Etymology Terms Flashcards
Degeneration
meaning of word becomes more contemptible
- monster, rococo, demon
Elevation
meaning of word becomes more pleasant
- utopia, angel, progress
Abstract
expressing a thought apart from any material or particular object
- beauty, truth, justice
Concrete
having a material perceptible existence, specific, tangible
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Concrete to Abstract
word changes from specific to general, without the addition of a suffix
- have guts, have a good ear, suffer a tragedy
Abstract to Concrete
word changes from general to specific, without the addition of a suffix
- allowance, generation, ordnance
Hyperbole
exaggeration
- overkill, mammoth olives, very unique
Weakening
overuse of hyperbole leads to the weakening of a words meaning
- mortify, unique, atom
Changing Concepts
change resulting from changes in the understanding of the world around us
- sanguine (full of blood) - cheerful
- melancholy (state of black bile) - depression
Euphemism
replacing a disagreeable or unpleasant word with one that is less so
- the underprivileged, see someone, fix the cat
Circumlocution
indirect or lengthy way of expressing a simple or concrete idea (military)
- neutralize, visit a site, dysfunctional
Folk Etymology
mistaken assimilation to another word form which it resembles (laxadaisical from ‘a lack the day’)
- humble pie, female, hangnail
Clip
a word that had lost its initial or final part but retains the same general meaning
- lab, prep, memo
Inchoative
a word or word unit denoting the beginning of an action state or occurrence (to become, to begin)
- coalesce, acquiesce, effervesce
Acronym
abbreviation that spells a pronounceable word
- laser, zip, wasp
Affix
a collective term for prefixes, suffixes, infixes
Apheresis
elimination of the first letter or syllable of a word
- light < alight
Assimilation
adjacent sounds, usually consonants, acquire similar characteristics
- allusion, suffuse, oppress
Back Formation
creation of simpler forms, removal of an affix
- lase/lasing < laser, orientate, respirate
Blend
combining two or more parts to create a new word
- affluenza, palimony, hazmat
Hybrid
a word composed of elements from different languages
- superman (Latin/English), speedometer, off-color
Suffix
word endings that modify meaning - change part of speech
- adjective, verb, noun endings
Base/Root
central element of a word which is left after the removal of all affixes
Substantive
an adjective functioning as a noun
- the good, the bad, the ugly
- Christians, the rich, an adolescent
Dissimilation
similar sounds diverge for easier pronunciation
- lunar, turtle, piety
Semantic Change
modification of meaning in a word
basic process - similitude > metaphor > new meaning
Metaphor
implied comparison of two things
- he’s an old goat, a toothless lion
Specialization
word moves from general to specific
- radish, undertaker, rape
Generalization
word moves from specific to general
- assassin, comedy, triumph
Functional Change
word function changes
- wolf down, chicken out, cat around
Cognates
two or more words in different languages that have the same root
- mother/madre/mere/moeder
Derivative
a word borrowed from another word or root usually from another language
- rivus (Latin for river bank) > rival
Doublets
two words of the same language which are derived from the same original word
- banjo/mandolin, hostile/host, dainty/dignity
Etymology
the study of the real meaning of words
Diminutive
smaller
- morsel, cubicle, capsule
Homonym
words pronounced the same with different meaning
- air, heir, err
Loan Word
a word in one language that has been borrowed from another language and then naturalized
- jihad, autobahn, hors d’ouevre
Metathesis
brid>bird
Onomatopoeia
spelled like imitation of sound
- bzzz, splash, zip
Participle
verb used as an adjective
- signed, sealed, delivered
Prefix
one or more letters or syllables placed at the beginning of a word to modify it’s meaning
- prefix
Reduplication
tom-tom, memory, bruhaha
Vowel Gradation
a change in the internal vowel of the base
- infect, continent, inception
