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 culpa Through 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