BREAKDOWN: QUA[L]- (who or what) + -IA (state of)

• quale is the singular form of qualia

“Who can say if the thoughts you have in your mind as you read these words are the same thoughts I had in my mind as I typed them? We are different, you and I, and the qualia of our consciousnesses are as divergent as two stars at the ends of the universe.” —Ken Liu

[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: EN- (on) + JOIN- (to join)

• an enjoinder is an authoritative command, directive, or a prohibition, often in the form of an injunction (also enjoinment)

• an enjoiner is someone who issues an order or injunction

See also: juxtaposition, rejoinder

“Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be that good policy does not equally enjoin it?” —George Washington

• measles is a contagious, airborne viral disease that can lead to severe complications and death (also rubeola)

BREAKDOWN: The original meaning of the word measly was literal: infected with measles. However, in the mid-19th century, measly came to be used as an English colloquialism meaning small or insignificant. The word measles itself was coined by an English physician as a combination of the medieval English mesles and the Latin misella; the former derives from the Middle Dutch masel meaning blemish and the latter is the source of the root MISER- meaning wretched in words like commiserate and miserable.

“Our usual perception of the world is limited to what is biologically or socially useful. Our brains evolved to admit to our awareness only the measly trickle of information required for our survival and no more.” —Michael Pollan

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

BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + TRIT- (to rub) + -TION (act or state)

• attrit means to weaken, wear down, or reduce by means of sustained pressure or force

• attritive means pertaining to or caused by a wearing down or weakening

See also: detrimental, trite

“War is an unpredictable beast. Once unleashed, it runs like a rabid dog, ravening friend or foe alike. It can drag on for years, a slow attrition of nerve and fortitude, or be over in one brilliant flash, an extravagant conflagration of flame and blood and waste.” —Kate Forsyth

BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + PALL- (pale)

• appalling means inspiring dismay, horror, or astonishment

See also: pallor

“But while ignorance can make you insensitive, familiarity can also numb. Entering the second half-century of an information age, our cumulative knowledge has changed the level of what appalls, what stuns, what shocks.” —Anna Quindlen

🎓🦅 The eagle has landed! Find out why Hampshire College is the canary in the college coal mine.

WORD MATCH

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

1. corroborate | 2. narcissist | 3. discrepancy | 4. obstreperous | 5. andragogy | 6. interdict

_______ Divergence or dissonance

_______ Unruly or uproarious

_______ To prevent or proscribe

_______ To affirm or authenticate

_______ An egotist of the highest order

QUOTE MATCH

Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. interdict | 2. discrepancy | 3. obstreperously | 4. corroboration | 5. narcissism

“No one wants advice, only _______.” —John Steinbeck

“Have no _______ between what you say, what you are, and what you do.” —Dalai Lama

“Being a control freak is a weakness, not a strength. If you can’t allow others to shine, you’re exhibiting signs of _______ and showing a lack of self-confidence. It is isolation through ego.” —Stewart Stafford

“People who are exceptional at framing understand that their imagination needs bounds—cognitive curbs, mental manacles—not to _______ their vision but to guide it. Restraints can free creativity rather than curtail it.” —Kenneth Cukier

“In an age of increasingly mechanized production, the genesis of scientific knowledge remains an unyieldingly, _______ hand-hewn process. It is among the most human of our activities. Far from being subsumed by the dehumanizing effects of technology, science remains our last stand against it.” —Siddhartha Mukherjee

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.

INTER- (between) + DICT- (_______)

ANDR- (man) + -AGOG (_______) + -Y (act)

CO- (together) + ROB[UR]- (_______) + -ATE (to make)

OB- (_______) + STREP- (to make a noise) + -OUS (full of)

DIS- (_______) + CREP- (to creak or crack) + -ANCY (_______)

Scroll down for answers. But first, learn the surprisingly many words related to the element LEAD…

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BREAKDOWN: SOLIC- (anxious) + CIT- (to set in motion) + -OUS (full of)

solicitude is a feeling of care or concern, often to an excessive degree

See also: unsolicited

“A good conscience fears no witness, but a guilty conscience is solicitous even in solitude. If we do nothing but what is honest, let all the world know it. But if otherwise, what does it signify to have nobody else know it, so long as I know it myself? Miserable is he who slights that witness.” —Seneca

BREAKDOWN: ANDR- (man) + -AGOG (leader) + -Y (act)

• andragogical means of or pertaining to the methods, theories, and practices used to teach adult learners

See also: demagogue

“A powerful characteristic of andragogy, the teaching of adults, is the transparency of processes. Adults thrive in educational environments that are overt regarding why and how things are being done.” —Bruno Albuquerque

[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: INTER- (between) + DICT- (speak)

• an interdict or interdiction is a prohibition, injunction, or exclusion

See also: benediction, jurisdiction, valedictory, vindictive

“I do not interdict the possession of wealth, but my aim is for you to possess it fearlessly, and this attitude you can achieve only if you are convinced that you can live happily even without wealth.” —Seneca

• narcissism is a personality type marked by selfishness and self-obsession

• narcissistic describes a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, an excessive need for admiration, and a profound lack of empathy for others

BREAKDOWN: We owe the eponym narcissist to the famous figure of Greek myth Narcissus, known in equal measures for his great beauty and self-obsession. Legend has it that Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, consequently falling into said pool. While some tales then transform Narcissus into the flower of the same name, other authorities suggest the flower was actually named first in connection with the root NARC- meaning numbness in words like narcotic.

“Narcissism is not self-love. It’s the opposite of that. It’s a nagging horror that you are, deep down, unlovable. A narcissist needs the love, attention and admiration of others to survive because he or she cannot produce enough healthy self-respect to be at peace.” —Deborah Orr

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

BREAKDOWN: DIS- (apart) + CREP- (to creak or crack) + -ANCY (state of)

• discrepant means incongruous, inconsistent, or dissonant

“It is expected that there will be discrepancies between models and observations. However, why these arise and what one should conclude from them are interesting and more subtle than most people realize. Indeed, such discrepancies are the classic way we learn something new.” —Gavin Schmidt

BREAKDOWN: CO- (together) + ROB[UR]- (strength) + -ATE (to make)

• corroboration is the process of supporting a statement, theory, or witness testimony with independent evidence

• corroborative means supporting, substantiating, or validating (also corroboratory)

“Writing to corroborate what you already think is the essence of bad writing.” —Victor LaValle

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

1. revel | 2. syncretism | 3. evanescent | 4. aggrieved | 5. fecundity | 6. hubris

_______ Prolificacy or productiveness

_______ Audacity or insolence

_______ Union or amalgamation

_______ Temporary or tenuous

_______ Pained or peeved

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

1. aggrieved | 2. hubris | 3. fecund | 4. revel | 5. evanescent

“Accept who you are; and _______ in it.” —Mitch Albom

“Feeling superior doesn’t make one superior. _______ does not humble others.” —Guy R. McPherson

“Human life is as _______ as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.” —Samuel Butler

“Fascist politics feeds off the sense of _______victimization caused by loss of hierarchal status.” —Jason Stanley

“All successful life is adaptable, opportunistic, tenacious, interconnected, and _______. Understand this. Use it.” —Octavia E. Butler

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.

RE- (against) + BELL- (_______)

FE- (to suckle) + -UND (_______) + -ITY (quality)

A- (to) + GRIEV- (_______) + -ED (made or done)

E- (out) + VAN- (_______) + -ESCENT (growing or becoming)

SYN- (together) + CRAS- (_______) + -ISM (state or practice)

Scroll down for answers. But first, avoid shame by confirming the meaning of the word CHASTEN…

WEEKLY QUIZ ANSWERS

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BREAKDOWN: OB- (against) + STREP- (to make a noise) + -OUS (full of)

• obstreperosity and obstreperousness are both terms for disorderliness or disobedience

“This is the maddening truth about time, which most advice on managing it seems to miss. It’s like an obstreperous toddler: the more you struggle to control it, to make it conform to your agenda, the further it slips from your control.” —Oliver Burkeman

BREAKDOWN: SYN- (together) + CRAS- (mixture) + -ISM (state or practice)

• syncretize means to unite, amalgamate, or reconcile different or opposing elements or attempt to do so

• syncretic means of, pertaining to, or marked by a mixture of different elements, practices, or principles or (also syncretistic and syncretical)

See also: idiosyncrasy

“Those who rove freely through the various traditions, accepting what they can use and rejecting what they cannot, are condemned as undisciplined syncretists. But the use of one’s reason is not a lack of discipline, not is there any important religion which is not itself a syncretism, a growing up together of ideas and practices of diverse origin.” —Alan W. Watts

[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: A- (to) + GRIEV- (to make heavy) + -ED (made or done)

• aggrieve means to give pain or sorrow to; to bear heavily upon

• aggrievement is a state of resentment or distress caused by unfair treatment or injustice

“Singers, actors or artists who touch on sorrow are trying to give comfort to aggrieved souls by giving some meaning to their sorrows.” —Janvier Chouteu-Chando

• hubristic means insolent, vain, or excessively proud

BREAKDOWN: The word hubris dates back to the ancient Greek hybris meaning wanton violence, insolence, or outrage. The level of outrage denoted by hubris depended on the context, which could mean anything from common theft or assault to transgression against the gods themselves. Greek mythology is rife with tales of those who suffered the consequences of their hubris.

“Continue to learn with humility, not hubris. Hubris is boring.” —Jimmy Iovine

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

BREAKDOWN: RE- (against) + BELL- (war) [same roots as REBEL]

• revel as a noun is a celebration or party

• revelry is noisy unrestrained merrymaking

See also: belligerence

“This Universe is a wild revel of atoms, men, and stars, each one a Soul of Light and Mirth, horsed on Eternity.” —Aleister Crowley

BREAKDOWN: FE- (to suckle) + -UND (state) + -ITY (quality)

• fecund means fertile, fruitful, or productive

• fecundate means to fertilize or make fruitful

See also: fawning

“Water is the mother of the vine, the nurse and fountain of fecundity, the adorner and refresher of the world.” — Charles MacKay

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

1. caesura | 2. conjugate | 3. penchant | 4. jurisdiction | 5. motley | 6. visionary

_______ Mixed or manifold

_______ Prerogative or purview

_______ An interval or interruption

_______ To couple or compound

_______ Tendency or taste

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

1. motley | 2. pendant | 3. visionary | 4. jurisdiction | 5. conjugation

“A mad person sees what isn’t there; A _______ sees what isn’t there yet.” —Judith Thurman

“The whole of nature is a _______ of the verb to eat, in the active and passive.” —Michael Pollan

“All men are fools, if truth be told, but the ones in _______ are more amusing than ones with crowns.” —George R.R. Martin

“No mistake is more common and more fatuous than appealing to logic in cases which are beyond her _______.” —Samuel Butler

“As for my next book, I won’t write it till it has grown heavy in my mind like a ripe pear: _______, gravid, asking to be cut or it will fall.” —Virginia Woolf

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.

CIS- (_______) + -URA (state of)

PENS- (_______) + -ANT (state of)

CON- (with) + JUG- (_______) + -ATE (to make or do)

JURIS- (_______) + DICT- (_______) + -ION (state or act of)

VIS- (_______) + -ION (act or state) + -ARY (pertaining to)

Scroll down for answers. But first, learn the proper term for a sleepmaxxer’s obsession…

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