ANTE definition: before
Dec 16, 2015
ANTE
definition: before
anteroom
(n.) a room you pass through before you get to the main room.
antebellum
(adj.) Describes a time before a war (usually the Civil War). anti (before) + belli (war)
ante(v.) – to place chips or money “in the kitty” before a poker hand is played.
Word play
• Now that you know what ante means, what do you suppose meridian means, as in the abbreviation a.m. (11:00 a.m.)?
Answer
• Meridian means noon or midday, so ante meridian (a.m.) means before noon.
ANTHRO, ANTHROP
definition: man, mankind
philanthropy(n.) Goodwill towards mankind. philo (friend) + anthrop (man)
anthropology(n.) The scientific study of the origins and culture of man.anthrop (man) + logo (thought)
Word fun
• In science fiction, what is an android?
• Think of other words ending in oid.
• What might the suffix oid mean?
Answers
• An android is a robot resembling a human.
• Other words using the oid suffix are humanoid, asteroid, factoid.
• Oid means resembling or like
BELLI
definition: war
belligerent(adj.) Warlike; given to raging war. belli (war) + gerere (to conduct).
rebellion(n.) War or resistance to
authority, control, or tradition
Word fun
• In the past, some words in our language formed their female form with the suffix trix. For example, aviatrix is an old term for a female pilot. Executrix is an old term for a woman who manages an estate.
What is an old term for a female warrior?
Answer• An old term for a female warrior is bellatrix (latin for
female warrior). Bellatrix is the name of a bright star in the
Orion constellation. In Greek, the same star is named
Amazon, after a group of mythological female warriors
who loped off one breast to be able to shoot arrows more
effectively.
COUNTER
definition: against, opposite
counteract(tr. v.) to act in opposition to; frustrate by
contrary action.
counter (against) + act
counterintelligence
(n.) the activity of an intelligence service
employed in going against the efforts of an enemy's
intelligence agents to gather information or commit
sabotage
Word play
• Name a concept that is counterintuitive.
Answer
• Until you study Boolean logic, it might seem counterintuitive that when you add the word “and” to a Google search, you end up with fewer hits rather than more.
CRED
definition: believe
incredible(adj.) hard to believe; unbelievable. in (not) + cred (believe) + able (able to)
credence(n.) belief as to
the truth of something.
Word play
• A credenza is a table, shelf, sideboard, or cabinet used in a church, office or home. It owes its name to its former use as a place for holding a lord’s food for a servant to taste to make sure there was no poison in it—taking the concept of belief to a whole new level.
CULPA
definition: fault
culpability(n.) deserving blame or censure.
mea culpaThrough my fault; my fault (used as an
acknowledgment of one's responsibility).
Word play
• Using your knowledge of culpa, what is the definition of a culprit?
Answer
• A culprit is one who is thought to be at fault.
DERM
definition: skin
hypodermic(adj.) introduced under the skin .
hypo (under) + derm (skin)
dermatitis(n.) inflammation of the skin.
derm (skin) + itis (inflammation)
Word play
• What does a dermatologist do when he/she administers dermabrasion?
Answer
• Dermabrasion is a procedure of improving skin by scraping the skin (abrasion) and allowing new skin growth to correct faults.
DUC, DUCT
definition: lead
aquaduct(n.) a bridgelike structure that carries a water
conduit or canal across a valley or over a river. aqua (water) + duct (lead)
air duct(n.) an enclosure, usually of sheet metal, that
conducts heated or conditioned air.
Word play• Originally, duct tape held ducts together.
What’s the most unusual use you’ve heard of for duct tape?
• Please note, it’s not spelled duck tape.
DYS
definition: hard, ill, with difficulty
dysfunction(n.) malfunctioning, as of an organ or structure
of the body. dys (ill) + function
dyslexia(n.) A learning disorder marked by impairment
of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.
dys (ill) + lexi (word)
Word play
• Probably everyone knows the symptoms of dysentery. What do you suppose enteric means?
• What are other words that use variations of enteron?
Answer
• Enteric means intestines.
• Other words using this root are entrails, gastroenterologist.
EGO
definition: I, self
egomaniac(n.) One who is obsessively preoccupied with
the self.ego (self) + mania (madness)
egocentric
(adj.) regarding the self or the individual as the
center of all things ego (self) + centric
(middle of)
Word play
• If alter means other, what is an alter ego?
Answer
• An alter ego is another self you take on when it suits your purpose.
FAC
definition: do, make
manufacture(tr. v.) to make or produce by hand or
machinery, esp. on a large scale. manus (hand) + fac (make)
factory(n.) A building in which goods are made;
a plant. fac (make) + tory (relating to)
Word play
• A high school is dependent on trained teachers who can do a variety of things. Another named for a combined group of teachers is a f _ _ _ _ _ _.
Answer
• faculty