Word Rooting Skill Builder Flashcards
This deck supports knowledge of the roots associated with high-frequency SAT vocabulary words and builds the skill to decipher unfamiliar words using this core knowledge.
Break down and define:
- breaking the word into units of meaning
- recognizing units of meaning
- connecting to other known words
example:
philology
Here is the format we will use for this deck:
- break word into pieces
phil / ology
- identify root prefixes and suffixes that affect meaning to decode the word’s definition
phil = love, ology = study of
the love of study (usually of language or literature)
- other words you might be able to connect to the root
Anglophile, pedophile, biology
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acuity
acu / ity
sharp / (noun)
sharpness of vision, hearing or mentality
acute, acumen
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abstract
abs / tract
away / drawn
apart from concrete existence
tractor, tractable, attractive, abstraction, intractable
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acrimony
acri / mony
bitter / (noun)
bitterness; resentfulness
acrid
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acronym
acro / nym
high / name
name taken from the first letter of a group of words describing it (NASA, radar (originally), NARAL)
acrophobia, acrobatic, synonym, anonymous
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deceptive
de / cept / ive
away / take / (adjective)
take (someone) away from truth
quality that misleads someone from what is true
interception, inception, perceive, concept
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progeny
pro / gen / y
forward / birth or race - people / (noun)
those born from you
your children
generation, congenital, genus
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circumspect
circum / spect
around / see
careful, seeing all around, cautious
speculative, spectators, spectacles, perspicacity
circumlocution, circumnavigate
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indict
in / dict
in / say
to charge with a crime
indictment, dictionary, dictate, dictator, edict
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supercilious
super / cil / ious
more / above / (adjective)
acts superior
superfluous, superlative, conciliation
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amorous
amor / ous
love / (adjective)
loving, erotic
amiable, amicable
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ambivalent
ambi / val / ent
both / strength / (adjective)
recognizing validity on both sides of an issue or argument
ambidextrous, ambition, ambiance, ambience, prevalent, covalent, valor, valid
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attenuate
at / tenu / ate
really / thin out / (verb)
thin out until weakened
tenuous, tenacious,tension
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inductile
in / duct / ile
not / lead, teach / (adjective)
inflexible, not easily led
induce, deduce, deduct, aqueduct
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amicable
amic / able
friend / able to be
able to be friends, friendly
amigo, amity
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subvert
sub / vert
under / turn
to undermine
convert, revert, divert, invert
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amphibious
amphi / bi / ous
two / life / (adjective)
living in two places (water, land)
amphitheater
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atypical
a / typ / ical
not / type, kind / (adjective)
unusual
stereotype, archetype, prototype
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loquacious
loqu / acious
speech, word / (adjective)
talkative, wordy
eloquent, colloquial, loquacity. soliloquy, ventriloquist
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androgenous
andro / gen / ous
male / kind, type / (adjective)
having characteristics that confuse sexual identity
android
This word probably first described women who appeared manly, but now refers to fashions, or behaviors that blur sexual identity.
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assent
as / sent
to / feel, sense
agree in feeling
sensation, dissent, sensitive, sensual, sensuous
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biannual
bi / annu / al
two / years / (adjective)
every two years
biathlete, bisexual, bicentenial
annual, anniversary
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ignominy
ig / nom / iny
not / name / (noun)
disgrace, bad reputation
nominate, synonym, noun, pronounce
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antebellum
ante / bellum
before / war
period before a war
bellicose, belligerent
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recluse
re / cluse
(intensifier) / shut
person who lives shut off from society
reclusive, cloister, closet
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anthropomorphic
anthro / po / morph / ic
human / change / (adjective)
human characteristics for non-human things
anthropology, metamorphic
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vociferous
voci / fer / ous
call (out) / carry / adjective
voice carrying, loud
vocal, advocate, vocabulary, ferry
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malefactor
male / fac / tor
bad / do / person
criminal, evil doer
maladroit, maladjusted, malevolent, malnourished
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aquifer
aqui / fer
water / carry
something that moves water
aquarium, aquatic
ferry, vociferous
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refraction
re / frac / tion
again / break / (noun)
turning or bending of light
fragment, fracture, fractals, fragile
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digress
di / gress
two / move
move off topic to another point
progress, regress
dialogue, diametric
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archetype
arche / type
bow / type
best example
archaeology, architecture, overarching
typical, typecast, typify, prototype
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aristocracy
aristo / cracy
best / government, rule
hereditary ruling class; nobility
antiaristocratic, varistor
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inconsequential
in / con /sequen / tial
not / with / follow / (adjective)
nothing follows, unimportant
sequence, non-sequitor
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arthropod
arthro / pod
joint / leg
animal with segmented joints
arthritis, arthroscopy
cephalopod, gastropod
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audible
aud / ible
hear, listen / able
able to be heard
auditory, auditorium, audiovisual
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querulous
quer / ulous
ask / (adjective)
whining, complaining
query, inquire, inquisition, quiz
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augment
aug / ment
to increase (verb)
to supplement
augur, transmogrify, august
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sacrosanct
sacro / sanct
sacred / holy
to hold something in high, godly esteem
desecrate, sacreligious, sanctify, sanctimonious, sacerdotal
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autonomy
auto / nomy
self / name
the ability to do things by oneself
automatic, autocracy, automobile
nominative, anonymous, nominal, nominate
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bellicose
belli /cose
war / like
determination to create war or conflict
antebellum, belligerent
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antipathy
anti / pathy
against / feeling
hatred, deep dislike
sympathy, empathy
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benign
ben / ign
good / (adjective)
having a positive impact
benefactor, benificence, benefit
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circumscribe
circum / scribe
around / write
to draw a line of limitation
circumlocutory, circumnavigate proscribe, description
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disburse
dis / burse
remove, reversal / purse
to give out funds
bursar, bursitis
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condemn
con / demn
with / damnation
to sentence someone for a crime or an injunction
indemnify, condemnation
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demented
de / ment / ed
un / mind / (participle - adjective)
out of your mind
mentality, temperamental
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decimate
deci / mate
tenth / (verb)
to reduce to a tenth of the size, destroy
decibel, December, decade, decalogue
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demagogue
dema / gogue
people / leader
ruler who appeals to popular interests
democratic, demography
pedagogue
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condense
con / dense
with / thick
thicken
condensation, density
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dexterity
dexter / ity
skillful / (noun)
skillfulness
dexterous, ambidextrous
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edict
e / dict
/ word
declare, decree
dictator, diction, dictation
dictionary, diction
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docile
doc / ile
teach / (adjective)
teachable, tractable
docility
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domicile
domic / ile
house / (noun)
house, home
domestic
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dormant
dorm / ant
sleep / (adjective)
sleeping, hiberating, inactive
dormitory, dorm
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dubious
dub / ious
doubt / (adjective)
doubtful, suspect
indubitably
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obdurate
obdur / ate
harden / (adjective)
hard-hearted, intractable, unyieldingly stubborn
obduracy, endure, durable
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subjugate
sub / jug / ate
under / yoke / (verb)
force someone under control, enslave
subterfuge, conjugal
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juncture
junct / ure
join / (noun)
point in time, place where situation meets decision
junction, conjunction, adjunct
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jurisdiction
juris / dict / ion
law / speech / (noun)
power or authority of law, physical limits of the reach of legal authority
jury, dictionary, dictate
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florid
flor / id
flower / (adjective)
relating to flowers
floral, florist
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equivocal
equi / vocal
equal / speak
can be defended on either side of argument, debatable
equinimical, equidistant, vocabulary,advocate
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aberration
ab / err / ation
from / mistake / (noun)
coming from error, not intended, not normal
err, errant, erroneous, error
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bibliophile
biblio / phile
book / love
a lover of books / book collector
bibliography, Francophile, Anglophile
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telekinesis
tele / kine / sis
across / motion / (noun)
motion cause by the power of the mind
television, telephone, kinetic
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euphoric
eu / phor / ic
well, good / bear / (adjective)
a quality of intense happiness
euphonium, euphenism, anaphoric
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fatuous
fatu / ous
fool / (adjective)
silly, foolish
infatuate
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cardiovascular
cardio / vascul / ar
heart / veins / (adjective)
having to do with arteries and heart
cardiogram, vasculitis
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gestate
gest / ate
carry, bear / (verb)
to grow in the womb
gestation, gestative, gestational
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relapse
re / lapse
again, / fall back
fall back into a former state, to regress after a period of improvement
lapse
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latitude
lati / tude
wide / (noun)
wideness, distant across, freedom from restrictions
latitudinal
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fallacy
fallac / y
trick / (noun)
a wrong idea, misconception
fallacious
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felicity
felic / ity
happy / (noun)
happiness
felicitous
felicitous
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elaborate
e / labor / ate
out / work / (verb)
to work (something) out, go into detail
laborious, laboratory, labor
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laxity
lax / ity
loose / (noun)
lacking firmness, strictness, slack
relax, relaxation
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regress
re / gress
back / walk
to go backward, to get worse
digress, progress
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deliberate
de / liber / ate
from / scale / (verb)
to weigh (consider) carefully
liberality
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grandiose
grand / iose
large / (adjective)
characterized by large scope or intent; pretending large scope or importance
grandeloquence, grandeur, grand
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immutable
im / mut / able
not / change / able to
not capable of changing
mutation, mutant
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dermal
derm / al
skin / (adjective)
having to do with skin
dermatology, dermatitis
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narcosis
narco / sis
numb / (noun)
a state of stupor; drugged or numbed
narcotic
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ingratitude
in / grati / tude
not / thank / (noun)
the quality of absence of proper thankfulness
gratuity, gratify, congratulations
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renaissance
re / nais / sance
again / birth / noun
rebirth, a time of great creativity
nascent, nativity
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nascent
nasc / ent
birth / (adjective)
coming into existence
Renaissance, nativity
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neurologist
neuro / log / ist
nerve / study of / (noun) person
someone who studies the nervous system
neurochemistry, neurobiology, neurosis
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didactic
didact / ic
teach / (adjective)
apt at teaching, in a teaching manner
didactical
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delineate
de / line / ate
of, from / line / (verb)
to show differences, create categories or limits
delineation, lineage, linear
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annihilation
an / nihil / ation
to / nothing / (noun)
destroy, bring to nothing
nihilism
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fidelity
fidel / ity
faith / (noun)
faithfulness
infidelity, infidel
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noctambulist
noct / ambul / ist
night / walk / (noun) person
someone who walks at night
nocturnal, ambulation, ambulance
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inflection
in / flec / tion
in, within / bend, flex / (noun)
modulation of voice for emphasis
flexible, deflect, reflection
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guttural
guttur / al
throat / (adjective)
throaty; like a growl or rumbling of the throat
gullet, gutturalness
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intermediary
inter / medi / ary
within / middle / (noun)
middleman, a go-between, someone who works between two parties
medium, mediate, intercept, interaction
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elongate
e / long / ate
out of / long / (verb)
lengthen, stretch
elongation, longitude
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autonomous
auto / nom / ous
self / law / (adjective)
independent, self-government
automatic, automobile
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profuse
pro / fuse
for, forth / pour
to pour forth
profusion, refuse, defuse
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relinquish
re / linqu / ish
again / leave / (verb)
give up, let go of possession
delinquent
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mellifluous
melli / flu / ous
honey / flowing / (adjective)
sweetly flowing
mellific
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idiosyncratic
idio / syn / crat / ic
self / with, together / power / (adjective)
highly individualized, specific to a single person
idiom, idiomatic, synthesize, democrat
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loquacious
loqua / cious
speak / (adjective)
talkative
circumlocutions, eloquent, grandeloquent
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inhibit
in / hibit
in / grab
restrain, suppress, hold back
prohibit, exhibition
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merchantile
merchantile
merch / ant / ile
trade / (person) / (adjective)
merchandizing
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notoriety
notor / iety
known / (noun)
fame, quality of being known
noteworthy, notorious
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incur
in / cur
in / run
run up a charge or cost
occurance, incursion
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obliterate
ob / liter / ate
against / letter / (verb)
remove all evidence of; wipe from existence or memory
literal, literary, literature
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militant
milit / ant
soldier / (abjective)
aggressive and committed as to a cause
military, militia
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genocide
gen / o / cide
race / killing
killing a race of people
generation, genre, pesticide, homocide
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obnoxious
ob / nox / ious
toward / injury, hurt / (adjective)
very annoying
noxious, innocuous
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influx
in / flux
in / flow
mass arrival or incoming
fluctuate, flux
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inimical
inimic / al
enemy / (adjective)
hostile
inimicable, inimicalness
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elucidate
e / lucid / ate
out / light / (verb)
shed light on, clarify, make understandable,
lucid, lucent, luculent
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annul
an / nul
to / nothing
render void, bring to nothing, cancel, invalidate
nullify, nil
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prominence
pro / min / ence
forth, out / jut, poke / (noun)
to stick or jut out, be noticeable, famous
prominent
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denounce
denounce
de / nounce
against / message
renounce, anunciate, pronounciation
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illuminate
il / lumin / ate
in / light / (verb)
to cast light upon something, bring to light
luminary
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monolith
mono / lith
one / stone
a large stone like an obelisk (suggesting rigid uniformity)
monolithic, lithosphere, monotony
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misogyny
miso / gyn / y
hate / woman / (noun)
antipathy toward women
gynocology, misogamy, misologist
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polygamy
poly / gam / y
many / marriage / (noun)
the practice of taking multiples wives (or husbands)
polygon, misogamy, bigamy
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nuptial
nupt / ial
marry / (adjective)
having to do with a wedding or marriage
prenuptial, postnuptial, connubial, nubile
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ocular
ocul / ar
eye / (adjective)
having to do with eyes
binocular, ocularcentric
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agoraphobia
agora / phobia
marketplace / fear
fear of open spaces, crowds
cleptophobia, arachnophobia, Agorism
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heredity
hered / ity
heir / (noun)
the passing of traits from the parents to the children
inheritance, hereditary
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mollify
molli / fy
soft / (verb)
to sooth, make less rigid, appease
mollification, emollient
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emollient
e / moll / ient
from / soft / (noun)
softening or soothing
mollify, mollifying
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neophyte
neo / phyte
new / (noun)
someone new at something
neoconservative, neocortical
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remnant
rem / nant
remain / (noun)
something that remains
remainders
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odometer
odo / meter
road, way, journey / measure
a device that measures distance travelled
odometric, electrode
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adhere
ad / here
to / stick
to stay attached, cleave to, cling to
adherent
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monotonous
mono / ton / ous
one / tone / (adjective)
boring, lacking in variety and interests
monologue, atonal
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infringe
in / fringe
in / to break
to encroach upon the rights of others
fringe, infringement
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monologue
mono / logue
one / speak
one person talking
monotone, dialogue
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anthropomorphic
anthropo / morph / ic
people / from / (adjective)
attributing human characteristics to animals or non-human things
misanthrope, anthropology, metamorphic, morphine
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placate
plac / ate
sooth, calm / (verb)
to calm, appease
placid, unplacated
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mania
mania
crazy
a state of crazy
pyromaniac, manic
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oligarchy
olig / arch / y
few / to rule, command / (noun)
government by a few powerful people
patriarchy, matriarchy, monarchy, oligopoly
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polemic
polem / ic
war / (adj.)
strong opposition / intense attack on the opinions or principles of others
polemical
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holistic
hol / ist / ic
whole / (noun) / (adjective)
a quality of considering something as a whole instead of in parts
(no variants)
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inhale
in / hale
in / breathe
taking in air, breathing in
exhale, inhalation
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perplex
per / plex
through / weave, braid
confuse with intricacy
complex, perplexity
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manuscript
manu / script
hand / writing
something written by hand
manipulate, manicure, postscript, subscription
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replicate
re / plic / ate
again, back / fold / (verb)
duplicate, copy
complicate
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maritime
mari / time
sea, ocean / (adjective)
having to do with the seas or oceans
marine, submarine
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plutocracy
pluto / cracy
wealth / government
a government of the rich
democracy, plutocratic
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germinate
germin / ate
sprout / (verb)
to begin to grow
germs
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podium
pod / ium
foot / (noun)
a raised area behind a lecturn upon which a speaker stands
arthropod, gastropod, podiatrist
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matriarch
matri / arch
mother / ruler
woman in charge
matron, matricide, maternity
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postpone
post / pone
after / place
to put off until a later time
posthaste, component
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preponderance
pre / ponder / ance
more / weigh or consider / (noun)
dominant in influence, power or importance
pound, compound, ponderable
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opaque
opaque
shady, shaded, dark
hard to see, murky, cloudy, hard to identify
opacity
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posthaste
posthaste
after / speed
as quickly as possible
postgraduate, postwar
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pallor
pall / or
pale / (noun)
paleness, white in complexion
pall, pallid, appalled
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apprehend
ap / prehend
(toward) / to grasp
to catch, understand
apprenhensive, prehensile
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oration
ora / tion
mouth / (noun)
speech
oral, oratio, oratory
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primary
prim / ary
first / (adjective)
of first importance, level, or rank
primitive, primate
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ornate
ornate
orn / (adjective)
furnish, embellish
adornment, ornament
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patently
pat / ent / ly
to lay open / (adjective) / (adverb)
in a manner that is unmistakeable clear and open
pat (answers), patent, impatent
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orthodoxy
ortho / dox / y
correct / belief / (noun)
correctness of a belief
orthodontist, orthopedist, doxology
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patriarch
patri / arch
father / ruler
men are in charge
paternity, patricide, patriot
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pacific
pac / ific
peace / (adjective)
having a soothing quality
pacify, pacifier
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triptych
tri / ptych
three / folds
something composed or presented in three parts
triangle, ptychodera
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pedestrian
ped / estri / an
foot / man / (adjective)
someone who goes on foot, a quality of lower class
pedestal, pediatry, equestrian
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prioritize
prior / itize
first / (verb)
putting important things first
prior, priority, a priori
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minuscule
minus / cule
tiny / (adjective)
very small
miniskirt
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expending
ex / pend / ing
out / weigh / (participle)
spending, using up, comsuming
expense, extricate, pendent
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ominous
omin / ous
omen / (adjective)
the quality of expecting or predicting misfortune
omen
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impunity
im / pun / ity
not / punish / (noun)
being above punishment
punishable
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iteration
iter / tion
again / (noun)
a repetition, something said again
reiterate
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expurgate
ex / purg / ate
out of / wash, cleanse / (verb)
wipe out completely, purge
purgatory, purge
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hydrophile
hydro / phile
water / lover
someone who loves water or swimming
hydrant, bibliophile
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irascible
iras / cible
anger / able
easy to get angered
irate, irateness
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malfeasance
mal / feas / ance
bad / doing / (noun)
wrongdoing
feasible, malnutrition
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malodorous
mal / odor / ous
bad / smell / (adjective)
having a bad smell
maladjusted, odiferous
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malicious
malic / ious
evil / (adjective)
a quality of evil
malign, malcontent
malicity
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malignancy
mal / ign / ancy
bad / knowledge / (adjective)
evil in nature
maladroit, ignorant
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fugitive
fugi / tive
flee / (noun)
someone who flees the law
refugee, refuge
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pessimal
pessim / al
worst / (adjective)
negativity, the quality of being negative
pessimist
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computation
comput / ation
determine mathematically / (noun)
a calculation
computer, computable
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pugnacious
pugna / cious
to fight / (adjective)
the quality of combativeness
pugilist, repugnant
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nominal
nom / inal
name / adjective
in name only
nominate, denomination, nominee
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demented
de / ment / ed
from / mind / (adjective)
out of one’s mind
dementia, mental
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obfuscate
ob / fusc / ate
to, toward / dark / (verb)
darken, make obscure, confuse, bewilder
obfuscatory
Break down and define:
placid
plac / id
sooth / (adjective)
calm
implacable, placebo
Break down and define:
ferocious
feroc / ity
fierce / (noun)
fierceness
feral, ferocious
Break down and define:
pungent
pung / ent
sting / (adjective)
stinging sensation in the nose, bad smelling
piquant, poignant, pungently
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quadruple
quadru / ple
four / (verb)
make four times larger
quadrilateral
Break down and define:
trajectory
tra / ject / ory
across / throw / (noun)
the path of an object as it moves through space
transgress, translate, interjection, projectile
Break down and define:
inquisitive
in / quis / itive
in / quiz / (adjective)
inquiring, curious, in the habit of asking questions
quiz, inquire, question
Break down and define:
jocular
joc / ular
joke / (adjective)
joking, playful
jocund, jocularity
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posterior
poster / ior
after, behind / (noun)
toward the back, following after
posterity, posthaste, postscript
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privation
priva / tion
deprive / (noun)
to lack something necessary for existence
deprivation, private
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prototype
proto / type
original, early stage / form, model, type
the first design of something
protoplasm, typical
Break down and define:
probity
prob / ity
honest / (noun)
forthrightness, reputation for honesty and integrity
probate, probation
Break down and define:
erasure
e / ras / ure
away / scrape / (noun)
deletion, wiping out completely, obliteration
erase
Break down and define:
abrasion
ab / ras / ion
off / to scrape / (noun)
an injury caused by rubbing or scraping
eraser, abrade
Break down and define:
rejuvenate
re / juven / ate
again / young / (verb)
renew, bring youthful feeling to
juvenile
Break down and define:
kleptomania
klepto / mania
stealing / crazy
a condition of complusive stealing
kleptophile, pyromaniac
Break down and define:
ligature
liga / ture
to tie or bind / (noun)
something tied or bound
ligament
Break down and define:
gravitas
gravitas
weight, heaviness
weight, heaviness, seriousness, reputation for importance
grave, gravity
Break down and define:
plenary
plen / ary
full / (adjective)
full or complete in every regard, fully attended
plenty
Break down and define:
affiliation
af / fili / ation
to / son / (noun)
close connection
filial
