by Dwane | Aug 26, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Latin, Vocabulary
Acre: a plot of land equal to 4,840 square yards. In Old English, an æcer was simply a “tilled field”. Later, the word described the amount of land plowed by oxen in a single day. This is an old word. Variations show up in many ancient European languages. In Latin,...
by Dwane | Aug 26, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Aversion: an intense dislike; opposition of mind; disinclination; reluctance; hatred. Derived from Latin ab (away) and vertere (to turn), the literal meaning of this word is: to turn away. Example: She had a deep aversion to broccoli.
by Dwane | Aug 25, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Abstraction: Dealing with ideas rather than events. Abstraction is also a state of mind occupied by abstract ideas. When we consider the branch of a tree by itself, or the color of leaves, as separate from their size or shape, the act is abstraction. When we...
by Dwane | Aug 22, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Vocabulary
Meteor: a shooting star; a space rock passing into Earth’s atmosphere, appearing as a bright light in the sky. From Greek μετέωρον (the thing high up). Mετέωρον further derives from μετα (among, between, over) and ἀείρω (to lift, to rise...
by Dwane | Aug 22, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Abstain: to withhold oneself; to refrain from voluntarily; to refrain from indulgence. I attempted to abstain from chocolate and coffee once. Ah… to be young and foolish again. Abstain comes from Latin ab (away) and tenere (to hold).
by Dwane | Aug 21, 2014 | English, Greek, Vocabulary
Aorta: The great artery, or trunk of the arterial system. It proceeds from the left ventricle of the heart, giving origin to all the arteries, except the pulmonary arteries. It first rises, when it is called the ascending aorta; then makes a great curve, when it gives...
