Quiz 2 Terms Flashcards
suffix
“one or more letters added to the end of a word to modify its meaning, and also often change its part of speech”
ex. able, acious, ain, an, ar, ous, ious, ulent
*substantive
“an adjective which functions as a noun, without changing the form of the word”
ex. a deductible, the good, a stiff, Big Blue, rubbers
hybrid
“a word composed of elements drawn from different languages”
ex. off-color (English/Latin), superman (Latin/English), ultrafast (Latin/English), teledata (Greek/Latin), audiophile (Latin/Greek), microprocessor (Greek/Latin)
dissimilation
“the process by which two similar or identical sounds diverge or become unlike, usually in order to facilitate pronunciation”
ex. familiar
participle
“an adjective formed from a verb, in English usually by adding -ing (present) or -ed (past) to a verb base”
ex. preserving, preserved
semantic change
“the modification of meaning in a word”
(similitude > metaphor > new meaning)
ex. carrothead, egghead, meathead
metaphor
“an implied comparison between two things”
ex. “All the world’s a stage …” the arm of a chair, the butt of a rifle, a ship plowing through waves, head over heels
specialization
“the process by which the meaning of a word moves from a more general to a more specific sense”
ex. RADIC: “root”> “one type of root, radish”
RAP-: “seize, pillage” > “seize a woman by force, rape”
VOT-: “wish, prayer”> “wish of a council, vote”
LIQUOR-: “fluid”> “alcoholic drink, liquor/liqueur”
generalization
“the process by which the meaning of a word moves from a more specific to a more general sense”
ex. TREMENDUS: “dreadful, to be trembled at” >“awesome, huge, amazing, very good, tremendous”
COMOEDIA: “party-song, ribald verse” > “humorous
drama, anything funny or comical”
TRIUMPHUS: “Roman parade in honor of a victorious
general” > “military conquest, any sort of triumph”
functional change
“the process by which a word takes on a new usage as a different part of speech, without a change in form or the addition of a suffix”
ex. to out someone: preposition > verb; to firm up: adjective > verb; flower pot; disk drive; to film a movie; to have a go at something
