I{
I
58
VOCABUTARY FROM CLASS¡CAI ROOTS
rEssoN r 0
Facilz þrinceþs.'
Easily the leader.
I(uy \{ords
J'
accrue
efficdcious
beneficence
excrescence
context
facile
facsimile
crescendo
faction
mollify
Pretext
CRESCO, CRESCERE, CREVI, CRETUM <1. "to
grow," "to
increose"
l. accrue (e kroo') lac= ad, <L. "to," "toward"]
intr. u. To come as a natural increase or advantage.
Sotisfoction occrues when people eorn their living doing whot they
\,
huly enjoy.
accntal, n.
Challenge Words
concrescence
convalescent
2. crescendo' (kri
shën'do,
kri
sën'dö)
n. A gradual increase in sound, often referring to music.
As the porode opprooched, the drum beot rose in o deofening
crescendo.
Creole
fluorescence
luminescence
NorÄ BENE: Crescend,o can also be used as an adjective ("a
effect") and an adverb ("the band played rescend,o").
opalescence
phosphorescence
senescence
crescmdo
3. excrescence (ëk skrës'ens) lex <L.
.fromr" ttout of tt]
æ. Abnormal growth or outgrowth.
Pictogrophs of mythologicol åreotures often
show excrescences: extro foces, orms, or
legs.
exeescent,
..
ad,j.
NorA BENE: The familiar and challenge words with the suffix -escent
ar -escence'derive from crescre,'"to'grôw." They exPress the idea of
growing'. adol¿scence, cresce
lescent. Íluorescence,
.;-:'+! ;:.'¡É,,j Y...:r.:rü'.i.Y,,.iÈti¡rlÞ:.*-,...i*:i:í:: r;.jù.*
,;titi.r¡¡1r.1.'
j:trtCÉlir...
t
+.
i'
t..,r,
TESSONS 9
AND l0: CREATIVITY
59
FACIO, FACERE, FECI, FACTUM <1. ,,Io moKe,,
4. þeneficençe (þe nèf'e sëns) lbene<L.l'well,"l,good"l
n. Doing good or causing good to be done; kindly action.
The Peoce corps orgonízes mony forms of Americon beneficence in
countries throughout the world.
. beneficient, adj.
5. efficacious (èf'a kã'shes)
Luf=
t*<L. "from,"
"out of "]
adj. Effective as a means or remedy.
"Exomple is olwoys more efficocious thon precept."
Johnson
-Sqmuel
efficaciously,
ada.
6. facile
(fä'sil)
adj. Acting, working, or proceeding with ease; fluent. (Sometimes,
superficial, when something is too easily done.)
Finolists in the notionol spelling bee ore exceptionolly focile spellers.
facilely, adv.; facihtate, u.; facifity,
7. facsimile (fák sïm'e të)
Challenge Words
beatific
deficit
deiS
edifice
edi$'
factotum
feasible
feckless
malefactor
malfeasance
petrifl
prefect
proficient
putrefy
recti$/
refectory
suffice
surfeit
n.
fsimite<L. "alike"l
n. An çxact copy of a book, painting, document, etc.
Mony librories hove o focsimile of the first printed ed¡tion of shokespeore's ploys.
NorA BENE: Facsimi,le can also be used as an adjective, as in
facsimile
edition.
8. faction
(fák'shen)
n. I. Agroup or clique within
group, party, or government.
a
larger
' ln Lord of the F/ies the sociefy formed by the morooned schoolboys
breoks into two foctions, the húnters ond tÉe firebuilders.
2. Conflict
within an organization or nation.
Becouse of heoted foction on the locotion of missiles, congress deloyed
o vote.
factional, n.; factious,
ad,j.
VOCABUTARY FROM CLASSICAL ROOTS
ô0
9. mollify (mól'e fi) lmolks(L. "soft";;fy=
fa'csre <L. "to make"]
' ficareor
tr. z. To calm; 'to rnake gentler or softer in
feeling.
.
According to the foble, the goddess Juno
connot móllify the peocock, who frets becouse
it,locks o pleosing Yolce to motch its greot
.
beouty.
in a verb form, it probably
"to make-" The suffìx
meaning
both
ot f,care,
NoTA BENB: When you see the suffix -fy
comes from facere
appears in amptt¡y, d'eifi; ed,ify, justify, modifl, notify, and other words
listed in this section.
As you can see, the Latin verb facere takes many forms in English
words: beati;fic, benefi't, fficient, facikty' defect, feature, forfeit, a,nd feasiblz'
TEXO, TEXERE, TEXUI, TEXTUM <1. "to weove"
10. context (kön'tékst) lcon= atm <L- "with"]
n. 1. The parts before or after a word or statement that influence
its meaning.
The context of "the bow of o ship" tells you thot bow
does not meon "o bending of the body" or "o
weopon used with orrows."
2.
The circumstances sì.lrrounding an event or situation.
ln the context of World Wor ll, lhe opening meqsures of Beethoven's
Fifth symphony become o messoge of hope lo Nozi-occupied countries.
11. pretext (pre'tëkst)
Challenge Words
textual
textural
<L' "before"l
n. A false reason put forward lo conceal the true one.
lþre
Using the pretext of o sore throot, I monoged 1o sfoy home to see the
whole World Series.
NoTA BENE: Closely linked to texere are the Latin vetb tego, tegere, texi,
tectum, "to cover," and the Greek noun tekna, "art," "craft." Words
that derive from tegne include architect, arch'itecture, detect, þolytechnic,
to ga.
þrotect, te chni color, te chn_o cra cy, and
IESSONS 9 AND
l0:
EXERCISE I OA
ót
CREATIVITY
Circle the letter of the best S)AtrONYM (the word or phrase most nearly
the s1me. as the.word in bold-faced trcei,
1.
2.
welcome beneficence a. skill in a craft b. kind thoughts
c. good deeds d. good looks e. good fortune
an unconvincing pretext a. introduction b. explanation
9.
P{imer
{...fi¡st
draft
9.. e4cuse .
.
Circle the letter of the best ANTONYM (the word or phrase most nearly
opposite the word in bold-faced type).
3.
4.
5.
EXERCISE
l0B
a(n) efficaciouS remedy a.
d. useless e. powdrfut
efficient b. imagirtative c. srrong
to let good feelings accrue a. decrease b. gather c. develop
d. to be exchanged e. to be wasted
a facile worker a. skilHul b. clumsy c. talkative d. reluctant
e friendly
Circle the letter of the sentence in which the word in bold-faced type is
used incorrectly.
1.
a.
b.
c.
d:
2.
a..
b.
c.
d.
3.
à.
b.
c.
d.
When we protested a program of all classical music, our band
director mollified us with a Sousa march and some jazz.
After coming in tard¡ the freshmen tried to mollify their teacher
by answering every question.
The city council might have mollified skateboarders by voting
for a skateboard park rather than prohibiting skateboarding
altogether
We mollified the waffle batter by adding flour.
Advertisers try to convince us that one brand of aspirin is more
efficacious than another.
Spending hventy-four hours alone in the wilderness is efficacior¡s
in teaching sellreliance.
The violinist bowed in response to the efficacious applause from
the audience.
In 1876 LydiaPinkham offered to the public a mixture of roots,
seeds, and alcohol that she claimed was "efficacious, immediate,
and lasting" in,curing avariety of disorders.
Although often entertaining, television interviews are too facile
to be informative.
The facile needles of quilt-makers have recorded family histories.
Using a fishing rod with facility is my aim.
Peoplç who. c4n listen well are facile to tal! !o.
62
VOCABUTARY FROM CLASSICAL ROOTS
4. a. In Warsaw,
Poland, facsimiles of buildings destroyed during
World War II have been constructed.
b. The facsimile features of thé cousins were so striking that
people thought they were twins.
c. A special centennial edition of The Hunting of the Snarh includes
a complete facsimile of the first edition.
d. A facsimilg of a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe is worth much
less than the original.
5. a. In the 1980s faction arose in the movie industry over the issue
of adding color to classic movies originally filmed in black and
white.
b. One factíon wants to celebrate Independence Day onJuly 4; tlne
other prefers the nearest Monday.
c. When a country engages in revising its history by concealing or
altering facts, it commits faction.
d. Although faction arose among planners of the Vietnam War
Memorial, most visitors are moved by its design.
6. a. As the storm intensif,red, the crescendo of thùnder made the
house rattle.
b. A gradual crescendo of voices at a parqt usually means that
people are having a good time.
c. The concerto ended with a rousing crescendo from the brass
section of the orchestra.
d. The tune played on the piano faded to a delicate crescendo.
7, a. Until the nineteenth century many people considered a
mountain range a satanic excrescence rather than an example
of natural beauty.
b. Modern surgery provides remedies for people born with
unsightly excrescences such as warts.
c. The plarre could not take off until the excrescence of baggage
had been removed,
d. Some mining companies are atfault for leaving ugly debris that
is an excrescence on the landscape.
8. a. This book has a table of contents but no pretext.
b. Presidential privilege may serve as a pretext for withholding
information of public concern.
c. In Homer's epic poem, The Ikad. the gift of a huge wooden
horse is the pretext for sneaking Greek soldiers inside Troy.
d. In the 1940s Germanyjustified invasions of neighboring
countries on the pretext of needing more living sPace.
TESSONS 9
AND l0:
ô3
CREATIVITY
I
a. Abstract words like
b.
c.
d.
beauty and justice required a detailed context
to have meaning.
So many talented actors tried out for the school play that there
weren't enough contexts to go around.
When you read about the Middle Ages, put yourself into the
context of the times.
Sometimes newspaper reporters alter the meaning of public
speakers by quoting them out of context.
REVIEW EXERCISES FOR TESSONS 9
I
AND
IO
Circle the letter of the best'arlswer to the following analogies.
l.
2.
3.
cantare
: to sing
a. facere :
::
increase
b. te*ere : to weave
c. þingne : to carve
d. crescsre : to disappear
e. ars : song
to destroy : facne ;:
a. pingere : to paint
b. aoide : rhapsody
c. to sing : texere
d. to witÈer i crescøre
e. texere : to make
excrescence : grows ::
a.. recàîtation : chants
b. facsimile : copies
co
c. parody : honors
d. beneficience : harms
e. ode : warns
4. faction : agreement ::
a. artlessness : worldliness
b. accrual : increase
c. poetry : ode
d. artisan : craftsperson
e. depiction : painting
64
VOCABUTARY FROM CLASSICAT ROOTS
5.
2
Circle the letter of the pair that does noÍ follow the pattern of the
first pair.
pretext : excuse ::
a. artifact : handmade object
b. facsimile : exact copy
c. excrescence : normal growth
d. rhapsody : enthusiastic description
e. parody : humorous imitation
Writing or Discussion Activities
1.
Improve these sentences by shortening them. Substitute words in
this lesson for the words in italics and make any other changes
needed for smoothness.
a. Nothing could helþthe childrenfeelmore chenfulafter the dog ate
their birthday cake. (One word will take the place of four.)
b. Butter used to be considered a remedy that would, work qui,ckly and,
ffictiaely for burns, but now cold water is recommended.
c. The magician uttered word; hauing magical þowers.
d. They were so ignorant of the ways of the worldthat they thought
their fake reason for doing something that thel wanted to hidewou,ld
conceal their going to a movie.
e. If you tahe back what you haue said earlier, you need to have good
reasons.
,
2. Rhapsodize about a recent
3.
experience, Show specific reasons for your
intense pleasure or excitement, and use a form of rhaþsodizein your
writing.
Write a clear, lively sentence or two for each of the situations below,
giving detâils to supply a specific context. Do NOT use any of the
italicized words in your sentences; instead, let your details show your
understanding of the words.
a. Describe a facik artisan.
b. Describe tl;re crescmdo of a piece of music that you know.
c. Describe what happens when someone molli.fies afaction.
d. In what situation might someone recantz þarody?