Session 21

Equality
Lets start with the root aequuus, equ- (in English). It leads to words like:
1. equity - justice, fairness; stocks and the financial connotation.

2. inequity : in- + equity - injustice, unfairness; I welcome you to try and invent a financial connotation. Adj. - inequitable
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inequity

3. iniquity - Now this is interesting. Change in a single letter from e to i, and see how the meaning extends far beyond its original denotation. It means wickedness, sinfulness. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iniquity
Look around, and it will be clearer.

4. equinox : equ + nox, noctis (night) - equal night.
As you must be aware, when day and night are of equal length. It occurs around 20 March in the Northern Hemisphere, and around 23 September in the Southern Hemisphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox
Adj. - equinoctical
Other words derived from nox:
Nocturnal - Cats, owls and Gyaanis.
Nocturne - A musical composition of dreamy character, or a painting of a night scene.

5. equanimity : aequus + animus (mind) - equal mind.
Maintaining ~ means to maintain your composure, coolness, calmness.

6. equability - Syn. of equanimity.
A person of equable temperament is characteristically calm, serene, unflappable, even-tempered.

7. equilibrium : aequus + libra (balance, weight,, pound) - equal balance.
Libra, the 7th zodiac sign is represented by a pair of scales.
Trivia: I didnt know this. This is the reason the abbreviation for pound is lb, and the symbol is ₤.
An equilibrist is a profession tightrope walker.

Other words - equator, equatiom, equivalent, equidistant, equiangular, equilateral (equi + latus, lateris - side).


Horses for courses
Another root : equus - horse
1. equestrian - someone on a horse, like pedestrian - someone on foot (from paidos)
Also, a sport.
If we have Shweta on a horse, we'll call her an equestrienne.
We also have an equestrian statue (one that depicts horseback riding)

2. equine - descriptive of horses or like a horse, in appearance or characteristics (No comments)


Hear Voices?
1. Equivocal : aequus + vox, vocis (voice)

2. Vociferous : vox (voice) + fero (to bear or carry) - carrying much voice, i.e., loud, noisy, clamorous.
Vociferous demands in Parliament, vociferous anti-Mandal protests, vociferous play of children...
You all know what's vocal, vocalise (to give voice to) and vocalist.

Review:
Prefix, Root, Suffix : Meaning
. aequus (equ-) : equal
. in- : negative prefix
. nox, noctis : night
. animus : mind
. libra : balance, weight, pound
. -ist : person who
. latus, lateris : side
. equus : horse
. -ine : like, descriptive of
. vox, vocis : voice
. fero : to bear, carry

So that's it for the day.
Keep working on the other areas too.
MV

Session 20

Session 20

1.)
Disparaging : playing down
'par'> latin -> equal

We all know that these usages ->
Our accomplishments could be below par, at par and above par….
When we disparage, we lower someone’s “par”.. or feeling of equality

Disparagement -> noun
Disparaging -> Adjective
e.g Disparaging remarks

Parity -> Equality
Disparity -> lack of equality or a difference (‘dis’ as in dissatisfaction)
e.g. disparity between rates of growth of infrastructure and that of population….

Disparate -> essential or complete difference

We all know 'Com' means Together, so combining with ‘par’ -> Compare
You compare objects with equal or similar properties (well..almost )

Pair and peer are also derived from ‘par’
Pair -> things in pair are equal
Peer -> people who are peers are equal to you (in age, designation , position )

2.)
Equivocate - > equal + vox, vocis (voice )

Basically, it means … Saying yes and no with equal voice…

Can mean vague, indefinite, and susceptible of contradictory interpretations

Opposite -> Unequivocal

3.)
But remember ….

Equivocal is not the same as ambiguous
An equivocal statement is deliberately couched in a language so as to deceive … but an ambiguous statement is accidentally couched in such a language….

Equivocal -> purposely ambiguous

'Ambi' ..we already know means.. Both …
Therefore, an ambiguous statement will both have one meaning and the other meaning….

Ambiguity -> the noun

Another statement which contains the possibility of two interpretations -> ‘double entendre’ literally means -> “double meaning” in French…..

C ya around...
Gau

Session 19

I tried to take up Session 19, but its not worth to be done..All it mentions will be covered in sessions ahead...So I am starting with Session 20...
I hope thats ok..

I am putting in this so that we know why it is missing

C ya around
Gau

Hi Gyaanis,

Have you been waiting for session 18? Or you’ve been expecting session 19 here?
Well, neither is gonna happen today. If you’ve cared to look at the book, session 18 is a test which we all must necessarily take. In case someone has already taken it, please post your scores, else please take it latest by today.

So what will this lazy n crazy girl do today? Get away with a rhetoric? I don’t think you’ll let me do that, I could have taken up session 19 today, or tomorrow, but what I’m doing is trying to just list the words we’ve covered till now in a sort of tree to enable you to go through them in case you’ve forgotten any of them. If you think that’s insufficient work, please let me know, I’ll try to take up session 19, or better still, convince you that its not insufficient.


Words --- Important Roots ---- Related words

Personality types

Egoist --- Ego --- Egocentric, egomaniac
Egotist
Altruist --- Alter --- Altercation, alter ego
Introvert --- verto, intro
Extrovert --- extro
Ambivert --- ambi, dexter, droit --- Ambidextrous, sinister, gauche, adroit
Misanthrope --- Misein, anthropos --- Anthropology, Philanthrope
Misogynist --- Gyne
Misogamist --- Gamos
Ascetic --- Asketes


Doctors

Gynaecologist --- Gyne, logy
Obstetrician --- obstetrix, ician
Paediatrician --- paidos, iatrea --- Pedagogy, Pedagogue, demagogue
Dermatologist --- derma --- Hypodermic, Epidermis, Taxidermy, Pachyderm, Dermatitis
Ophthalmologist --- opthalmos, logos, oculus --- Oculist, Ocular, Monocle, Binoculars, Inoculate, Optician, Optometrist
Orthopaedist --- orthos --- Orthodontist
Cardiologist --- kardia --- Cardiac, Cardiogram, cardiograph
Neurologist --- neuron --- Neuralgia, Neuritis, Neurosis
Psychatrist --- psyche, osis, iatreia, geras --- Psychosis, psychotic, geriatrics

Practitioners

Psychologist --- pathos, soma --- Psychic, psychopathic, sociopath, psychosomatic
Psychoanalyst --- genesis --- Psychogenic, psychotherapist
Orthodontist --- odontos, peri, endo, ex --- Periodontist, endodontist, exodontist
Optometrist --- opsis, metron, sphygmus --- Sphygmomanometer
Optician
Osteopath --- osteon, pathos
Chiropractor --- cheir --- Chirography, chiromancy
Chiropodist --- pons, podos, mancy --- octopus, platypus, podium, tripod, podiatrist
Graphologist --- graphein, kallos, kakos --- calligraphy, cacography
Gerontologist --- geras, senex --- senile, senescent, senate, adoloscent, convalescent, obsoescent, senescence

Science and scientists

Anthropologist --- anthropos
Astronomer --- astron, nomos, nautes --- Astrology, Astonaut, Astrophysics, Autonomy, metronome
Geologist --- geo --- Geometry, geophysics
Biologist --- bios, auto --- Biopsy, autopsy,
Botanist --- botane
Zoologist --- zoion --- zodiac
Entomologist --- en, tome, sectus, ec --- insect, tonsilectomy, appendectomy, mastectomy, hysterectomy, prostatectomy, eccentric, atom, anatomy, dichotomy, epitome
Philologist --- logos, philein --- linguistics, philanderer, philadelphia, philharmonic, philtre, aphrodisiac, bibliophile, anglophile
Semanticist
Sociologist --- socius --- asocial, antisocial

Liars and lying

Notorious --- notus
Consummate --- summus
Incorrigible --- corrigo
Inveterate --- vetus --- veteran
Congenital --- genesis --- geneticist, genealogy, genital, genesis, hereditary
Chronic --- chronos, con --- anachronism, incongruous, chronological, chronometer, synchronize
Pathological --- pathos --- Sympathy, antipathy, apathy, empathy, telepathy
Unconscionable --- con, sci, sciens, ne --- conscience, conscious, omiscient, prescient, nescient,
Glib
Egregious --- grex, gregis --- Gregarious, congregate, segregate, aggregate


I must admit its not a very impressive list if you think of how many of these words we already knew, but I think we’ve benefitted by learning their etymologies and related words… Anyone whose not doing the exercises is a fool, just to remind you again, PLEASE DO SESSION 18’s TEST TODAY.

And don't blame me for the bad formatting, it didn't allow tabs and i didn't make an html table... will do that if i get the time.

Session 17

1. Knowing

a. Unconscionable – not troubled by conscience, guilt, remorse, etc. over what they have done.

i. Root – scio, to know.

b. Conscience – Knowledge or a moral sense of right or wrong.

i. Roots – sciens, knowing; con-, with, together.

c. Conscious – Knowledge or awareness of one’s emotions or sensations.

d. Science – Systemized knowledge as opposed to faith, belief or intuition.

e. Omniscient – all knowing, possessed of infinite knowledge.

i. Root(s) – omnis, all.

f. Prescience – Knowing events before they actually occur.

i. Roots - pre [before], sciens [knowing]

g. Nescient – not knowing or ignorant.

i. Roots – ne, negative prefix; sciens.

2. Fooling people…

a. Glib – An oldie from England, which means ‘Slippery’. Glib talkers are smooth & slippery in their disposition. They have ready answers, a persuasive air.

i. Word of caution – These people lack conviction & sincerity.

"Glib" is what Tom Cruise called his interviewer, Matt Lauer, on the Today show, when Lauer asked him about his well-known opposition to psychiatric drugs: "'Matt, Matt, you don't even — you're glib,' Cruise responded. 'You don't even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, OK. That's what I've done.'"

3. Its all about ‘Herds & flocks…‘

a. Egregious –

i. Root – grex, gregis, herd or flock.

b. Gregarious – one who enjoys companionship, likes to be with the herd, is happiest when surrounded with friends.

c. Other roots & words

i. Con [with, together]-gregate:

ii. Se [apart]-gregate:

iii. Ag [to, towards]-gregate:

With the end of session 17, we also come to the end of part-I of the book. And hence before moving any further, let us bask in the glory of reaching thus far. And before any of us strays too far, my friends all of us would be required to take a test from session 18 to test our progress.

Happy reading…!!!

Session 16

(This is Friday's session... Just posted today)

Welcome people to Session 16.
Without any further delay let's get to the heart of the matter straight-away.

A. Time and place:
1. Chronos - time. So chronic illnesses creep up time and again. Another eg could be that I have a chronic habit of posting sessions late. The fundamental idea is chronos when used signifies constancy, a thing happening again and again.

2. Anachronic ( ana: negative connotation + chronos). So anachronic is used to indicate someone or something OUT OF TIME OR DATE, not belonging to the time period in which it exists. Like Charles Babbage for example was said to be years ahead of his generation. Or you could even qoute Da Vinci who was intellectually centuries ahead of his era. So they were both anachronic.

3. Incongruous builds upon 'in' which like 'ana' has a negative sense, 'con' signifies with or together and the rest of the part means to agree, conform etc. So incongrous indicates something OUT OF PLACE, incompatible. Like if you were to be dressed like a hippie, you would be incongruous in an IIM interview.

4. Chronological derives from chronos and means in correct time order. If a novel is chronological, it means the events are told sequentially in the order in which they happen. I think we are all familiar with this.

5. Chronometer - chronos + metron: measurement. So it's an instrument for measuring time; especially : one designed to keep time with great accuracy. Used on ships.

6. Synchronize- Syn indicates together. So synchronize etymologically signifies timing together, to operate in unison. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synchronize

B. Suffering and Disease:
1. Pathology - The scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. But the root logos meaning science or study could be ignored in same cases when pathology may be used to refer to any diseased or abnormal condition. A pathologist is an expert who examines tissue and diagnoses diseases.

2. Relevant stuff - Pathos is used in a large no. of words. In most of them, there is some kind of feeling or emotion attached. Let's take them one by one.
a. Sympathetic : We know what this means, so let's just examine the roots. Sym is akin to syn meaning with or together. You feel with or for someone, you are sympathetic towards him/her.

b. Antipathy : Anti is against. So we all kind of feel antipathic towards our 'esteemed' HRD minister for the reservations introduced.

c. Apathetic : What if you feel nothing at all, indifferent towards it all. Then your attitude is apathetic. The 'a' in apathy carries a negative connotation. I guess apathetic is the word to describe Arjun Singh's attitude towards the plight of the students.

d. Empathic : NL doesn't provide us with the roots. But we surely know the meaning. When you feel so much for something or someone that you kind of identify with the situation then you are empathic.

e. Pathetic: Someone arouses pity or sympathy in you? Then he is pathetic.

f. Telepathy : (Tele-distance + pathos-feeling). A highly contentious issue. Believers in telepathy strongly believe they can communicate with people across the globe without any sort of physical intermediary or a means of communication like phone, mail etc. They say they can read the minds and know what the other person thinks. How? Even they cant explain it. The concept has a link to ESP(extra sensory perception). Personally I believe this is unadulterated bull shit. To read more about Telepathy, access the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telepathy

I guess that's it.

Common grammatical errors

Some extra stuff here we can work on.
Remember people, the idea is not just to be able to complete NL and have a decent vocabulary. We need to polish our VA skills to perfection. Let the blog be used for this purpose. It doesn't take much time anway.

1. Due to or Because of? Due to modifies nouns and is generally used after some form of the verb to be (is, are, was, were, etc.). Jan's success is due to talent and spunk (due to modifies success). Because of should modify verbs. Ted resigned because of poor health (because of modifies resigned).

2. Split infinitive, e.g. "I urge you to not support this Bill".

3. Misplaced modifier, e.g. "We need to stop dumping waste into the environment which kills the fish". To avoid this mistake, put the modifier as close as possible to the noun it is modifying. Repaired: "We need to stop dumping waste, which kills the fish, into the environment".

4. Dangling (or misplaced) participle A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical SUBJECT of the sentence. Wrong: "As the largest reptiles ever to have lived, small mammals could not compete with the dinosaurs". This suggests that small mammals were the largest reptiles ever to have lived. Repaired: "Being small and defenseless, small mammals could not compete with the dinosaurs". More examples).

5. Exhilirate or exhilarate?

6. Now this is weird… I always commit this mistake… I spell it as wierd

Here is a list of common misspellings-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_common_misspellings

Let's update this post as and when we come across something of use.

Lage raho!
MV

Session 15

Welcome again, my friends.
We start the second session of the day.

We talked about notorious in the previous session. It comes from Latin notus.
Noted - comes from notus too. A change of syllables can alter the meaning of the word, and in fact have an altogether different emotional impact. So, we have noted industrialists and their enemies, notorious individuals.

If we admire a man's or woman's unworldliness, we refer to it by a term childlike, but if we are annoyed by the trait, we call it childish.

Summit - comes from Latin summus (highest)
'Sum' (addition) comes similarly.

Consummate - one who has reached the highest point of perfection.
And to consummate a marriage, contract, or business deal means to bring it to the highest point, i.e. to completion.
It can also be used as complete, utter as in consummate happiness/bore.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consummate
Adjective is consummateness or consummancy.

Incorrigible - comes from Latin corrigo (to correct or set straight), plus negative prefix in-
Call people ~ if they do anything in excess, and if all efforts to correct or reform them are to no avail. (In short, dheeth... for instance, our very own Harshal Mehra).
Noun is incorrigiblity or incorrigibleness. (No it's not Harshalness)
So, we have
Incorrigible idealist
optimist
criminal
philanderer

Inveterate - comes from Latin vetus (old) - indicates disapproval.
Inveterate gamblers, liars etc. have grown old in their habits, their habits have become so deep-rooted in their character.
Noun- inveteracy or inveterateness.
English, as we all know is a phunny language. Here, in- is not used as a negative prefix.
Similarly, veteran.

Senex (old) - root of words like senile (relating to old age, memory impairment) and senescent (aging)


Remember genesis?
- Birth or origin.
So, we have genetics and gene.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genome_project

Genealogy : genesis (birth) + logos (study) - Study of family trees or ancestral origins.
Practitioner - genealogist.

Genital - sexual organs involved in the process of conception and birth.

An example,
The genesis of our CAT2K6 plan is our current venture - this blog.

Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament desrcibes the creation or birth of the Universe.

Congenital : con- (with or together) + genesis (birth).
2 connotations of congenital:
. Literally, it refers to some kind of deformity.
Eg. A congenital defect occurs during the gestation period (in the mother's womb).
. Figuratively, it exaggerates, for effect, the existence of a quality.
Eg. congenital liar


A Review

Prefix/Root : Meaning
. notus : known
. summus : highest
. corrigo : to correct, set straight
. vetus : old
. senex : old
. genesis : birth, origin
. logos : science, study
. in- : negative prefix

That's it for the day!
Please feel free to make your suggestions/improvements.
MV

Session 14

First things first.
This session is an utter waste of time. Most of the words used here are very well-known to all of us. Ok, maybe some familiar words, but some of us (including me) would not know the exact meaning.
What I would do, therefore, is just mention the words for you to read them from NL.
Take it as homework.
I want to set a precedent here so that we can eliminate such sessions. In such cases, we can take up the next session that deals with the etymology. This way, we finish the book faster without compromising on the effort.

Remember people, it's very important to do something productive everyday. Let's not fool ourselves by just completing a session like this for the heck of it.

So, here starts the 'session'...

Talking about Liars

Did I hear someone say Shaleen???
No??? Ok, I might be hallucinating.

Notorious - You dont fool even some of the people. You have an unsavoury reputation.
Consummate - An artistic liar. You have perfected your skill and acheived mastery in lying. Priyank tries to do this, albeit unsuccessfully.
Incorrigible - Beyond redemption. You go right on despite the embarassment, and are often caught in your fabrications.
Inveterate - Too old to learn new tricks. Deep-roted habits. Telling lies is a frequent and customary activity. I'm sure I heard someone say Shaleen now. Harshal Mehra will vouch for this.
Congenial - An early starter. You have a long history, and probably started from the moment of your birth.
Chronic - No let-up. You lie continually, not on occasions. Over and over again....
Pathological - A strange disease. You are not concerned with the difference between truth and falsehood. You cant be cured.
Unconscionable - No regrets, no conscience, no guilt... saala dheeth hai.
Glib - Smooth! Lively imagination, ready tongue. You distort facts effortlessly. But people are suspicios of you because you are too smooth to be true.
Egregious - Your lies are vicious, hamrful, cold. They hurt! And your victims gasp in amazement and disgust.

That's it.
If you are wondering... bas itna hi tha??
Yes... itna hi tha.
And thats the point I was making in the beginning. Now, you all go back to NL and read it from there.
What I'll do next, however.
Well....... hmmmm.........

Session 13

At the outset, one “concept “ ….so to say
Flies, bugs, wasps are segmented creatures – Head, thorax, abdomen
When these parts join, you should imagine their bodies as ‘cut in….’
So insects can be thought of as ‘Cut in’ creatures … and this will form the basis of the session we are into…

This session is based on the following roots

I

1.) En – (Greek) - in
2.) Tome –(Greek) - a cutting
3.) In - (Latin ) - in
4.) Sectus –(Latin) verb for ‘to cut’
5.) Ek - (greek ‘ec’) out
The latin for the same is ‘ex’

Start the fun….

Combine 1 & 2 …. What to we get reminded of ….

Entomology -> and what should it mean --- > en (in) + tome (cutting) + logos(science) -> Branch of science(zoology) dealing with insects

Adjective -> entomological

Combine 3 & 4, we get 'insect' -> we all know what it means , now we know where t comes from…

Now you must also know that where appendectomy , mastectomy etc……..come from

Interesting word ….

Guess how ‘eccentric’ comes over -> ec (out) + centrum -> meanng out of the center (deviating from the normal in behaviour)

Noun -> eccentricity

II

More Cuts :

'a' prefixed with other roots makes it negative .. we must know ..
So when 'tome' is prefixed with ‘a’ -> it means ‘ which can't be cut up & the word is 'Atom'.. now you know why it means what it means....

Adjective -> Atomic

More prefixes -> 'Ana' , a Greek prefix has one of the meanings as ‘up’

So you know how Anatomy is formed which means -> cutting up a plant or animal to determine its structure
Adjective -> Anatomical


Greek prefix ‘Dicha’ (means 2) + tome -> splitting into 2
Dichotomy (noun)
Dichotomize (verb)
Dichotomous thinking -> thinking which divided everything into 2 -> good-bad, holy-evil etc…

Epi (on, upon) + tome -> epitome -> condensation of the whole

Can be used in following forms
-> As an summary, condensation or abridgement of the language …

-> Give me an epitome of the book (Meaning the basic idea)
As an example
She is the epitome of kindness -> She is the representative of kindness.
The verb -> epitomize

III

Origin of the word "PHILOLOGY"

Logos has so far meant -> science or study

Note down one more meaning -> word or speech

Also 'Philein' (greek)-> means love

So that PHILOLOGY would mean Love of words
Or we know it as something better -> LINGUISTICS


IV

Philein(love) + Anthropos (people) -> Love of mankind

Philein + andros (male) -> male lovers …loosely means to play around sexually, be promiscuous, or have extramarital relations ….
One who indulges in all this -> philanderer


Philein + sophos (Greek for wise) - > love of wisdom

Surprise …
Philadelphia ..is also derived like this ..

Adelphos ..means brother n greek

So 'Philadelphia' means -> City of brotherly love.. wow ... Manas wouldnt want to stay in such a place for sure... jahaan brotherly love ho sirf....


Similarly
Philharmonic -> love of music or harmony

Bibliophile -> a book collector …Biblion -> greek for Book

Anglophile -> one who loves British culture, customs, people … Anglus -> Latin for English



V

'Semantics of your thinking are all wrong…'

'Semantics is an exciting field of study..'

Notice the extra 's' in use of semantics in one of the sentences.... not that it is wrong

Both of them are correct …
When this word is referred as a science .. then it’s a singular word ….

But when used in any other sense.. it’s to be used in plural form…


VI


Socius -> (Latin) -> companion

So

Socius + logos (Science) -> Sociology

Also you can try finding out the genesis of the following words


Associate
Socialize
Society

2 more ..similar but not the same..
Antisocial
Asocial

Think of the difference between the two…

Antisocial person actively dislikes people and behaves in ways that are destructive to society
Where as
An asocial person s withdrawn and self-centred, avoids contact with others and feels completely indifferent to interests or welfare of the society ..Bascally, he doesn’t want ot get involved…

Thank heavens .. Thats it ..

C ya around

Session 12

Session 12

I love gazing at the astrons and wondering at their nomos…

I wish I was an astronomer

I wish I studied more astronomy

But the effort required was astronomical too...

Now for some serious business...

1) Astros --> Stars

2) Nomos --> Arrangement/Law/Order

Now look at how many simple words have their roots in the most wonderous element of the sky….

Astronomy Astronomer Astronomical

Astrology Astrologer Astrological

3) Nautes --> Sailor

Astronaut - Astro(stars) + nautes(sailor) Sailor among the stars

Cosmonaut --> kosmos(universe)+ Nautes(sailor)

4) Aster --> Star shaped flower

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asterisk --> *
Astrophysics --> Branch of physics dealing with heavenly bodies.

Disaster --> NL says in ancient times, something wrong with the stars was considered as the prime reason for any misfortune/calamity… Did this guy never visit India? Or are we ancient?

Disastrous [cheer me up… this session is too bad for trying anything innovative…]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More words relating to Nautes

5) Naus --> Ship

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nautical --> Relating to sailors, ships, navigation
Nausea --> ship-sichness, sea-sickness

Autonomy --> n. immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence

Autonomous --> adj. of persons; free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment (also: independent; ); of political bodies; "an autonomous judiciary"; "a sovereign state"

Metronome --> n. clicking pendulum indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6) Geo --> Earth

Geology - n. a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks
Geometry Geometrician Geometric
George – earth worker, farmer; n. Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess.

Geography Geographer Geographic

7) Bios --> Life

Biology Biologist Biological

Biography --> n. an account of the series of events making up a person's life
Autobiography --> n. a biography of yourself

Biopsy --> n. examination of tissues or liquids from the living body to determine the existence or cause of a disease

Autopsy --> n. an examination and dissection of a dead body to determine cause of death or the changes produced by disease

8) Botane --> Plant

Botanist Botany Botanical

9) Zoion --> Animal

Zoologist Zoology Zoological
[Its pronounced as Zu Ologist and not zoo logist]

Zodiac --> A diagram having paths of sun, moon and planets
[The zodiac signs contain latin names of various animals…Who doesn’t know scorpio(scorpion), cancer(crab), taurus(bull), aries(ram???), pisces(fish) and of course the mightiest, brave, unbeatable, royal– LEO.

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Ponder over the idea: what if we start writing English roots and words derived from them in a tabular form, I’m sure we can match it with the traditional style of sanskrit; something like….

Rameh Ramou Ramam….

Rama Ramya Ramyamam…..

Alright, you can correct me, I agree I was bad at sanskrit, but that didn’t matter much, my friend who sat right behind me wasn’t all that bad ;-)

Session 11

Protagonists & the Movies… this was the initial plan [i guess you will have to chip in with some good movies here.]

Session 11

1. An anthropologist - One versed in the science of an·thro·pol·o·gy (The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.) [& the movie to watch… well I could not find one. But may be we can make a documentary involving “The Men from Mars”… esoteric stuff.]

btw, what is the Martian term for ‘anthropology’… Manas, enlighten us plzzz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropologist [interesting read...]

2. An astronomer - -@@@@@- Astronomy (The scientific study of matter in outer space, especially the positions, dimensions, distribution, motion, composition, energy, and evolution of celestial bodies and phenomena.)

3. A geologist – -@@@@@- geology (The scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the earth & solid matter of other celestial bodies.)

4. A biologist - A student of biology (The science of life and of living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. It includes botany and zoology and all their subdivisions.)

5. A botanist - One who specializes in botany (The science or study of plants.)

6. A zoologist - One who is well versed in zoology. (The branch of biology that deals with animals and animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology, development, and classification of animals.) [Jurassic Park (1993)]

7. An entomologist – (entomology - http://www.answers.com/topic/entomology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philology/ [folks any movie in mind?]

8. A philologist – (philology - the humanistic study of language and literature.)

9. A semanticist – Semantics, we know this term… right??? (The study of relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent; also called semasiology).

The meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form: We're basically agreed; let's not quibble over semantics.

10. A sociologist - One who treats of, or devotes himself to, the study of sociology (The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society.)

Phobia list of the day…

Closed spaces – Claustrophobia

· Botanophobia

· Zoophobia

· Fear of crowd – ocholophobia

· Entomophobia

Session 10

Hi guys.. This session is relatively short as compared to previous ones and is broken in two parts.

1. Writing

Graphein is greek for 'to write'.
Get ready now for a plethora of words containing graph.

A Graphologist(graphein + logos: science,study) thus has the not so enviable job of analysing handwriting, especially if he's trying to make sense of mine. ok, bad joke...

Chirography(graphein + chiro: hand) refers to penmanship.

Calligraphy(graphein + kallos: beauty) etymologically refers to beautiful handwriting. A calligrapher elegantly designs and writes announcements, plain cards etc with a certain touch of panache, elan..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy

Now logically if there exists calligraphy referring to artistic handwriting, there must also exist its evil twin i.e. some word for bad, illegible handwriting.
That word is Cacography(graphein + kakos: bad, harsh).

Some other terms in the English language having graphein are:

a. Cardiograph - literally means heart writer. How is that so? It's an instrument that registers graphically movements of the heart. Covered in a previous session.

b. Photograph - (photos: light). Any more explanation and i'm unsuitable for CAT preparation..

c. Phonograph - (phone: sound). Hence means a sound writer. A machine that reproduces sound by means of a stylus in contact with a grooved rotating disk.

d. Telegraph - (tele: distance). e. Biography - (bios: life). The term means an account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another. As known by everybody, an autobiography refers to the biography of a person written by that person.

2. Aging and the old

Geras is greek for old age. Geriatric population, as I'm sure most of us would know, refers to the elderly people.
A Geriatrician(geras + ician: expert) specializes in the medical care of the elderly. Lewis here tells us that Latin for old is "senex", the basis of many words like :

a. Senile - Relating to or exhibiting memory loss or mental impairment associated with aging.

b. Senescent - Growing old. The suffix is same as in adolescent(growing into adult), obsolescent(becoming obsolete) etc.

c. Senior - Older.d. Senate - Aha, too many meanings here. Was originally meant to refer to a group or council of older and wiser citizens. More can be found at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/senate

Session 9

Shweta and Gaurav have introduced us to more specialists and their specializations.
This session deals with the etymology of these words, plus a few more.

This Is Going To Hurt Just A Little Bit

Orthodontist - orthos (straight, correct) + odontos (tooth) : one who straightens/corrects teeth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontist

Peridontist - peri (surround, surrounding) + odontos (tooth) : Gum specialist, gums surround the teeth, according to the framers of the English language.

Endodontist - endon (inner, within) + odontos (tooth) : specializes in work on the pulp of the tooth and in root-canal therapy.
Speciality is called endodontics and the adjective endodontic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endodontics

A little exercise... What would be the name for a specialist in extraction of teeth?
FYI, I have made 4 trips to an exodontist, and at each visit losing 1 tooth.

Please have a look at my comment.


Measurement

Optometrist - opsis, optikos (view, vision) + metron (measurement) : measures vision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optometrist

Thermometer - therme (heat) + metron (measurement) : do I need to explain?

Trivia - I always believed Galileo was the inventor of the thermometer. This link http://www.brannan.co.uk/thermometers/invention.html proves that i was wrong. Galileo's invention merely indicated temperature differences, while a thermometer must measure temperature differences. His instrument should rightly be called a thermoscope.

Barometer - baros (weight) + metron (measurement)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer

Sphygmomanometer - sphygmos (pulse) + metron (measurement) : For ignorant souls like me, it is a device for measuring blood pressure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphygmomanometer

And you all know what the metric system is.


Making bones about it

Osteopath - osteon (bone) + pathos (suffering/disease) : Osteopathy, as Shweta had very well explained, is based on the theory that disease is caused by pressure of the bones on blood vessels and nerves.
Osteopathic is not a bone specialist, despite the misleading etymology.
Let us differentiate between an osteopathic and an orthopaedist here.
Osteopathic : a practitioner of osteopathy
Orthopaedist - orthos (straight, correct) + paidos (child) : bone specialist
The term was coined in 1741 by the author of a textbook on the prevention of childhood dieseases. Back then, correction of spinal curvature in children was a main concern of orthopaedics (adj.) Today, they treat adults, and children of course.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthopedic_surgery

Chiropodist - cheir, chiro (hand) + podos (foot) : foot specialist.
The term was coined in the days when manual labour was the norm. People worked on push-button devices and worked with their hands, developing calluses on their upper extremities as well on their feet, according to NL.
3 of the Gyaanis have consulted a chiropodist, if the 3rd one can be called one that is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropodist

Chiropractors : heal with their hands
speciality : chiropractic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractor

Chirography - chiro (hand) + graph (as in graphologist) : art of handwriting
Chirographer - An expert in writing by hand, or in pensmanship (For eg. Komal)
adj. - chirographic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirography

Another exercise... Can you tell me what is Chiromancy?
FYI, mancy means foretelling or predicition.
Practitioner is called chiromancer.
adj. - chiromantic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiromancy

Octopus - octo/okto (eight) + pus/pous/podos (foot)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus (if someone is interested in studying it, that is)

Platypus - platys (broad, flat) + pus/pous/podos (foot) : strange water mammals with a duck's bill, webbed feet and a beaver-like tail that reproduces by laying eggs. By etymology, means a flatfoot.

Trivia - The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a 30–40 cm long, half-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, and one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young (the other four are echidnas). It is the sole extant representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of fossilised relatives have been found, some of them also in the Ornithorhynchus genus.
This egg-laying, duck-billed mammal whose males have a venomous spur on the hind foot, baffled naturalists when it was first discovered. The uniqueness of the Platypus makes it a recognizable symbol of Australia (along with the kangaroo and koala) — it is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20-cent coin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus

Podium - podos (foot) + ium (place where) : a speaker's platform, a place for the feet.

Additional words:
Gymnasium
Stadium
Auditorium

Tripod - tri (three) + podos (foot) : 3-legged stand.
Trivia- Tripod.com, a free webhosting service currently run by Lycos (a search engine)

Podiatrist - podos (foot) + iatreia (medical healing) : Another name for a chiropodist.
Speciality is called podiatry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatrist

Is your head spinning due to this barrage of words? Well mine is, if yours isn't... as I'm racing against time as I write this.
So here is a quick revision of what we have learnt today

Prefix/Root/Suffix : Meaning
. orthos : straight, correct
. odontos : teeth
. paidos (paed- ) : child
. -ic : adjective suffix
. peri- : around, surrounding
. endo- : inner, within
. ex- : out
. opsis, optikos : vision
. metron : measurement
. therme : heat
. baros : weight
. sphygmos : pulse
. osteon : bone
. pathos : suffering, disease
. pous, podos : foot
. platys : broad, flat
. –ium : place where
. cheir (chiro-) : hand
. mancy : prediction
. iatreia : medical healing

Session 8

SESSION 8

Some basics :

Roots :

Psyche : (Greek) spirit, soul, mind
Iatreia : (Greek) medical healing
Logos : (Greek)science or study
Pathos : (Greek) suffering or disease
Soma : Body

Psyche is also an English word -> mental life, the spiritual or non-physical aspect of ones existence.

Psychic is the adjective: People who possess a sixth sense, a special gift of mind reading, some aptitude for mysterious things that can’t be accounted for logically.
A person’s disturbance could be psychic (more mental than physical)

INTERESTING BITS

James Randi offered $1,000,000 to anyone who could prove themselves to posses paranormal abilities. No one has yet claimed this prize. As skeptics point out, science cannot prove a phenomenon does not exist even if it has never been observed; however

Randi's observes:
"(1) What's the toughest case you've ever had to crack?"
"None have been particularly difficult. The hardest part has always been to get the claimant to state clearly what he or she thinks they can do, under what conditions, and with what accuracy. Most are very vague about these aspects, and very few have any notion of how a proper test should be conducted. …"


Psychopathic : Psychos (Mind) + pathos(suffering): Adjective that describes someone suffering from a severe mental or emotional disorder.

The noun is “psychopath”

‘psychosomatic’: an adjective that delineates the powerful influence that the mind, especially the unconscious, has on bodily diseases.

E.g. a person is afraid of consequences of a meeting, he will suddenly develop a backache or a headache ..mind you ..its a real backache ..just that the his unconscious makes him susceptible to germs and forces him to develop that ache.
As the word says it all…. The cause is the psyche ..the MIND with no organic symptoms within the body

Psychoanalysis -> delving into the unconscious

Ref : Sigmund Freud

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud

Interesting... read on

Overall, little is known of Freud's early life, as he destroyed his personal papers at least twice, once in 1885 and again in 1907. Additionally, his later papers were closely guarded in the Sigmund Freud Archives and were only made available to his official biographer Ernest Jones and a few other members of the inner circle of psychoanalysis.

In 1886, Freud returned to Vienna and, after opening a private practice specializing in nervous and brain disorders, he married. He experimented with hypnotism with his most hysteric and neurotic patients, but he eventually gave up the practice. He found that he could get his patients to talk by putting them on a couch and encouraging them to say whatever came into their minds (a practice termed free association).

In his 40s, Freud "had numerous psychosomatic disorders as well as exaggerated fears of dying and other phobias" (Corey 2001, p. 67). During this time Freud was involved in the task of exploring his own dreams, memories, and the dynamics of his personality development. During this self-analysis, he came to realize the hostility he felt towards his father (Jacob Freud), and "he also recalled his childhood sexual feelings for his mother (Amalia Freud), who was attractive, warm, and protective" (Corey 2001, p. 67). Corey (2001) considers this time of emotional difficulty to be the most creative time in Freud's life.

Psychoanalysis

Guide the patient to awareness of the unconscious causes of anxieties, fears, conflicts.
Once exposed, it is believed that these vanish like light snow vanishes on exposure to strong sunlight.
One who does this : psychoanalyst
How he does it : psychoanalytically

Psychogenic = psyche + genesis(origin) : originating from the mind

Treatment for psychogenic problems : Freudian , Gestalt, bioenergetics, Transactional analysis

Psychotherapy : treatment of psychogenic diseases
The adjective would be ‘Psychotherapeutic’

Who does this : Psychotherapist
How does he do it : Psychotherapeutic methods

C ya around...

Gaurav

Session 7 - It's all about Practitioners

Psychologists specialize in the way the mind works and how it influences behaviour. They study people, how they think and feel, how they act, react and interact, then bring psychological theory and practice to bear on solving problems or bringing about improvements for individuals, groups or organisations. Psychologists deal with a wide range of practical problems including easing the effects of divorce on children, minimizing accidents, helping people overcome stress or depression, and ensuring the reliability of eye-witness testimony in court. Psychology is a fascinating and wide-ranging speciality, and its practitioners have a valuable contribution to make to all areas of life.
• Counseling Psychologists work collaboratively with people affected by a wide range of human problems. These include helping people manage difficult life events such as bereavement, difficult past and present relationships and working with mental health problems and disease. Counseling psychologists often work in hospitals and clinics, or in private practice or commercial organisations.
• Forensic Psychologists apply psychological theory to criminal investigation, understanding problems associated with criminal behaviour, and the treatment of criminals. Their work may include implementing treatment programmes, modifying offender behaviour, crime analysis and giving expert evidence in court. They usually work in prisons, rehabilitation units or with the police.
• Health Psychologists work in a relatively new and rapidly evolving field, using psychological principles to promote changes in people’s attitudes, behaviour and thinking about health, illness and healthcare. They work in hospitals, clinics, or with health authorities and health research departments.

Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud. As a technique of psychotherapy psychoanalysis seeks to elucidate connections among unconscious components of patients' mental processes. The analyst's goal is to help liberate the analysand from unexamined or unconscious barriers of transference and resistance - that is, past patterns of relatedness that are no longer serviceable or that inhibit freedom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalyst
Psychoanalysts try to reach the root of the problem, the process may take years in some cases. There is something called past-life therapy too which is based on solving your problems/fears etc by finding out whether they could be related to something in your past life. Controversy rages both within and without the psychoanalytic community over whether psychoanalysis is a science, a pseudoscience, or something else altogether.

Orthodentist – The guys people like minus and i need to go to get their bunny teeth straightened. Visit this link to see which other celebrities had braces. You'll be impressed by the list : http://www.caribbeansmiles.com/celebrity_smiles.htm

Optometrist or (ophthalmic) optician is someone who opts to organize online obese octopus meets to overthrow an onerous oligarchy.
Oafs, what the hell are you reading? Haven’t we been repeating this in previous sessions that an optometrist measures your vision and tells you whether your glasses are as thin as air or as thick as Paresh Rawal's glasses…??

Optician – Supplies the lenses according to the specifications of the Optometrist or Ophthalmologist. But I think these days opticians are people who supply you with all kinds of fancy frames to suit your face. Though I haven’t found one yet that can suit my face. I fail to understand why people laugh everytime I try a pair. I think I look unbelievably studious. Guys, please forgive me, I’m, really sleepy while writing all this.

Osteopath – Ever heard this word? Well at least I hadn’t.
As is very well explained in this link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopath / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathy
Osteopathy was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, who was an Army doctor. ‘The horrors of battlefield injury and the subsequent death of his wife and several children from infectious diseases left him totally disillusioned with the traditional practice of medicine. Still perceived the medical practices of his day to be ineffective, even barbaric.’ This led him to adopt a philosophy was based on the understanding of the integration between body, mind and spirit, the interrelatedness of structure and function, and the ability of the body to heal itself when mechanically sound.
He invented the name "osteopathy" by blending two Greek roots "osteon-" for bone and "-pathos" for suffering in order to communiciate his theory that disease and physiologic dysfunction were etiologically grounded in a disordered musculoskeletal system.

Enough for this place and for the practitioners who treat people druglessly, I think u gotta visit those links for more, it’s interesting.

From bones to joints, from Blood vessels to Articulation…

Chiropractic is another complementary and alternative health care profession which aims to diagnose, treat, and prevent mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system and their effects on the nervous system and general health. Chiropractors believe misalignments, or subluxations of the spine interfere with the body's self-regulating mechanisms, primarily the nervous system. A chiropractor may specialize in treating low back problems or sports injuries, or may combine chiropractic with manipulation of the extremities, physiotherapy, nutrition, or exercises to increase spinal strength or improve overall health.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractor

Manas can very well explain the next one - A Chiropodist. He treats minor foot ailments(I mean a Chiropodist, not Manas). Translated literally, chiropody refers to medicine of the "hand and foot", but today chiropody is merely another name for podiatric medicine & surgery. Manas has made multiple trips to a Chiropodist ever since our last year in college, and continues to do so, everytime he needs to take a break from work. I preferred a pehelwanic chiropodist when I was in a similar situation in first year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropodist

Moving on to some non-medical practitioners :

A Graphologist is someone who analysis handwriting to determine character, personality traits etc. And it’s not all non-sense. I had a friend whose sis was a Graphologist, and she was superb at analyzing people’s handwriting, we used to be fascinated by how effortlessly she would tell about people just by looking at their notebooks. A Graphologist may also be one who verifies authenticity of signatures, written docs etc.

A Gerontologist deals with economic, sexual, social, retirement and other problems of the elderly. Gerontology is the study of the elderly, and of the aging process itself. It is to be distinguished from geriatrics, which is the study of the diseases of the elderly. Gerontology covers the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontologist