Collegiate Questions—Advanced Flashcards
Which of the following words, if any, is not derived from the same Latin root as the others: “suzerain,” “overture,” “vertebrate,” “prose,” “varsity”?
OVERTURE
B1: Which of the following words, if any, is not derived from the same Latin noun as the others: “plush,” “pillage,” “pellet,” “peel”?
PELLET
B2: What other derivative of pila describes a small group of soldiers usually commanded by a lieutenant?
PLATOON
A recent edition of The New York Times included letters to the editor under the title “Should Schools Curb Grade Inflation?” From what Latin verb, with what meaning, do we derive “inflation”?
FLŌ – TO BREATHE
B1: From what Latin adjective, with what meaning, do we derive “curb”?
CURVUS – CURVED
B2: One of the letters, advocating against artificial grade deflation, contains the sentence “Grades are not a limited resource.” Give the Latin words at the ultimate root of “limited” and “resource.”
LĪMES – BORDER / LIMIT and REGŌ – RULE / DIRECT
[PROMPT ON SURGŌ WITH “CAN YOU GIVE THE ULTIMATE ROOT FOR SURGŌ?”]
What two Latin words are found at the root of the name for a wedge-shaped writing style used in ancient Mesopotamia — cuneiform?
CUNEUS (WEDGE) and FORMA (SHAPE)
B1: What two Latin words are found at the root of the name for a type of stiff fabric used to stiffen clothing — crinoline?
CRĪNIS (HAIR) and LĪNUM (FLAX / THREAD)
B2: Finally, what two Latin words are found at the root of the word for a type of decorative bedspread — coverlet?
OPERIŌ (TO COVER) and LECTUS (BED)
What three Latin verbs can all be at the root of the two-letter English suffix “-fy” — exemplified by the words “vilify,” “crucify,” and “defy” — and mean “to make,” “to attach,” and “to trust”?
FACIŌ, FĪGŌ, FĪDŌ
B1: What four Latin words can all be at the root of the four-letter English suffix “-gree” in the words “pedigree,” “filigree,” “agree,” and “degree”?
GRŪS, GRĀNUM, GRĀTUS, {GRADUS / GRADIOR}
B2: What two Latin nouns can be at the root of “round” in the words “around” and “surround”?
ROTA and UNDA
Differentiate in meaning between the verbs luceō and lugeō.
TO SHINE and TO MOURN (RESPECTIVELY)
B1: Now differentiate in meaning between the nouns mōlēs and prōlēs.
MASS and OFFSPRING (RESPECTIVELY)
B2: Now differentiate in meaning between the nouns lutum and lētum.
MUD / CLAY and DEATH (RESPECTIVELY)
A sententia of Publilius Syrus reads: “improbē Neptūnum accūsat, quī iterum naufragium facit.” What is the meaning of the noun naufragium, which is derived from navis and frangō?
SHIPWRECK
B1: A saying falsely attributed to Publilius reads, “quī aliī maledīcit, sibi convīcium facit.” What is the meaning of convīcium?
OUTCRY / LOUD NOISE / INSULT
B2: Explain the message of the proverb in the toss-up: “improbē Neptūnum accūsat, quī iterum naufragium facit.” You can do this either by translating it idiomatically or summarizing its meaning.
HE WHO GETS IN A SHIPWRECK FOR THE SECOND TIME IS WRONG TO
BLAME NEPTUNE //
MAKING A MISTAKE ONCE COULD JUST BE BAD LUCK, BUT IF YOU DO IT
TWICE THAT’S NO LONGER A VALID EXCUSE
[ACCEPT EQUIVS.; PROMPT ON A TRANSLATION THAT IS TOO STILTED TO
CONVEY A CLEAR MEANING]
What meaning is shared by the nouns dēlūbrum, fānum, and aedis, which often see people in the act of precārī and contain an āra, and are also synonymous with templum?
TEMPLE
B1: What does aedis mean in the plural?
HOUSE / HOME
B2: What type of building are māgālia, which appear in Book 1 of the Aeneid in the lines “Mīrātur mōlem Aenēās, māgālia quondam, / mīrātur portās strepitumque et strāta viārum”?
HUTS / TENTS / SHABBY DWELLINGS
What meaning is shared between the Latin verb from which we derive “scout” and the Latin verb from which we derive “obedient” — auscultō and audiō?
TO HEAR / LISTEN TO
B1: What meaning is shared between the Latin verbs from which we derive “arraign” and “excise” in the context of “excise tax”?
TO THINK / JUDGE
B2: What meaning is shared between the Latin nouns from which we derive “scourge” and “surplice”?
SKIN / HIDE
