
gen
origin
genetics, gene, indigenous
Greek

nat
born
prenatal, native, natural
Latin

paleo
old
Paleozoic, paleontologist
Greek

curs
run
cursive, cursor
Latin

crypt
hidden
cryptic, cryptologist
Greek

cad
fall
cascade, cadaver, cadence
Latin

capit
head
decapitate, capital
Latin

loqu
talk
eloquent, soliloquy
Latin

sacro
holy
sacred, sacrifice, sacrament
Latin

uni
one
unicycle, united, union
Latin
 The
geneticist’s hobby was studying
pathogenic substances.
 Prenatal care is important to natives in
natural environments.
 The paleontologist was an expert on the
Paleozoic era.
 The discursive speech gave only cursory
attention to the problem.
 The cryptologist worked all night to break the
enemy secret code.
 The
cadaver was discovered near the
rushing cascade.
 Decapitation was once a common form of
capital punishment.
 The loquacious bore answered every
questions with a circumlocution.
 The hero’s sacrifice was a sacrosanct
memory.
 The United Planets of the Universe will
soon celebrate their union.
Could you use circumlocution to avoid answering a question?
 Yes, you could talk (loqu) in circles (circum) to avoid it.
Is a discursive speech interesting or boring?
 A discursive speech is boring because it runs (curs) away
(dis) from the topic.
Was John the Baptist a precursor?
 Yes, John saw himself as a forerunner (pre/curs) of
another.
Were bronze tools in use in the Paleolithic Age?
 No, the Paleolithic Age was the old (paleo) stone (lith)
age.