous chapter, so you will have no problem writing the noun: omniscience (om-NISH′-əns).

3. omnipresent (om′-nə-PREZ′-ənt)—present in all places at once. Fear was omnipresent in Europe during 1939 just before World War II. A synonym of omnipresent is ubiquitous (yoo-BIK′-wə-təs), from Latin ubique, everywhere. The ubiquitous ice cream vendor seems to be everywhere at the same time, tinkling those little bells, once spring arrives. The ubiquitous little red wagon rides around everywhere in airports to refuel departing planes. “Ubiquitous laughter greeted the press secretary’s remark,” i.e., laughter was heard everywhere in the room. The noun forms are ubiquity (yoo-BIK′-wə-tee) or ubiquitousness (yoo-BIK′-wə-təs-nəs). Noun of omnipresent: omnipresence (om′-nə-PREZ′-əns).

4. omnibus (OM′-nə-bəs)—etymologically, “for all, including all.” In the shortened form bus we have a public vehicle for all who can pay; in a John Galsworthy omnibus we have a book containing all of Galsworthy’s works; in an omnibus legislative bill we have a bill containing all the miscellaneous provisions and appropriations left out of other bills.

6. more flesh

Note how carnis, flesh, is the building block of:

1. carnelian (kahr-NEEL′-yən)—a reddish color, the color of red flesh.

2. carnival (KAHR′-nə-vəl)—originally the season of merrymaking just before Lent, when people took a last fling before saying “Carne vale!” “Oh flesh, farewell!” (Latin vale, farewell, goodbye). Today a carnival is a kind of outdoor entertainment with games, rides, side shows, and, of course, lots of food—also any exuberant or riotous merrymaking or festivities.

3. carnal (KAHR′-nəl)—most often found in phrases like “carnal pleasures” or “carnal appetites,” and signifying pleasures or appetites of the flesh rather than of the spirit—hence, sensual, lecherous, lascivious, lubricious, etc. The noun is carnality (kahr-NAL′-ə-tee).

4. carnage (KAHR′-nəj)—great destruction of life (that is, of human flesh), as in war or mass murders.

5. reincarnation (ree′-in-kahr-NAY′-shən)—a rebirth or reappearance. Believers in reincarnation maintain that one’s soul persists after it has fled the flesh, and eventually reappears in the body of a newborn infant or animal, or in another form. Some of us, according to this interesting philosophy, were once Napoleon, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, etc. The verb is to reincarnate (ree-in-KAHR′-nayt), to bring (a soul) back in another bodily form.

6. incarnate (in-KAHR′-nət)—in the flesh. If we use this adjective to call someone “the devil incarnate,” we mean that here is the devil in the flesh. Or we may say that someone is evil incarnate, that is, the personification of evil, evil invested with human or bodily form. The verb to incarnate (in-KAHR′-nayt) is to embody, give bodily form to, or make real.

7. dark secrets

Clandestine comes from Latin clam, secretly, and implies secrecy or concealment in the working out of a plan that is dangerous or illegal. Clandestine is a close synonym of surreptitious (sur′-əp-TISH′-əs), which means stealthy, sneaky, furtive, generally because of fear of detection.

The two words cannot always, however, be used interchangeably. We may speak of either clandestine or surreptitious meetings or arrangements; but usually only of clandestine plans and only of surreptitious movements or actions. Can you write the noun form of surreptitious? surreptitiousness (sur′-əp-TISH′-əs-nəs).

Review of Etymology

Write the English word that uses the given prefix, root, or suffix.

Score: 0 / 0 of 33

1. -ine — like, similar to, characteristic of
2. leo — lion
3. felis — cat
4. porcus — pig
5. canis — dog
6. vulpus — fox
7. ursus — bear
8. lupus — wolf
9. equus — horse
10. piscis — fish
11. nostos — a return
12. algos — pain
13. -ic — adjective suffix
14. kakos — bad, harsh, ugly
15. phone — sound
16. xylon — wood
17. carnis — flesh
18. voro — to devour
19. herba — herb
20. omnis — all
21. -ous — adjective suffix
22. potens, potentis — powerful
23. sciens — knowing
24. ubique — everywhere
25. -ity — noun suffix
26. vale — farewell
27. -al — adjective suffix
28. re- — again, back
29. -ate — verb suffix
30. in- — in
31. clam — secretly
32. -ent — adjective suffix
33. -ence — noun suffix

Can you pronounce the words? (I)

1. leonineLEE′-ə-nīn′

2. canineKAY′-nīn′

3. felineFEE′-līn′

4. porcinePAWR′-sīn′

5. vulpineVUL′-pīn′

6. ursineUR′-sīn′

7. lupineLOO′-pīn′

8. equineEE′-kwīn′

9. piscinePIS′-īn′

10. nostalgicnos-TAL′-jik

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. cacophonouskə-KOF′-ə-nəs

2. phoneticsfə-NET′-iks

3. phoneticfə-NET′-ik

4. phoneticianfō-nə-TISH′-ən

5. carnivoreKAHR′-nə-vawr′

6. herbivoreHUR′-bə-vawr′

7. herbivoroushur-BIV′-ər-əs

8. omnivorousom-NIV′-ər-əs

9. voraciousvaw-RAY′-shəs

10. voracityvaw-RAS′-ə-tee

11. omnipotentom-NIP′-ə-tənt

12. impotentIM′-pə-tənt

13. impotenceIM′-pə-təns

14. omnipotenceom-NIP′-ə-təns

Can you pronounce the words? (III)

1. omniscientom-NISH′-ənt

2. omniscienceom-NISH′-əns

3. omnipresentom′-nə-PREZ′-ənt

4. omnipresenceom′-nə-PREZ′-əns

5. ubiquitousyoo-BIK′-wə-təs

6. ubiquityyoo-BIK′-wə-tee

7. ubiquitousnessyoo-BIK′-wə-təs-nəs

8. omnibusOM′-nə-bəs

Can you pronounce the words? (IV)

1. carneliankahr-NEEL′-yən

2. carnalKAHR′-nəl

3. carnalitykahr-NAL′-ə-tee

4. carnageKAHR′-nəj

5. reincarnationree′-in-kahr-NAY′-shən

6. reincarnate (v.)ree′-in-KAHR′-nayt

7. incarnate (adj.)in-KAHR′-nət

8. incarnate (v.)in-KAHR′-nayt

9. surreptitioussur′-əp-TISH′-əs

10. surreptitiousnesssur′-əp-TISH′-əs-nəs

Can you work with the words? (I)

Matched: 0 / 10

Can you work with the words? (II)

Matched: 0 / 7

Can you work with the words? (III)

Matched: 0 / 12

Can you work with the words? (IV)

Matched: 0 / 8

Do you understand the words? (I)

Score: 0 / 0 of 10

1. A person of leonine appearance looks like a tiger.
2. Canine habits refers to the habits of dogs.
3. Feline grace means catlike grace.
4. Porcine appearance means wolflike appearance.
5. Vulpine craftiness means foxlike craftiness.
6. Ursine means bearlike.
7. Nostalgic feelings refer to a longing for past experiences.
8. Cacophonous music is pleasant and sweet.
9. An elephant is a carnivore.
10. Deer are herbivorous.

Do you understand the words? (II)

Score: 0 / 0 of 12

1. An omnivorous reader does very little reading.
2. A voracious eater is gluttonous.
3. True omnipotence is unattainable by human beings.
4. No one is omniscient.
5. Fear of economic ruin was practically omnipresent in the early nineteen-thirties.
6. When an airplane lands for refueling, the ubiquitous little red gasoline wagon comes rolling up.
7. An author’s omnibus contains all his published writings.
8. Carnelian is a deep blue color.
9. Carnality is much respected in a puritanical society.
10. There is considerable carnage in war.
11. A surreptitious glance is meant to be conspicuous.
12. A person who is evil incarnate is a vicious character.

Can you recall the words? I — adverbs

Score: 0 / 0 of 5

1. secretly (first form): C__________________
2. secretly (second form): S__________________
3. in a harsh and noisy manner: C__________________
4. in a homesick manner: N__________________
5. in a greedy, devouring manner: V__________________

Can you recall the words? II — nouns

Score: 0 / 0 of 10

1. greediness: V__________________
2. unlimited power: O__________________
3. infinite knowledge: O__________________
4. a gathering of all things: O__________________
5. lechery; indulgence in fleshly pleasures: C__________________
6. slaughter: C__________________
7. stealthiness; secretiveness: S__________________
8. harsh sound: C__________________
9. science of speech sounds: P__________________
10. a return to life in new form: R__________________

Can you recall the words? III — adjectives

Score: 0 / 0 of 13

1. lionlike: L__________________
2. doglike: C__________________
3. catlike: F__________________
4. cowlike: B__________________
5. foxlike: V__________________
6. bearlike: U__________________
7. homesick: N__________________
8. grating in sound: C__________________
9. meat-eating: C__________________
10. grass-eating: H__________________
11. all-eating; indiscriminate: O__________________
12. devouring; greedy: V__________________
13. in the flesh: I__________________

Can you recall the words? IV — more adjectives

Score: 0 / 0 of 6

1. all-powerful: O__________________
2. all-knowing: O__________________
3. present or existing everywhere: O__________________
4. found everywhere: U__________________
5. lewd, lascivious, lecherous: C__________________
6. secret: C__________________

Can you recall the words? V — final mop-up

Score: 0 / 0 of 10

1. wolflike: L__________________
2. horselike: E__________________
3. fishlike: P__________________
4. referring to speech sounds: P__________________
5. expert in speech sounds: P__________________
6. powerless: I__________________
7. existence everywhere: U__________________
8. existence everywhere: O__________________
9. to bring back into another body or form: R__________________
10. to embody, make real, or put into bodily form: I__________________

A. Do you recognize the words?

Score: 0 / 0 of 19

1. Utter want:

2. Experienced secondhand:

3. Inoffensive circumlocution:

4. Homesick:

5. Meat-eating:

6. Stingy:

7. Extreme financial need:

8. Great and increasing wealth:

9. Remaining for a short time:

10. Sweet-sounding:

11. Praise glowingly:

12. Sense of physical well-being:

13. Hackneyed expression:

14. Catlike:

15. Bearlike:

16. All-knowing:

17. Found everywhere:

18. Destruction:

19. Stealthy:

B. Can you recognize roots?

Score: 0 / 0 of 32

1. penuria (example: penury): ___
2. fluo (example: affluent): ___
3. opulentus (example: opulent): ___
4. ephemera (example: ephemeral): ___
5. vanesco (example: evanescent): ___
6. pheme (example: euphemism): ___
7. phone (example: phonetics): ___
8. logos (example: eulogy): ___
9. thanatos (example: euthanasia): ___
10. platys (example: platitude, platypus): ___
11. odyne (example: anodyne): ___
12. leo (example: leonine): ___
13. felis (example: feline): ___
14. porcus (example: porcine): ___
15. canis (example: canine): ___
16. vulpus (example: vulpine): ___
17. lupus (example: lupine): ___
18. equus (example: equine): ___
19. piscis (example: piscine): ___
20. nostos (example: nostalgia): ___
21. algos (example: nostalgic): ___
22. kakos (example: cacophonous): ___
23. xylon (example: xylophone): ___
24. carnis (example: carnivorous): ___
25. voro (example: omnivorous): ___
26. herba (example: herbivorous): ___
27. omnis (example: omnipotent): ___
28. potens, potentis (example: impotent): ___
29. sciens (example: omniscience): ___
30. ubique (example: ubiquitous): ___
31. vale! (example: carnival): ___
32. clam (example: clandestine): ___

Teaser Questions for the Amateur Etymologist

(Answers in Chapter 18)

1. American poet William Cullen Bryant wrote a poem in 1811 called Thanatopsis. You are familiar with both roots in the word. Can you figure out the meaning?

2. If you wanted to coin a word for the study or science of death and dying, what would you come up with?

3. Pheme, as you know from euphemism, means voice. This root derives from a Greek verb phanai, to speak, which, as it traveled through Latin, Old French, and Middle English, finally took on the spelling phet-, phec-, or phes-. And you recall that the Greek prefix pro- means beforehand or ahead (as in prognosis, prologue, etc.). Can you now combine elements to form a word meaning:
(a) to say beforehand; to foretell (an occurrence before it actually happens)?
(b) the foretelling of such an occurrence?
(c) the person who foretells?

4. Can you combine a Latin prefix and root to form words of the same meaning?
(a) to foretell:
(b) the act of foretelling:

5. An eminent psychoanalyst, Richard Karpe of Connecticut, has coined the term nostopathy (nos-TOP′-ə-thee) for an emotional disorder he diagnosed among a number of his patients who were returning veterans of World War II and of the Korean and Vietnam wars. You know both roots in the word. Can you figure out the meaning?

6. Coin a word that means:
(a) the killing of foxes:
(b) the killing of wolves:
(c) the killing of lions, tigers, and other cats:
(d) the killing of bears:

7. Figure out an adjective that means:
(a) fish-eating:
(b) insect-eating:

8. Have you ever wondered whether the Canary Islands were named after the Latin root canis, dog? They were. Large, wild dogs inhabited the area. Pretty songbirds also abounded there. What were these birds called?

9. A new verb was coined some years ago, based on the Latin root potens, potentis, meaning (of a drug) to make more effective or powerful; to augment the effect of another drug. Can you figure out what this verb would be?

Getting Used to New Words

Reference has been made, in previous chapters, to the intimate relationship between reading and vocabulary building. Good books and the better magazines will not only acquaint you with a host of new ideas (and, therefore, new words, since every word is the verbalization of an idea), but also will help you gain a more complete and a richer understanding of the hundreds of words you are learning through your work in this book. If you have been doing a sufficient amount of stimulating reading—and that means, at minimum, several magazines a week and at least three books of non-fiction a month—you have been meeting, constantly, over and over again, the new words you have been learning in these pages.

Every such encounter is like seeing an old friend in a new place. You know how much better you understand your friends when you have a chance to see them react to new situations; similarly, you will gain a much deeper understanding of the friends you have been making among words as you see them in different contexts and in different places.

My recommendations in the past have been of non-fiction titles, but novels too are a rich source of additions to your vocabulary—provided you stay alert to the new words you will inevitably meet in reading novels.

The natural temptation, when you encounter a brand-new word in a novel, is to ignore it—the lines of the plot are perfectly clear even if many of the author’s words are not.

I want to counsel strongly that you resist the temptation to ignore the unfamiliar words you may meet in your novel reading: resist it with every ounce of your energy, for only by such resistance can you keep building your vocabulary as you read.

What should you do? Don’t rush to a dictionary, don’t bother underlining the word, don’t keep long lists of words that you will eventually look up en masse—these activities are likely to become painful and you will not continue them for any great length of time.

Instead, do something quite simple—and very effective.

When you meet a new word, underline it with a mental pencil. That is, pause for a second and attempt to figure out its meaning from its use in the sentence or from its etymological root or prefix, if it contains one you have studied. Make a mental note of it, say it aloud once or twice—and then go on reading.

That’s all there is to it. What you are doing, of course, is developing the same type of mind-set toward the new word that you have developed toward the words you have studied in this book.

And the results, of course, will be the same—you will begin to notice the word occurring again and again in other reading you do, and finally, having seen it in a number of varying contexts, you will begin to get enough of its connotation and flavor to come to a fairly accurate understanding of its meaning. In this way you will be developing alertness not only to the words you have studied in this book, but to all expressive and meaningful words. And your vocabulary will keep growing.

But of course that will happen only if you keep reading.

I do not wish to recommend any particular novels or novelists, since the type of fiction one enjoys is a very personal matter. You doubtless know the kind of story you like—mystery, science fiction, spy, adventure, historical, political, romantic, Western, biographical, one or all of the above. Or you may be entranced by novels of ideas, of sexual prowess, of fantasy, of life in different segments of society from your own. No matter. Find the kind of novel or novelist you enjoy by browsing in the public library or among the thousands of titles in bookstores that have a rich assortment of paperbacks as well as hardbacks.

And then read! And keep on the alert for new words! You will find them by the hundreds and thousands. Bear in mind: people with rich vocabularies have been reading omnivorously, voraciously, since childhood—including the ingredients listed in small print on bread wrappers and cereal boxes.

(End of Session 41)

All 51 vocabulary words from Chapter 14, with definitions, forms, and roots.

penury (PEN′-ə-ree)

Dire poverty; utter want

Root: Latin penuria — “want, neediness”

vicarious (vĪ-KAIR′-ee-əs)

Experienced secondhand; felt through imaginative participation in another’s experience

Forms: vicariously (adv.)

Root: Latin vicarius — “substitute, deputy”

ephemeral (ə-FEM′-ər-əl)

Short-lived; fleeting; lasting only a day

Root: Greek ephemera — “dayfly” (insect that lives only one day)

euphemism (YOO′-fə-miz-əm)

An inoffensive substitute expression used in place of one considered blunt or harsh

Forms: euphemistic (adj.)

Root: Greek eu (good) + pheme — “voice”

badinage (BAD′-ə-nähj)

Playful, teasing banter

Root: French badinage — “playful talk”

bovine (BŌ′-vĪn)

Cowlike; stolid; dull; placid

Root: Latin bos, bovis — “cow, ox”

nostalgia (nə-STAL′-jə)

Longing for the past; homesickness

Forms: nostalgic (adj.)

Root: Greek nostos (a return) + algos — “pain”

cacophony (kə-KOF′-ə-nee)

Harsh, jarring, discordant sound

Forms: cacophonous (adj.)

Root: Greek kakos (bad, harsh) + phone — “sound”

carnivorous (kahr-NIV′-ər-əs)

Meat-eating; flesh-eating

Forms: carnivore (n.)

Root: Latin carnis (flesh) + voro — “to devour”

clandestine (klan-DES′-tin)

Secret; hidden; furtive; conducted in stealth

Root: Latin clam — “secretly”

penurious (pə-NOOR′-ee-əs)

Poverty-stricken; extremely stingy; miserly

Forms: penuriousness (n.)

Root: Latin penuria — “want, neediness”

parsimonious (pahr′-sə-MŌ′-nee-əs)

Excessively stingy; miserly; niggardly

Forms: parsimony (n.)

Root: Latin parsimonia — “thrift, frugality”

indigence (IN′-də-jəns)

Poverty; neediness

Forms: indigent (adj.)

Root: Latin indigens — “in need of”

destitution (des′-tə-TOO′-shən)

Utter poverty; complete lack of necessities

Forms: destitute (adj.)

Root: Latin destitutus — “abandoned, forsaken”

affluence (AF′-loo-əns)

Abundance of wealth; prosperity

Forms: affluent (adj.)

Root: Latin ad- (to) + fluo — “to flow”

opulence (OP′-yə-ləns)

Great wealth; lavish richness

Forms: opulent (adj.)

Root: Latin opulentus — “wealthy”

evanescent (ev-ə-NES′-ənt)

Fleeting; vanishing quickly; ephemeral

Forms: evanescence (n.) evanesce (v.)

Root: Latin e- (out) + vanesco — “to vanish”

euphony (YOO′-fə-nee)

Pleasant sound; melodious quality

Forms: euphonic (adj.) euphonious (adj.)

Root: Greek eu (good) + phone — “sound”

eulogy (YOO′-lə-jee)

Formal speech of praise, especially for the deceased

Forms: eulogistic (adj.) eulogize (v.)

Root: Greek eu (good) + logos — “word, speech”

euphoria (yoo-FAWR′-ee-ə)

Sense of well-being; elation; exaggerated feeling of buoyancy

Forms: euphoric (adj.)

Root: Greek eu (good) + pherein — “to bear, carry”

euthanasia (yoo′-thə-NAY′-zhə)

Mercy killing; painless putting to death of a person suffering from an incurable disease

Root: Greek eu (good) + thanatos — “death”

persiflage (PUR′-sə-flähj)

Light, flippant banter; frivolous talk

Root: French persifler — “to banter”

cliché (klee-SHAY′)

An overused expression; a hackneyed phrase that has lost its force through repetition

Root: French clicher — “to stereotype”

bromide (BRŌ′-mĪd)

A trite saying; a boring, tiresome person; a commonplace remark

Forms: bromidic (adj.)

Root: From chemical bromide (a sedative compound)

platitude (PLAT′-ə-tood)

A dull, trite remark uttered as if it were fresh and original

Forms: platitudinous (adj.)

Root: Greek platys — “flat, broad”

anodyne (AN′-ə-dĪn)

Something that soothes pain; anything that calms or comforts; bland, inoffensive

Root: Greek an- (without) + odyne — “pain”

leonine (LEE′-ə-nĪn)

Lionlike

Root: Latin leo, leonis — “lion”

canine (KAY′-nĪn)

Doglike; of or relating to dogs

Root: Latin canis — “dog”

feline (FEE′-lĪn)

Catlike; graceful, stealthy, or sly

Root: Latin felis — “cat”

porcine (PAWR′-sĪn)

Piglike; resembling a pig

Root: Latin porcus — “pig”

vulpine (VUL′-pĪn)

Foxlike; cunning or crafty

Root: Latin vulpus — “fox”

ursine (UR′-sĪn)

Bearlike

Root: Latin ursus — “bear”

lupine (LOO′-pĪn)

Wolflike

Root: Latin lupus — “wolf”

equine (EE′-kwĪn)

Horselike; of or relating to horses

Root: Latin equus — “horse”

piscine (PIS′-een)

Fishlike; of or relating to fish

Root: Latin piscis — “fish”

phonetics (fə-NET′-iks)

The science of speech sounds; study of pronunciation

Forms: phonetic (adj.) phonetician (n.)

Root: Greek phone — “sound”

herbivorous (hur-BIV′-ər-əs)

Plant-eating; feeding on herbs and vegetation

Forms: herbivore (n.)

Root: Latin herba (herb, plant) + voro — “to devour”

omnivorous (om-NIV′-ər-əs)

Eating all kinds of food; taking in everything indiscriminately

Root: Latin omnis (all) + voro — “to devour”

voracious (vaw-RAY′-shəs)

Greedily devouring; insatiable; ravenous

Forms: voracity (n.)

Root: Latin voro — “to devour”

omnipotent (om-NIP′-ə-tənt)

All-powerful; having unlimited power or authority

Forms: omnipotence (n.)

Root: Latin omnis (all) + potens, potentis — “powerful”

impotent (IM′-pə-tənt)

Powerless; lacking strength or ability

Forms: impotence (n.)

Root: Latin in- (not) + potens, potentis — “powerful”

omniscient (om-NISH′-ənt)

All-knowing; having infinite knowledge

Forms: omniscience (n.)

Root: Latin omnis (all) + sciens — “knowing”

omnipresent (om′-nə-PREZ′-ənt)

Present everywhere at the same time

Forms: omnipresence (n.)

Root: Latin omnis (all) + praesens — “present”

ubiquitous (yoo-BIK′-wə-təs)

Found everywhere; seeming to be present in all places at once

Forms: ubiquity (n.) ubiquitousness (n.)

Root: Latin ubique — “everywhere”

omnibus (OM′-nə-bəs)

For all; including all; a volume containing several works

Root: Latin omnis — “all” (dative plural: “for all”)

carnelian (kahr-NEEL′-yən)

A flesh-red semiprecious gemstone

Root: Latin carnis — “flesh” (from its flesh-red color)

carnal (KAHR′-nəl)

Of the flesh; sensual; bodily

Forms: carnality (n.)

Root: Latin carnis — “flesh”

carnage (KAHR′-nəj)

Great destruction of life; massacre; slaughter

Root: Latin carnis — “flesh”

reincarnation (ree′-in-kahr-NAY′-shən)

Rebirth of the soul in a new body; a new embodiment

Forms: reincarnate (v.)

Root: Latin re- (again) + in- (in) + carnis — “flesh”

incarnate (in-KAHR′-nət)

In the flesh; embodied in human form; personified

Root: Latin in- (in) + carnis — “flesh”

surreptitious (sur′-əp-TISH′-əs)

Stealthy; done secretly or by stealth; clandestine

Forms: surreptitiousness (n.)

Root: Latin surreptitius — “stolen, secret”