by Dwane | Sep 12, 2014 | Education
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....
by Dwane | Sep 11, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
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).
by Dwane | Sep 11, 2014 | English, Latin, Vocabulary
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.
by Dwane | Sep 10, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 10, 2014 | Education, Vocabulary
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.
by Dwane | Sep 9, 2014 | Education
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...
by Dwane | Sep 9, 2014 | Education, Latin
by Dwane | Sep 9, 2014 | English, Greek, Vocabulary
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,...
by Dwane | Sep 9, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Greek, Vocabulary
by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Education, Greek, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 8, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
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,...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Latin
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...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 6, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 5, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Acme – the peak of perfection; the pinnacle; the zenith; the company that sends incredible equipment to Wile E. Coyote. From Greek ἀκμή (point; top).
by Dwane | Sep 5, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 4, 2014 | English, Vocabulary
Entire series coming soon…
by Dwane | Sep 4, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 4, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
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,...
by Dwane | Sep 3, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
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...
by Dwane | Sep 3, 2014 | Education, Grammar, Latin, ScreenCasts
by Dwane | Sep 3, 2014 | English, Vocabulary
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:
by Dwane | Sep 2, 2014 | English, Greek, Vocabulary
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.
