1. Etymology The Story of Words Psyche and her muse, the crystal ball.
PSYKHE (or Psyche) was the goddess of the soul, wife of Eros god of love.
Source:
psyche 1640s, "animating spirit," from L. psyche, from Gk. psykhe "the soul, mind, spirit, breath, life, the invisible animating principle or entity which occupies and directs the physical body" (personified as Psykhe, the lover of Eros), akin to psykhein "to blow, cool," from PIE base *bhes- "to blow" (cf. Skt. bhas-). The word had extensive sense development in Platonic philosophy and Jewish-influenced theological writing of St. Paul. In English, psychological sense is from 1910.
Artist [show]John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Title English: The Crystal Ball
Français : La Boule de cristal
Date 1902
Medium Oil on canvas
This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
The Story of Words

2. Words to Know origin - the place where something comes from.
The origin of the shirt I am wearing is a city in China.
Origin is related to the ideas of original and birth.

3. prefix- + root + -suffix
A prefix is a word element that you connect to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.
A suffix is also a word element that changes a words meaning but it is at the end of a sentence.
The root serves as a ‘base’ for a prefix or suffix.

4. You ask, “Is it a REAL word?” It is if enough people use it.
prefix- + root + -suffix
In the English language, big words are often made up of small word parts that come from other languages – especially Greek.
When you know the meanings of these small word parts, you can unlock the meaning of some real jawbreakers.
For example, take the word
MICROARCHAEGYNOPHOBIAC
You have no idea what it means. But once you know the following, you can figure out the word.
MICRO- = small
So --
one who has a fear
of little old ladies
ARCHAE = ancient
GYN = woman
-PHOBIAC = one who has a fear of
You ask, “Is it a REAL word?” It is if enough people use it.

5. Etymology
In other words…words have parents, grandparents, and so on…just like everything else!
Usually, the words have changed a little, but the connection is still obvious.

6. Etymology is the study of where words come from.

7. etym = true sense
ology = study of
etymology = study of the “true sense” of words

8. to get the “true sense” of a word, you look for its roots, its origin, where it came from.
Author: David Wilmot from Wimbledon, United Kingdom
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9. Where do the words we use come from?
English is a blend of words from many other languages
These words made their way into the English language in many ways
Occupation by other countries/cultures
English occupation of other countries/cultures
Brought by immigrants
Cultural trends and fashions

10. The English language is always changing!

11. Greek and Latin have had the biggest influence on English.
It started thousands of years ago…

12. The Mediterranean Sea Med = middle Terr = land
The Mediterranean Sea is in the middle of the land where western cultures developed.
The earliest western cultures were Greek and Roman.

13. Greek Language The first western written language.
477 BC – 149 BC
Alexander the Great was the Greek leader responsible for the spread of the Greek Empire.
The Greeks had an empire that included the lands bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Persia, and Egypt. The Greek language and culture spread throughout this region.

14. Latin was the language spoken in ancient Rome.
Roman Influence
Latin was the language spoken in ancient Rome.
When the Romans conquered territories—including most of Europe—they brought their language to those territories. That is why there are so many words in our language that have Latin roots.

15. The Roman Empire
Rome

16. The Romance Languages LATIN (Ancient Rome)‏ Italian French Spanish
Portuguese

17. The Roman Empire
44 BC – 476 AD
Britain
Rome
Greece

18. How Latin words got into English Language
The Roman Empire
expanded into
Britain, bringing Latin
Latin words found
their way into the
Anglo-Saxon language
of the people in
Ancient Britain

19. How Latin words got into English Language
The Roman Empire
expanded into
Britain, bringing Latin
Latin words found
their way into the
Anglo-Saxon language
of the people in
Ancient Britain
For Example:
Latin word
“stratum”
means
“layered road”

20. How Latin words got into English Language
The Roman Empire
expanded into
Britain, bringing Latin
Latin words found
their way into the
Anglo-Saxon language
of the people in
Ancient Britain
For Example:
Latin word
“stratum”
means
“layered road”
“Stratum”
became “straets”
in Anglo-Saxon

21. How Latin words got into English Language
The Roman Empire
expanded into
Britain, bringing Latin
Latin words found
their way into the
Anglo-Saxon language
of the people in
Ancient Britain
For Example:
Latin word
“stratum”
means
“layered road”
“Stratum”
became “straets”
in Anglo-Saxon
Now called
“streets” in
modern English

22. How Latin words got into English Language
The Roman Empire
expanded into
Britain, bringing Latin
Latin words found
their way into the
Anglo-Saxon language
of the people in
Ancient Britain
For Example:
“Stratum”
became “straets”
in Anglo-Saxon
Latin word
“stratum”
means
“layered road”
Now called
“streets” in
modern English
Miles of streets and roads were created.
Mile is from the Latin word mille, which means 1,000.
The Roman mile was measured as 1,000 paces.

23. The English Language
This is how English as we know it today evolved over the centuries, influenced by many other European languages.

24. European Invasions of Britain
Anglians from the area that is now the Netherlands invaded in 550 AD.
Vikings from Scandinavia invaded in 875 AD.
Finally, the Normans from northern France invaded in 1066 AD. English language was banned by the Normans.
All of these invaders brought their languages, which influenced the English language. These influences can be traced through etymology.

25. Influence of the Catholic Church
1 AD – 1950’s
The Catholic Church was the official religion in all of Europe until the 1500’s.
The official language of the Catholic Church was Latin. So, no matter what country, all services in the Catholic Church were spoken in Latin. All priests and church officials spoke Latin.

26. Renaissance Influence
Renaissance = Rebirth
During the Renaissance, educated people in Europe became interested in Ancient Greece.
It was a time of expansion of knowledge in the areas of science, medicine, art and architecture.
This is how many Greek word roots made their way into the English language, especially in these subject areas.

27. The Influence Continues Today
Latin continued to be a universally understood language among the educated of Europe until the 1800’s.
The Catholic Church continued to use Latin until the 1950’s.
Our language continues to show influences from the Greek language, especially in the area of science.

28. England Becomes the Invader 1600 - 1900
The stars indicate areas that were once colonies of Britain, and where English was (and still is) spoken.

29. Why Should YOU Learn Word Roots?
You will recognize word chunks in unfamiliar words and be able to narrow down the possible meaning of the word
It will help you with vocabulary in many subject areas
You will be better able to pronounce unfamiliar words
You will become a better speller
Since many languages have common roots to Latin and Greek, it makes learning a foreign language easier

30. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight

31. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power

32. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year

33. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle

34. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle
pop = people

35. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle
pop = people
struct = build

36. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle
pop = people
struct = build
terr = land

37. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle
pop = people
struct = build
terr = land
alt = high

38. Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots?
ortho = straight
dyna = power
ann = year
orb = circle
pop = people
struct = build
terr = land
alt = high
reg = rule
dom = rule

39. a person who travels in space craft
Greek word
astro
means
star
astrophysics
the physics of stars
astrononaut
a person who travels in space craft
asterisk
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40. Quiz What does the Greek root etym mean? What does etymology mean?
Define origin.
What is the English meaning of the Greek root astro?
What was the language of ancient Rome?
Which came first? Greece or Rome?
What is the Latin word for street?
List two benefits of learning about the etymology of words.