The Greek & Latin Roots of English (44 page)

25. The
choreographer
__________ __________ for a performance.

26. When I heard the
clamor
in the street, I looked to see who was __________.

27. He took a second job to augment his wages because needed to __________ his income.

28. We had reached a
crisis
, and it was time to make a__________.

29. Paying his debts was a
cathartic
experience, because it __________ him of guilt.

30. I knew he was a
hypocrite
, only __________ that he was sorry.

31. When the witness
attested
to the evidence he __________ __________ its truth.

32.
Cliometrics
is that branch of the study of __________ that attempts to __________ economic or social facts.

33. If
orchestra
had kept its original meaning, what would happen there?__________

34.
Critics
are supposed to be able to __________ works of art.

35. I suffered a concussion when I was__________ __________ on the head.

36. A
cantata
is a musical composition that is meant to be __________.

37. What is a
cornucopia
? ____________________. Construct a sentence using the word.

     ______________________________________________________________________

38. I took drastic measures because it was clearly necessary to_______________ something.

39. If I
agonize
over a decision, I am ______________ to decide what to do.

40. I started to scream in pain, but my mother said, “Stop the
histrionics;
I know you're only__________.”

41. As the
pantomime
watched me, he __________ __________ my actions.

42. A
sonogram
is__________ produced by __________ waves.

43. She had
terpsichorean
aspirations, but unfortunately, she couldn't__________.

44. She wasn't very imaginative: her original thoughts ran the __________ from A to B.

45. When I asked him to
clarify
his idea, he tried to ______________it__________.

46. The ear's
tympanic
membrane acts as a____________ .

47. She __________ __________ an
exclamation
of disgust.

48. In the sentence, “he took what I said literally,” what is the present meaning of
literally
? ___________

49. What kind of entertainment should be shown at a theater named the
Thalia
? ____________

50. Although the teacher said, “Finish your homework with
alacrity
,” I did not do it _____________.

51. She showed great
fortitude
under stress; I would not have been so __________.

52. After the accident, he suffered from
amnesia
, and had __________ __________ of what had happened.

53. What is the etymology of viaduct? __________ __________ What is it? ___________

C. Athletics and Contests

54. An
invincible
enemy is __________ __________ __________.

55. A
votive
offering is one made in fulfillment of a__________.

56. One's last will and testament is a document that has been__________.

57. A remark that
impugns
your reputation __________ __________ it.

58. If you suffer from
myasthenia
, what is the matter? __________ __________ __________

59. A
gymnasium
is a ____________ people ____________.

60. He was casual in his approach to life. He took things as they___________.

61. What is a
palindrome
? ____________________ Use your unabridged dictionary to find the meaning. What are the roots of this word? ___________________________

62. A
pugnacious
individual is always _________________ a desire for____________.

63. Calisthenics are a means of increasing bodily_____________.

64. A
petition
is a means of_____________ for something.

65. The chief weapon of a
gladiator
was his __________.

66. His political
ambitions
were fueled by a __________.

67. The original meaning of the word
arena
was ground covered with __________. What are two current English usages of this word?

     ____________________

     ____________________

68. She entered the
pentathlon
, although she wasn't sure she could finish all ___________.

69.
Syndrome
is a medical term for a group of complaints that __________ __________.

70. His
effervescent
personality _____________ to remind me of a_____________ champagne.

71. Physically, he was an
adult
, but it was clear to everyone that he had never __________.

72. Although we tried to form a
coalition
, our ideas never seemed to __________.

73. That technology is rapidly becoming
obsolescent
, and will soon __________.

Footnotes

1
. In compounds,
cubo
often takes the form -
cumbo, cumbere, -cubitum
.

MYTH, RELIGION,
and
PHILOSOPHY

Head of bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon, found at Artemision (National Museum, Athens)

Homer and Hesiod have attributed to the gods all things that are a shame and a reproach among men: stealing, adultery and deceiving one another
.

XENOPHANES (sixth-century BCE philosopher)

GREEK AND ROMAN RELIGION AND MYTH

The traditional religion of the Greeks and Romans was polytheistic in structure, and the Greeks and Romans loved to tell stories about all their gods and goddesses: what they looked like, how they behaved, whom among the mortals and other deities they loved or hated. Although the religious practices and beliefs of the Greek and Roman worlds eventually disappeared, the stories of the gods and heroes contained in classical literature became one of the most important foundation stones of European cultural traditions. The themes of Greek and Roman myth have been utilized over and over again in literature, art, and music, while the names and exploits of the various gods, fabulous creatures, and mortal heroes and heroines still live on in our language.

THE GREEK AND ROMAN GODS

Just as there are similarities between the Greek and Latin languages because both belong to the Indo-European family and thus have a common ancestry, there are also similarities between the pantheons of their gods for the very same reason. In addition, the Romans adapted and retold many Greek myths for their own use, so that often a hero will have both a Greek and Latin name, e.g., Odysseus (Greek) was called Ulysses by the Romans. Because Roman culture had a more direct influence on European tradition than did Greek, the names of the Roman deities are perhaps more familiar to us.

The Greek Gods and Their Roman Counterparts