by Dwane | Aug 20, 2014 | Education, English, Latin, Vocabulary
Abrasion: A scrape. Fall off of a bicycle and you may end up with an abrasion. Abrasion can also be the act of wearing or rubbing off. For example: The constant abrasion of chairs left scratches on the hardwood floors. Abrasion come from the Latin word abradere,...
by Dwane | Aug 12, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Abducent: drawing away from, pulling back. This word usually describes those muscles which pull back certain parts of the body. The abducent muscles separate, open, or bend body parts. Abducent derives from Latin ab (away) and duco (I lead).
by Dwane | Aug 12, 2014 | Education, English, Vocabulary
Aeronautics: the science, or art, of sailing in the air. This is a word you would not expect to find in Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary, but, there it is. In his dictionary, however, you will find an additional phrase: by means of a ballon. Aeronautical science has...
by Dwane | Aug 6, 2014 | Education, English, Greek, Latin, Vocabulary
English vocabulary is made up of 60% Latin words and 10% Greek words. This means, that, by learning those old Greek and Latin roots, you will possess the key to 70% of the language that your fellow students do not possess. – Rita McNamera, in 14 Basic Roots:...
by Dwane | Jul 25, 2014 | Greek, Latin, Vocabulary
Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow has a long and interesting history. The name of the flower is part Greek, part Latin. Achillea, comes from the Greek name Ἀχιλλεύς. According to legend, Achilles would carry the plant with him onto the battlefield. He...
