Words to Know

• origin - the place where something comes from.

• The origin of the shirt I am wearing is a city in China.

• Origin is related to the ideas of original and birth.

• A prefix is a word element that you connect to the beginning of a word to change its meaning.

• A suffix is also a word element that changes a words meaning but it is at the end of a sentence.

• The root serves as a ‘base’ for a prefix or suffix.

In the English language, big words are often made up of small word parts that come from other languages – especially Greek.

When you know the meanings of these small word parts, you can unlock the meaning of some real jawbreakers.

You have no idea what it means. But once you know the following, you can figure out the word.

MICRO- = small

ARCHAE = ancient

GYN = woman

-PHOBIAC = one who has a fear of

You ask, “Is it a REAL word?” It is if enough people use it.

For example, take the word

So --

Etymology

• In other words…words have parents, grandparents, and so on…just like everything else!

• Usually, the words have changed a little, but the connection is still obvious.

Etymology is the study of where words come from.

• etym = true sense• ology = study of• etymology = study of the

“true sense” of words

to get the “true sense” of a word, you look for its roots,

its origin, where it came from.

Where do the words we use come from?

• English is a blend of words from many other languages

• These words made their way into the English language in many ways

o Occupation by other countries/cultureso English occupation of other countries/cultureso Brought by immigrantso Cultural trends and fashions

The English language is always changing!

Greek and Latin have had Greek and Latin have had the biggest influence on the biggest influence on

English.English.

• It started thousands of years ago…

The Mediterranean Sea

Med = middleTerr = land

The Mediterranean Sea is in the middle of the land where western cultures developed.

The earliest western cultures were Greek and Roman.

Greek LanguageThe first western written language.

The Greeks had an empire that included the lands bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Persia, and Egypt. The Greek language and culture spread throughout this region.

Alexander the Great was the Greek leader

responsible for the spread of

the Greek Empire.

477 BC – 149 BC

Roman InfluenceLatin was the language spoken in ancient Rome.

When the Romans conquered territories—including most of Europe—they brought their language to those territories. That is

why there are so many words in our language that have Latin roots.

The Roman Empire

Rome

The Romance The Romance LanguagesLanguages

LATIN (Ancient Rome)

Italian

Spanish

French

Portuguese

Britain

Rome

Greece

44 BC – 476 AD

The Roman Empire

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain

Latin word “stratum”means

“layered road”

For Example:

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain

Latin word “stratum”means

“layered road”

“Stratum”became “straets”in Anglo-Saxon

For Example:

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain

Latin word “stratum”means

“layered road”

“Stratum”became “straets”in Anglo-Saxon

Now called“streets” in

modern English

For Example:

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain

Latin word “stratum”means

“layered road”

“Stratum”became “straets”in Anglo-Saxon

Now called“streets” in

modern EnglishMiles of streets and roads were created.

Mile is from the Latin word mille, which means 1,000. The Roman mile was measured as 1,000 paces.

For Example:

The English LanguageThe English Language

This is how English as we know it today evolved over the centuries, influenced by many other

European languages.

European Invasions of Britain

Anglians from the area that is now the Netherlands invaded in 550 AD.

Vikings from Scandinavia invaded in 875 AD.

Finally, the Normans from northern France invaded in 1066 AD. English language was banned by the Normans.

All of these invaders brought their languages, which influenced the English language. These influences can be traced through etymology.

Influence of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was the official religion in all of Europe until the 1500’s.

The official language of the Catholic Church was Latin.

So, no matter what country, all services in the

Catholic Church were spoken in Latin. All priests and church officials spoke

Latin.

1 AD – 1950’s

Renaissance Influence

During the Renaissance, educated people in Europe became interested in Ancient Greece.

It was a time of expansion of knowledge in the areas of science, medicine, art and architecture.

This is how many Greek word roots made their way into the English language, especially in these subject areas.

Renaissance = Rebirth

1400’s- 1500’s

The Influence Continues Today

Latin continued to be a

universally understood

language among the educated of Europe until the

1800’s. The Catholic

Church continued to use

Latin until the 1950’s.

Our language continues to show

influences from the Greek language,

especially in the area of science.

England Becomes the Invader

1600 - 1900

The stars indicate areas that were once colonies of Britain, and where English was (and still is) spoken.

Why Should YOU Learn Word Roots?

• You will recognize word chunks in unfamiliar words and be able to narrow down the possible meaning of the word

• It will help you with vocabulary in many subject areas

• You will be better able to pronounce unfamiliar words

• You will become a better speller• Since many languages have common roots to

Latin and Greek, it makes learning a foreign language easier

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle pop = people

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle pop = people struct = build

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle pop = people struct = build

terr = land

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle pop = people struct = build

terr = land alt = high

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year

orb = circle pop = people struct = build

terr = land alt = highreg = ruledom = rule

Greek word

astromeans star

astrophysicsthe physics of stars

astrononauta person who

travels in space craft

asterisk

*

Quiz

1. What does the Greek root etym mean?2. What does etymology mean?3. Define origin.4. What is the English meaning of the Greek root

astro?5. What was the language of ancient Rome?6. Which came first? Greece or Rome?7. What is the Latin word for street?8. List two benefits of learning about the

etymology of words.