BREAKDOWN: VAL- (strong) + -OR (quality) + -IZE (to make or do)

• valorization is the act of assigning, increasing, or raising value

• valor is bravery, courage, or worth

See also: ambivalent, convalescence, prevail, valiant

“In a society that identifies consumption with patriotism, valorizes ‘growth’ above all else and assigns status according to how much you consume, we compete with each other to see who can consume the most.” —Emily Levine

WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. persiflage | 2. presuppose | 3. limelight | 4. detractor | 5. contrive | 6. inviolable

_______ Unassailable or ironclad

_______ To concoct or conspire

_______ Crank or critic

_______ To surmise or speculate

_______ Eminence or exposure

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. contrivance | 2. detract | 3. inviolable | 4. presuppose | 5. limelight

“Being able to ‘think out of the box’ _______(s) you were able to think in it.” —Bob Lutz

“Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly _______ from it.” —Dieter Rams

“The ability to speak is a short cut to distinction. It puts a man in the _______, raises him head and shoulders above the crowd.” —Lowell Thomas

“Every _______ of man, every tool, every instrument, every utensil, every article designed for use, of each and every kind, evolved from a very simple beginnings.” —Robert Collier

“The natural laws of the universe are _______... what you say and do determines what happens in your life... You are the master of your life and death. What you do is what you are.” —Lao Tzu

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

CON- (_______) + TRIV- (to find)

PRE- (before) + SUP- (under) + POS- (_______)

PER- (through) + SIBIL- (_______) + -AGE (process)

IN- (not) + VIOL- (_______) + -ABLE (able to be)

DE- (down) + TRACT- (_______) + -OR (one who does)

Scroll down for answers. But first, make sure you know the meaning of BOMBASTIC…

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BREAKDOWN: AMBI- (both) + DEXTER- (right hand) + -OUS (having qualities of)

• ambidexterity is the ability to use both the right and left hand equally well; skill, talent, or flexibility in two or more fields

• an ambidexter is someone who acts on both sides of an argument or for either side in a contest or dispute

See also: ambiguous, ambivalent

“For the theory-practice iteration to work, the scientist must be, as it were, mentally ambidextrous; fascinated equally on the one hand by possible meanings, theories, and tentative models to be induced from data and the practical reality of the real world, and on the other with the factual implications deducible from tentative theories, models and hypotheses.” —George E. P. Box

BREAKDOWN: PER- (through) + SIBIL- (to hiss or whistle) + -AGE (process)

“As a matter of fact, with all his wit, humor, raillery, persiflage, he [Robert Ingersoll] was the profoundest logician that ever appealed to the intellect of an American audience. There was logic even in his laughter. He passed the cup of mirth, and in its sparkling foam were found the gems of unanswerable truth.” —Herman E. Kittredge

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: CON- (together) + TRIV- (to find)

• contrived means artificial, forced, or unnatural

• contrivance is a clever construction or scheme, often considered inauthentic or dishonest

“We complain and complain, but we have lived and seen the blossom—apple, pear, cherry, plum, almond blossom—in the sun, and the best among us cannot pretend they deserve—or could contrive—anything better.” —J. B. Priestley

• a limelight is a non-electric type of lighting once used for stage performances

BREAKDOWN: The word limelight has nothing to do with citrus fruits and everything to do with calcium oxide, more commonly known as quicklime. Quicklime is produced by heating limestone to high temperatures. In 1820, Scottish engineer Thomas Drummond created an incandescent stage lamp that used a hot gas flame on a block of lime to shine a bright white light on actors. The use of this type of theatrical illumination gave way to electrical lighting in the late 19th century, but the word remained in the limelight, so to speak, as a figure of speech.

“Be like the sun; it does not look for the spotlight; the limelight travels with it wherever it goes.” —Matshona Dhliwayo

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + VIOL- (to treat with violence) + -ABLE (able to be)

• inviolability is the quality or state of being secure from attack, harm, or destruction

“We hold that the greatest right in the world is the right to be wrong, that in the exercise thereof people have an inviolable right to express their unbridled thoughts on all topics and personalities, being liable only for the abuse of that right.” —William Randolph Hearst

BREAKDOWN: PRE- (before) + SUP- (under) + POS- (to put or place)

• a presupposition is any fact or belief that must be assumed or taken for granted for an utterance, argument, or action to make sense

See also: composure, depose, indispose, juxtaposition, predispose, posit, repose, transpose

“Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.” —Johan Huizinga

WORD MATCH

Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. diffident | 2. inveigh | 3. coagulate | 4. bibliotherapy | 5. lassitude | 6. arduous

_______ Exhaustion or indifference

_______ To censure or condemn

_______ To congeal or curdle

_______ Sheepish or self-effacing

_______ Trying or tough

QUOTE MATCH

Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. coagulation | 2. arduous | 3. lassitude | 4. inveigh | 5. diffidence

“As JRR Tolkien reminded us, the only people who _______ against escape are jailers.” —Neil Gaiman

“The key to happiness is not being rich; it’s doing something _______ and creating something of value and then being able to reflect on the fruits of your labor.” —Arthur C. Brooks

“Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, dispels _______ and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens or refreshes the body, and clears the perceptive faculties.” —Lu Yu

“The moment of crisis had come, and I must face it. My old fears, my _______, my shyness, my hopeless sense of inferiority, must be conquered now and thrust aside. If I failed now I should fail forever.” —Daphne du Maurier

“Centuries of history, socioeconomic development, racism, genderism, and _______(s) of power and capital mean that two people born in roughly the same place at the same time may face very different hurdles in their lives.” —Michael Schur

ROOT QUIZ

For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

IN- (against) + VEY- (_______)

LAS- (sluggish, slow) + -TUDE (_______)

DIF- (lacking) + FID- (_______) + -ENT (full of)

CO- (together) + AG- (_______) + -ATE (to make)

BIBLIO- (_______) + THERAP- (to treat or cure) + -Y (act or state)

Scroll down for answers. But first, it would be quite practical to learn what PRAGMATIC means…

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BREAKDOWN: DE- (down) + TRACT- (to draw or manage) + -OR (one who does)

• detract means to diminish or lessen the value, quality, or reputation of something

See also: distraught, intractable

“No man who has played a role on the world stage has ever been without his detractors, and only a few have been without their apologists.” ―Emmuska Orczy

BREAKDOWN: BIBLIO- (book) + THERAP- (to treat or cure) + -Y (act or state)

• therapy refers to any form of treatment aimed at relieving physical, mental, or emotional health problems

“Boris was famous for his bibliotherapy. He knew which books would mend a broken heart, what to read on a summer day, and which novel to choose for an adventurous escape.” —Janet Skeslien Charles

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: IN- (against) + VEY- (to go or move)

• COMMONLY CONFUSED: inveigle means to artfully entice or influence through kind words, flattery, or deception

“But part of what I know is that there is the burden of living among Dreamers, and there is the extra burden of your country telling you the Dream is just, noble, and real, and you are crazy for seeing the corruption and smelling the sulfur. For their innocence, they nullify your anger, your fear, until you are coming and going, and you find yourself inveighing against yourself.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates

• arduity is difficulty or steepness

BREAKDOWN: The word arduous comes to English almost fully-formed from the Latin arduus meaning lofty, high, or steep. Interestingly, the other English words based on this word trace back to its earlier Greek root ORTHO- meaning correct or right in words like orthogonal, orthosomnia, and unorthodox.

“The world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home.” —Wendell Berry

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: DIF- (lacking) + FID- (faith) + -ENT (full of)

• diffidence is shyness, timidity, or self-doubt

See also: fidelity, perfidy

“Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men or animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others are plain, honest and upright, like the broad faced sunflower and the hollyhock.” —Henry Ward Beecher

BREAKDOWN: CO- (together) + AG- (to drive) + -ATE (to make)

• coagulate as a noun is the solid or gelatinous result of curdling or clotting

• coagulation is the process of gelling or becoming thickened into a coherent mass or clot

• a coagulant is a substance that causes or aids clotting or thickening

See also: agentic, cogent

“Bravery is this gut feeling to not coagulate or crystallize but to stay liquid.” —Björk

WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. commensurate | 2. partake | 3. autotelic | 4. pedagogy | 5. discernment | 6. hector

_______ Edification or inculcation

_______ To browbeat or badger

_______ To enjoy or engage in

_______ Acumen or understanding

_______ Comparable or compatible

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. pedagogue | 2. hector | 3. incommensurate | 4. partake | 5. autotelic

“Man is a transitory being, and his designs must _______ of the imperfections of their author.” —Samuel Johnson

“The effort was so _______ with the result. The bright hopes of youth had to be paid for at such a bitter price of disillusionment.” —W. Somerset Maugham

“All monarchs I hate, and the thrones they sit on, from the _______ of France to the cully of Britain.” —John Wilmot

“The game of life does not proceed like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes they make five, or minus four, and sometimes the blackboard topples over in the middle of the sum and the _______ is left with a black eye.” —Winston S. Churchill

“Each person intuitively seeks to place the stamp of an emergent personality upon their greatest creation, the formulation of their self-identity. A person’s self-identity, similar to works of art, is _______: they reflect their maker and are ends all unto themselves.” —Kilroy J. Oldster

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

PART- (_______) + TAK- (_______)

AUTO- (_______) + TEL- (goal) + -IC (pertaining to)

PED- (_______) + -AGOG (_______) + -Y (act or state)

DIS- (apart) + CERN- (_______) + -MENT (act or state)

CO- (with) + MENS- (_______) + -URE (state) + ATE (being)

Scroll down for answers. But first, learn about a word that seems to be everywhere…

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BREAKDOWN: LAS- (sluggish, slow) + -TUDE (state of)

“How pleasant to hold in mind, through the crevasses of our moods, at three in the afternoon when lassitude and despair threaten, that there is always a plane taking off for somewhere.” —Alain de Botton

BREAKDOWN: AUTO- (self) + TEL- (goal) + -IC (pertaining to)

• telic means tending or directed toward a definite end, goal, or purpose

See also: autonomous

“The difference between someone who enjoys life and someone who is overwhelmed by it is a product of a combination of such external factors and the way a person has come to interpret them—that is, whether he sees challenges as threats or as opportunities for action. The autotelic self is one that easily translates potential threats into enjoyable challenges, and therefore maintains its inner harmony. A person who is never bored, seldom anxious, involved with what goes on, and in flow most of the time may be said to have an autotelic self.” —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: DIS- (apart) + CERN- (to sift) + -MENT (act or state)

• to discern means to perceive, distinguish, or recognize

“Seeing reality for what it is is what we call discernment. The work of discernment is very hard.” —Lewis B. Smedes

• hector as a noun means a bully

BREAKDOWN: The word hector is a classic eponym, named for the warrior Hector from The Iliad by Homer. Interestingly, Hector, one of the principal defenders of Troy, was depicted as virtuous and noble rather than swaggering or domineering. The word picked up its negative connotations in 17th century London when street gangs known as Hectors bullied and terrorized the public.

“Good leadership means leading the way, not hectoring other people to do things your way. Bullying, bickering and competing for dominance are, even in a low-risk situation, excellent ways to destroy morale and diminish productivity.” —Chris Hadfield

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]