{"id":747,"date":"2016-07-30T14:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-07-30T18:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/?post_type=chapter&p=747"},"modified":"2016-11-30T14:16:19","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T19:16:19","slug":"%c2%a778-interesting-words","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/chapter\/%c2%a778-interesting-words\/","title":{"raw":"\u00a778. Interesting Words","rendered":"\u00a778. Interesting Words"},"content":{"raw":"

As you may have begun to notice, the most intriguing denominatives are those that involve Latin prefixes. To exonerate<\/i> (ex-oner-are<\/b>, ex-oner-atus<\/b>) is \u201cto get someone out from under a load.\u201d To inseminate<\/i> (in-semin-are<\/b>) is \u201cto put seed into\u201d; and to disseminate<\/i> (dis-semin-are<\/b>) is \u201cto spread seed apart (in different directions).\u201d To ejaculate<\/i> (e-jacul-are<\/b>) is to hurl out verbal or seminal missiles (a jac-ulum<\/b> is a \u201cthrow-thing\u201d). People with a good knowledge of Latin are likely to understand such words by calling to mind their etymological meanings, either consciously or unconsciously. Those etymological meanings may be quite straightforward, like rejuvenation<\/i> (re-juven-at-io<\/b>), \u201cbecoming a young man again\u201d; or less obvious, like elimination<\/i> (e-limin-at-io<\/b>), \u201c[casting] out of the threshold.\u201d Eradication<\/i> (e-radic-at-io<\/b>) is \u201ca rooting out\u201d (radix<\/b>, radic-is<\/b>[footnote] Here is the source of the English word radish<\/em>.[\/footnote])\u2014a radical<\/i> solution, whereas annihilation<\/i> (ad-nihil-atio<\/b>) is a reduction \u201cto nothing\u201d (nihil<\/b>). Evisceration<\/i> (e-viscer-at-io<\/b>) means tearing out the guts (viscera<\/b>); excoriation<\/i> (ex<\/b>-cori-at-io<\/b>) is ripping off the skin or hide (corium<\/b>)\u2014metaphorically flaying alive. Some denominatives seem to be brutally in-timid-at-ing!<\/i><\/p>\r\n

Even without prefixes, denominatives can be fascin-at-ing<\/i> (\u201cspellbinding\u201d). Does everyone know that insulation<\/i> creates an island (insula<\/b>)?[footnote] When the development firm of Cadillac-Fairview was planning the new Eaton\u2019s Centre in Victoria, a senior representative proudly announced, with grand solemnity, that the complex would feature both insulation and \u201coutsulation.\u201d He should have been excoriated, if not eviscerated, on the spot.[\/footnote] It is a doublet of isolation<\/i>, which came into English from Italian (through French). Fluctuation<\/i> is the motion of a wave (the 4th declension noun fluctus<\/b>). To fulminate<\/i> is to wield Jupiter\u2019s thunderbolt (fulmen<\/b>, fulmin-is<\/b>), when you are aroused to Olympian fury. To fornicate<\/i> is to play around under the vaulted arches (fornic-es<\/b>), a popular locale for ancient Roman brothels; don\u2019t confuse it with the rare word formicate<\/i>\u2014to swarm with ants (formic-ae<\/b>).[footnote] The Latin word for \u201coven\u201d or \u201ckiln\u201d was fornax, fornacis<\/strong> (> E furnace<\/em>). In classical Latin, there was actually a denominative agent noun fornacator<\/strong>, which meant \u201cstoker.\u201d It is probably just as well that we don\u2019t have to distinguish in English between fornicator<\/em> and fornacator<\/em>. (The fornicator<\/em> may end up stoking furnaces in the great hereafter.)[\/footnote]<\/p>\r\n

Some interesting things can happen with the -atus<\/b> ending of the perfect participle, when it is modified by various Romance languages. In Spanish, the feminine form -ata <\/b>regularly became -ada<\/i>, as we see in the Spanish armada<\/i>, <\/i>an \u201carmed\u201d fleet. (The Latin noun arma<\/b>, \u201carms,\u201d produced the denominative arm-are<\/b>, arm-atus<\/b>.) The -ata<\/b> > -ada<\/i> change occurred also in Old Proven\u00e7al, which is the ultimate source of English salad<\/i> (\u201csomething salted,\u201d < sal-are<\/b>, sal-atus<\/b>) and ballad<\/i> (originally \u201csomething danced,\u201d < Late Latin ball-are<\/b>, ball-atus<\/b>). In French, however, that same -ata<\/b> ending regularly evolved into -<\/i>\u00e9<\/em> or -\u00e9<\/em>e<\/i>, the form of the 1st conjugation French past participle. Therefore a<\/b>rmata<\/b> became arme<\/i>!<\/i>e<\/i>, the etymon of English army<\/i>. This means that army<\/i> and armada<\/i> are doublets.<\/p>","rendered":"

As you may have begun to notice, the most intriguing denominatives are those that involve Latin prefixes. To exonerate<\/i> (ex-oner-are<\/b>, ex-oner-atus<\/b>) is \u201cto get someone out from under a load.\u201d To inseminate<\/i> (in-semin-are<\/b>) is \u201cto put seed into\u201d; and to disseminate<\/i> (dis-semin-are<\/b>) is \u201cto spread seed apart (in different directions).\u201d To ejaculate<\/i> (e-jacul-are<\/b>) is to hurl out verbal or seminal missiles (a jac-ulum<\/b> is a \u201cthrow-thing\u201d). People with a good knowledge of Latin are likely to understand such words by calling to mind their etymological meanings, either consciously or unconsciously. Those etymological meanings may be quite straightforward, like rejuvenation<\/i> (re-juven-at-io<\/b>), \u201cbecoming a young man again\u201d; or less obvious, like elimination<\/i> (e-limin-at-io<\/b>), \u201c[casting] out of the threshold.\u201d Eradication<\/i> (e-radic-at-io<\/b>) is \u201ca rooting out\u201d (radix<\/b>, radic-is<\/b>[1]<\/sup><\/a>)\u2014a radical<\/i> solution, whereas annihilation<\/i> (ad-nihil-atio<\/b>) is a reduction \u201cto nothing\u201d (nihil<\/b>). Evisceration<\/i> (e-viscer-at-io<\/b>) means tearing out the guts (viscera<\/b>); excoriation<\/i> (ex<\/b>–cori-at-io<\/b>) is ripping off the skin or hide (corium<\/b>)\u2014metaphorically flaying alive. Some denominatives seem to be brutally in-timid-at-ing!<\/i><\/p>\n

Even without prefixes, denominatives can be fascin-at-ing<\/i> (\u201cspellbinding\u201d). Does everyone know that insulation<\/i> creates an island (insula<\/b>)?[2]<\/sup><\/a> It is a doublet of isolation<\/i>, which came into English from Italian (through French). Fluctuation<\/i> is the motion of a wave (the 4th declension noun fluctus<\/b>). To fulminate<\/i> is to wield Jupiter\u2019s thunderbolt (fulmen<\/b>, fulmin-is<\/b>), when you are aroused to Olympian fury. To fornicate<\/i> is to play around under the vaulted arches (fornic-es<\/b>), a popular locale for ancient Roman brothels; don\u2019t confuse it with the rare word formicate<\/i>\u2014to swarm with ants (formic-ae<\/b>).[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Some interesting things can happen with the -atus<\/b> ending of the perfect participle, when it is modified by various Romance languages. In Spanish, the feminine form -ata <\/b>regularly became -ada<\/i>, as we see in the Spanish armada<\/i>, <\/i>an \u201carmed\u201d fleet. (The Latin noun arma<\/b>, \u201carms,\u201d produced the denominative arm-are<\/b>, arm-atus<\/b>.) The -ata<\/b> > -ada<\/i> change occurred also in Old Proven\u00e7al, which is the ultimate source of English salad<\/i> (\u201csomething salted,\u201d < sal-are<\/b>, sal-atus<\/b>) and ballad<\/i> (originally \u201csomething danced,\u201d < Late Latin ball-are<\/b>, ball-atus<\/b>). In French, however, that same -ata<\/b> ending regularly evolved into –<\/i>\u00e9<\/em> or –\u00e9<\/em>e<\/i>, the form of the 1st conjugation French past participle. Therefore a<\/b>rmata<\/b> became arme<\/i>!<\/i>e<\/i>, the etymon of English army<\/i>. This means that army<\/i> and armada<\/i> are doublets.<\/p>\n

  1. Here is the source of the English word radish<\/em>. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. When the development firm of Cadillac-Fairview was planning the new Eaton\u2019s Centre in Victoria, a senior representative proudly announced, with grand solemnity, that the complex would feature both insulation and \u201coutsulation.\u201d He should have been excoriated, if not eviscerated, on the spot. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. The Latin word for \u201coven\u201d or \u201ckiln\u201d was fornax, fornacis<\/strong> (> E furnace<\/em>). In classical Latin, there was actually a denominative agent noun fornacator<\/strong>, which meant \u201cstoker.\u201d It is probably just as well that we don\u2019t have to distinguish in English between fornicator<\/em> and fornacator<\/em>. (The fornicator<\/em> may end up stoking furnaces in the great hereafter.) ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":3,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"Chapter 11: Turning Latin Nouns into Latin Verbs","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[52],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-747","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":587,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1911,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/747\/revisions\/1911"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/587"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/747\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=747"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=747"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}