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Memorize the Third Declension
For those memorizing the complicated Latin endings, here is my favorite group of nouns... the Third Declension. http://youtu.be/XlRhvU1ak1k
There’s more to English than Latin…
Fascinating article by John-Erik Jordan, a writer over at Babble languages. 139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language When I say “Old English” what comes to mind? The ornate, hard-to-read script? Reading Beowulf in your high school English class? The kinds...
Acrolith
Acrolith: a stone head, a statue with a wooden body and head of stone. The U.S. government isn’t the only nation to debase. The “brilliant” powers that be have replaced the silver in our coins with cheaper metals. This official trickery is nothing new. In ancient...
Acuminate
Acuminate: ending in a sharp point. Look for this word in Botany books. Acuminate leaves are leaves that get to the point. Acuminate comes from the Latin verb acuminare (to sharpen to a point). It is related to the Latin word for needle, acus.
Memorizing the endings: 2nd Declension Nouns ending in “r”, or “er”.
Here is the fifth in the series, "Memorizing the Latin endings". http://youtu.be/xKHkzZOKJM4
Ablative
Ablative: a certain case of Latin nouns. The word derives from ablatus, which is from aufero, (to carry away), ultimately from ab (away) and fero (I carry). In it’s original sense, we use the ablative case when describing actions of carrying something away, or taking...
Avoid English….
For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. 1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans. 3. The Chinese...
Disabuse
Disabuse: To free from a mistaken belief or error; to undeceive; to disengage from fallacy or deception; to set right. It is our duty to disabuse ourselves of false notions and prejudices. Disabuse comes from the Latin prefix dis- (away) and the verb abusus sum...
A better world is possible.
Abnormous
Abnormous: irregular; exaggerated; misshapen; enormous. This is an old word, one that has dropped out of use. What a shame. Let’s bring it back. Here’s a start: "Stop pulling me down with your abnormously negative attitude." Abnormous is a combination of abnormal,...
The truth we ignore…
In those days a boy on the classical side officially did almost nothing but the classics. I think this is wise; the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a few things well before he is twenty, and...
Message in a bottle…
I received this email last week. Though I have tried to respond several times, the server keeps tossing it back my way. I am afraid it isn't going through. I will post the email and my response here. Hopefully, you will find it. (You know who you are.) Of...
Acumen
Acumen - a sharp point; and, figuratively, quickness of perception; keenness, shrewdness. For Example: Einstein’s powerful acumen revealed many secrets of the universe. Acumen derives from the Latin word for needle, acus.
Enigma
Enigma: someone, or something mysterious, puzzling, difficult to understand. A riddle. Here’s an enigma... What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly? From Greek αἴνιγμα (dark saying, riddle).
Acidic
Acidic: a substance containing acid; a sour or sharp taste. Acidic may also describe a remark or comment. An acidic comment is a cutting comment. When you notice a co-worker on Facebook, you might mutter an acidic comment. “Hashtag. Do your job.” Acidic comes from...
Mastering your Craft
It took me ten years to achieve fluency in Latin. During that time, I also developed the ability to rise early, speak in public, invest in real estate, read in Greek, French, and Italian. I used to bemoan the fact that these skills took so long to develop....
Acrophobia
Acrophobia: fear of heights. There is nothing to fear, but fear itself. And heights. And public speaking. And spiders... especially spiders. From Greek ἄκρον (height, summit, peak), and and φοβία (fear).
Acodosis
Acidosis: high acidity in the blood, or body fluids. Delicious junk food = high acidosis. Sigh. Cruel world. Acidosis comes from Latin acidus: sour, bitter, or tart.
Acronym
Acronym: A word created from the first letters of other words. For example: NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. BOOK - Box Of Organized Knowledge CLASS - Come Late And Start Sleeping PHD - Please Hire. Desperate. From Greek ἄκρον (height, summit,...
Acid
Acid: When an adjective, Acid means: sour, sharp or biting to the taste, having the taste of vinegar, as in acid fruits. When a noun, an Acid is a chemical substance that neutralizes alkalis From Latin acidus: sour, bitter, or tart.
What happens in the brain when you learn a foreign language?
This interesting article by Alison Mackey showed up in the Guardian. Thought some of you might find it encouraging. Learning a foreign language can increase the size of your brain. This is what Swedish scientists discovered when they used brain scans to monitor what...
More Help Memorizing the Latin endings…
http://youtu.be/06Ja0rZ9C5Y
Acromegaly
Acromegaly: A medical condition causing abnormal growth in the hands, feet, and face. Andre the Giant, the famous wrestler, who played a major role in “The Princess Bride”, suffered from acromegaly. From Greek ἄκρον (height, summit, peak), and and μέγα (large,...
The Maple Tree
Quercus acerfolia: The oak with sharp leaves. This particular tree, sometimes called the the maple-leaved oak, is native to the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, in the United States. Quercus is the Latin word for “oak”. You have seen the word before in the name of a...
Acapnotic
http://youtu.be/dbQkqqTVuUI
Acrobat
Acrobat: An athlete able to perform daring gymnastic feats; a gymnast; a tightrope walker, a funambulist. There is a secondary definition of this word. An acrobat could also be someone known to change his mind, or allegiance. From Greek ἀκροβάτης (walking on...
Exacerbate
Exacerbate: to irritate; to exasperate; to inflame angry passions; to make a problem worse. Complaining about you problems rarely improves your plight. In fact, complaining usually exacerbates the problem. Exacerbate comes from the Latin verb exacerbare (to irritate,...
I am often asked... "Should I memorize the Latin endings?" Maybe. Maybe not. If you decided to do so, the new chalkboard series "Memorizing the Latin Endings" will help. http://youtu.be/-1Qiel-GDdg
Abandon
Not every word made it into the new series, Word Up. There are so many that didn't make it, that I have decided to start a new Chalkboard playlist! Let me know what you think! http://youtu.be/G6tVU9rTzdg
Acmopetala
Acmopetala - pointed petals. The fritillaria acmopetala is a flower of the easter Mediterranean. You can identify it by the pointed flower petals. This is the source of the scientific name, acmopetala. Acmopetala comes from the Greek ἀκμή (point; top), and...
Acerbic
Acerbic: sharp criticism; sarcasm; witty criticism, often funny, but always harsh. Acerbic once meant, sour tasting, or bitter. Over time, the word turned into an adjective attached to “wit”. When we describe someone with “Acerbic wit”, we are describing someone...
Acme
Acme - the peak of perfection; the pinnacle; the zenith; the company that sends incredible equipment to Wile E. Coyote. From Greek ἀκμή (point; top).
Acrimonious
Acrimonious: angry, bitter, acerbic; bitterness of expression proceeding from anger. From Latin acer, acris (bitter, pungent, sharp, sour) and the suffix monium (state, or condition). Acrimony, then, is the “condition of being sour.” Example: After the acrimonious...
Ready to empower your vocabulary?
Entire series coming soon...
No smoking, please.
Acapnotic: a non smoker. From Greek ά (not, without) and καπνός (smoke). Want to tell your friends "No, thanks!" without being rude? Tell them you are acapnotic. They will think you have a medical condition. And, you will smile at your cleverness.
Acrimony
Acrimony: harsh, or biting sharpness; bitterness, ill will; severity From Latin acer, acris (bitter, pungent, sharp, sour) and the suffix monium (state, or condition). Acrimony, then, is the “condition of being sour.” Example: In his official letters he expressed,...
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium: yarrow; the milfoil. From Greek Ἀχιλλεύς (Achilles) and Latin mille (1,000) and folium (leaf). Literal translation... the plant of one thousand leaves. According to legend, Achilles and his men used this plant to staunch the flow of blood from...
The Ablative Absolute
Sconce
Sconce: An ornamental bracket for holding candles or lights. A candlestick with a screen. From Latin abscondere (to hide; to conceal). Here's a nice one:
Acedia
Acedia: apathy; boredom; spiritual or mental sloth; not caring about one’s position in the world. From Greek ά (not, without) and κῆδος (care). Acedia, then, literally means: to not care.
Abscond
Abscond: to escape; leave hurriedly and secretly; run away; hide. From Latin abscondere (to hide; to conceal). Example: The marmot absconds in the winter. Another example, from a lousy chapter in my own life: He absconded with the funds.
The Ablative Case with Special Verbs
l
The Ablative of Comparison.
Otalgia
Otalgia: a pain in the ear. From Greek ώτο (ear), and ἄλγος (pain, suffering). This is a medical term. Unfortunately, you cannot use the word to describe popular teenage boy bands.
September
September: the ninth month of the year. September follows August, and precedes October. September was the seventh month of the Roman year. Under the old Roman calendar, the year began in March. Now, instead of celebrating the new year in March (which is quite...
The Ablative case and Latin prepositions
There are certain prepositions in Latin that automatically drive the next word into the Ablative case. This often confuses my students, and perhaps it confuses you as well. No longer: http://youtu.be/0WAce-tEVCM
Nostalgia
Nostalgia: a longing for home; a longing for better days. From νοσταλγία (nostalgia), which further derives from νόστος (a return home), and ἄλγος (pain, suffering).
A cheval
A cheval: by horse; on horseback. In mountaineering, à cheval is a climbing method. The climber straddles the ridge, placing hands on the crest of the ridge. From the French phrase à cheval (on horseback). The French phrase derives from the Latin caballus (horse,...
Onager
Onager: the wild donkey of Asia. From Greek όνος (donkey, ass) and άγριος (wild). Άγριος derives from ἀγρός (field). Onager is also the name for a Roman siege weapon, a type of ballista, which threw stones from a bag or wooden bucket. Evidently, this weapon had...
Ab ovo
Ab ovo: From the beginning; complete; thorough. The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “from the egg”. The Romans used a phrase, “ab ovum usque ad malum” to describe a complete process. The phrase means, “from the egg to the apple”. It describes a complete...