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