If you wish to achieve professional proficiency in English or score well in examinations and admission tests such as the GRE Exam (or GRE Verbal, GRE English Practice Tests etc.), the GMAT Exam (or GMAT English, GMAT English Practice Test etc.) or the Common Admission Test (CAT), you must have […]
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Indulge comes from Latin indulgere (treat with undue favour, give rein to). A father indulging his child is thus pampering her and when one indulges one’s craving, one allows one’s cravings a free rein. From this indulgent gets the sense of permissive or tolerant (as in, indulgent grandparents). Latin licere means to be […]
Related to Latin regere (to guide, keep straight) is another Latin root rex (or reg-) meaning king. A regal stride or stance is thus ‘king-like’ and regalia literally means (rights and privileges) of the king or queen. Later, regalia also began to be used to refer to the crown, emblems, […]
Adding cor- to Latin regere (to guide, keep straight) gives us corrigere (to correct). A corrigible criminal can thus be corrected or reformed and a corrigible child is receptive of correcting advice. A hardened criminal on the other hand might prove incorrigible and an incorrigible youngster is difficult to control […]
The early societies of hunters and herders were often based on communism. But with the appearance of private wealth and the development of towns and cities inhabited by diverse people, some people emerged to ‘guide’ the rest. Gradually guides transformed into governors and governors into rulers. It’s interesting to note […]
Latin agere means to do, drive or lead and gives us words such as agile (one who can do things easily or is quick-moving/active, as in, he has an agile mind), agility (this gymnast’s agility is exceptional), agent (person or thing that acts or does things, often on behalf of […]
Political originally meant concerned with policy or administration of the polis. As the competition for the control of city administration increased, people resorted to unfair means and the very word politics became synonymous with power struggle and manipulation (as in play politics or office politics). Politic (originally: constitutional), similarly carries […]
Assume, like presume, has taken on various senses in its history. When we say ‘I assumed he will not be interested’ we are using it in a similar sense as presume (i.e. take it for granted) and when someone assumes an office or new responsibilities he is taking on new responsibilities […]
Did you know: Latin nebula (mist or fog), Sanskrit nabhas- (cloud, mists, sky) and Greek nephos (cloud) all come from the same root word. Sanaskrit nabhas- later evolved into nabh (नभ) in Hindi, used, for instance, in these famous lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Madhushala (मधुशाला) तारक मणियों से सज्जित नभ बन जाए मधु का प्याला सीधा […]
Did you know: Texture, which we use in phrases such as this cloth has a fine texture to refer to how it ‘feels’ against our skin, derives from the Latin word texere, which means, to weave. Texture is also sometimes used more broadly to mean ‘distinctive quality’, as in the texture of life […]
Vir, in Latin, refers to a man and virilis to being manly or worthy of a man. This root later evolved into virile and virility in English, which has come to refer to ‘masculine characteristics’ such as strength and vigour (esp sexual) and is now also sometimes used in expressions such as a […]
Latin for sew is suere. If we add the prefix con- to it we get consuere (i.e. to sew together) from which derives the French word couture and the related term haute couture. Earlier couture simply referred to the art of dress making. Now it’s often used specifically to refer […]
The yoke, much like the wheel, is one of those simple yet ingenious inventions that allowed humans to harness the power of domesticated animals – thus proving vital to the development of nascent agriculture, transport and trade. The ancient Indians called yoke yugam, the Greeks called it zugon and the […]
Lt sumere means to take (or buy) and if we add prefix con- to it we get the root for consume (as in, he was consumed by jealousy i.e. taken or eaten up) and consumption (high consumption of red meat has been linked to heart diseases). Replacing con- with pre- […]
Did you know: Education of children received laudable attention in ancient Athens. The school curriculum was divided into three categories: writing, music and gymnastics. At the age of six, the child was enrolled in one of the many schools run by professional schoolmasters. There, his day typically started with classes […]