Session 45

Hellos the fellow gyaanis.
I am the backs... the one last times. Ok I'll shed this lack of propriety, atleast on this blog.
In this session we learn words that revolve around the idea of "fullness" - the way you are full of complaints (against me for posting late), full of compliance and servility (when I speak), full of noise (all of you, not me) etc.
So here goes...

1. Compliance
Root sequor - to follow
Those who follow rather than lead are usually in a menial, subordinate or inferior position. Like the way I'm calling the shots at the moment, and you all are just nodding your heads in agreement.
Eg. waiters, clerks, servants, due to the nature of their jobs act in an excessively courteous, obliging and subservient manner.
obsequies - the funeral rites or ceremony
subsequent - one that follows another
sequel - similar to subsequent, the slight difference is upto you to figure out
sequence - ab yeh bhi samjhaoon kya?

2. Complaints
Root queror - to complain
Anyone full of complaints, constantly nagging, harping, fretful, petulant, whining, never satisified is aptly called querulous.
I think I know such a person... are you wondering whether it's one among you?

3. Snobbery
I'm sure you have dealt with snobs somewhere in your life.
Root cilium means eyelid, super means above.
Above the eyelid is the eyebrow. Now the obnoxious people in question raise their eyebrow in contempt, disdain, and sneering arrogance at ordinary mortals like you (not me, I haven't found myself in the path of a lorry, I'm immortal).
Such contemptuous, sneering, haughty, disdainful, overbearing conceited people are called supercilious

4. Empty vessels make most noise
Root strepo means to make a noise.
Anyone who is unruly, boisterous, resistant to authority, unmanageable, in a noisy, troublesome manner is obstreperous.
Some of our politicians, for example, the most recent incident I can recall is the BJP staging a tamasha outside the Parliament with utensils. The VHP, RSS, Shiv Sena are other examples.
...wondering...
Why do all the examples coming to mind are from politics?

5. Money power... VISA power
Root pecus means cattle.
NL informs us that at one time in history, a person's wealth was measured by bank balances or stocks and shares but by stocks of domestic animals, which was a lot more logical, since you get milk and leather and meat from cattle - true wealth, while all you get from the stock market is a headache.
Someone who had lots of pecus, then, was rich. And someone without it was broke.
So we call someone who is habitually without funds, who seems generally to be full of a complete lack of money impecunious.
With due respect to Mr Shaleen Sharma, I think he most fits the definition than anyone else I know... ha ha.
pecuniary - pertaining to money, as in, a pecuniary consideration, pecuniary affairs etc.

6. Horses for courses
French word cheval means horse.
In medieval times only gentlemen and knights rode on horse, common people walked.
Traditionally (not, as NL understands, actually) knights were courteous to women, attentive to female desires, and self-sacrificing when their own interests came in conflict with those of the fair sex.
Thus, the word chivalrous.

Cheval comes from Latin caballus, an inferior horse. Caballus is found in English, with the spelling caval-
a) cavalcade - a procession of persons on horseback, as in a parade. In the age of BMWs and Mercs, we have a cavalcade of cars as in a VIP procession.
b) cavalier - a mounted soldier.
It also desrcibes actions and attitudes that are haughty, unmindful of others' feelings, too offhand, often associated with people in power.
Eg. cavalier manner... After the cavalier treatment received, I never wished to return.
After her cavalier refusal, I'll never invite her to another party, implying that the refusal was curt, offhand, and not exactly courteous.
c) cavalry - the mounted, or 'horsed' part of an army

Another root for horse, if you recollect, is equus (I took up that one too... No, I don't have a thing for horses)
equestrian(ne) - horse(wo)man
equine - horselike

7. No harm done
Root noceo means to injure.
Someone who need cause you no fear, so harmless is that person, so unable to interfere, so unlikely to get you into trouble is called innocuous. I think SuperGyaani HM qualifies as one... wotsay?
noxious - harmful, poisonous; unwholesome. Eg. noxious fumes

8. Alcoholic
Root bibo means to drink.
One who is generally found at the bar, who liked to get tipsy, who has an overfondness for drinks is called, usually humorously (good you told us that Mr NL) bibulous.
imbibe - imbibe learning respect, drink in, absorb.
bib - upper part of an apron, or an apronlike napkin tied around a child's neck. It prevents what is drunk (or eaten) from spilling over.

9. Like death itself
Root cado means to fall. One's final fall is death.
Someone who looks like a dead man- is pale, gaunt, thin, haggard, with sunken eyes and wasted limbs is called cadaverous.
cadaver - a corpse, esp. one used for surgical dissection, like the one in Munnabhai MBBS jisko dekhke apna Munnabhai faint ho jaata hai.
decadent - de- (down) + cado (fall) - "falling down", as in descend, climb down, decline etc.
Something in a decadent state is deteriorating, becomes corrupt or demoralized. Decadence is a state of decay. These words refer not to actual phsyical decay, but to moral or spiritual decay.
For eg. Roman decadence - defines the gradual decline in the ancient Roman republican values of family, farming, virtus, and dignitas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_decadence

10. Pain and misery
Root doleo means to suffer or grieve - one who is morunful or sad, whose melancholy comes from physical pain mental distress is called dolorous.
dolour - poetic syn. of grief
doleful - causing grief: a doleful loss
condole - con- (together) + doleo (greive) - grieve together... you get the drift.
Offer condolences etc.

A final review of etmyology

Prefix/Root/Suffix : Meaning
. sequor : to follow
. queror : to complain
. cilium : eyelid
. super : above
. strepo : to make a noise
. pecus : cattle
. im-(in-) : -ve prefix
. cheval : horse
. caballus (caval-) : inferior horse
. equus : horse
. bibo : to drink
. cado : to fall
. de- : down
. con- : with, together

That pretty much rounds up Project NL. A small exercise shall follow in the next session.
Yes yes yes yes yes...

Session 44

1. Aint the real McCoy

Simulate derives from simulo(to copy). Simulation then refers to any aping of the real thing. Flight simulation progammes for pilots etc. Easy enough to understand. Beware of such ads where they offer you "genuine simulated pearls" coz what they are basically doing is looting you and even informing you about it without you getting to know of it if you dont know the word simulated.

So follows now dissimulation. Now think for a moment what that could mean. Arre ulta hai simulate ka. When you dissimulate, you hide your true feelings and make a pretence of emoting just the opposite sentiment. I do it quite frequently. "How's the studying going?" and I go "Excellent!". Its real fun.

And if someone asks you a question and you not only lie while hiding your true feelings but also conceal facts by deception and even go to the extent of pretending ignorance of the facts you'd rather not admit even when being in the knowhow of the whole thing, then mate.. you are dissembling. Dissemble is a close but more powerful(in the negative sense) relative of dissimulate.


2. Aha... A clue Sherlock

Intimate is from intimus(innermost). An intimation has significance in the innermost core, with only a flicker of a hint showing. Bole to ye ki as you grow older and you realize that so many years have whizzed past making you aware that you are getting older, its an intimation that you are mortal. You are walking in the middle of the road, singing and whistling and suddenly a lorry hurtles towards you, you at that sudden moment realize that indeed, you are mortal. Something that you wouldn't normally be ready to admit, to accept and face rather. Of course its recommended that you do all this thinking after getting out of the lorry's path:)

Alleviate: Basic component is levis- light,not heavy. Share your worries with your friends and alleviate your pain. Watch Seinfeld or FRIENDS and alleviate your sore mood, if any. As is clear, alleviation is temporary removal or contentedness, its not a permanent cure. Aspirin is an alleviative drug.

Elevate too is based on the same root. No need to elaborate or explain this, I believe.

Watched P C Sorkar lately? No? Must remember that great magician's tricks though. One of those included make a body(human) float in mid air without any props or anything. Of course it was the light effects but the process of rising through no visible means is LEVITATION. The verb is levitate. Also used a lot figuratively, this term. Like Dhirubhai Ambani levitated in the business world coz he had no family background in the corporate world and practically rose from nowhere.

Levity you must have come across. Means lightness in the sense of frivolity, flippancy to be more accurate. A definite jocular tone or lightness of purpose. "Levity is out of place at a funeral or a place of worship". Ahem.


3. Enough partaking of the good things, lets share some misery too chum

Commiserate( Miser- Latin for wretched + con- together, with + ate). Self explanatory now. "I commiserate with you" == "I am wretched together with you, I share your misery".


4. Swinging 60s again- rock n roll time folks!!

Vacillate builds upon Latin vacillo- to swing back and forth. Vacillatory people are those who just can't seem to make up their mind regarding something, in fact anything and everything. They agree with 2 or more contradictory opinions about something, like say a car. "Oh yes, this baby is really smooth.. Touches 90kmph in 10 secs.. But then its too expensive.. Haan o'course its sleek and all and has oh the looks.. but then again the average aint too good.. I really cant decide whether or not to buy it.. Am in a real dilemma yaar". You get the picture. Right?

Ambivalent too is strikingly similar to vacillatory. They(ambivalent folks) have conflicting and simultaneous emotions about the same person or thing. They love something but they hate it too. Neither here nor there. In fact both here and there types etc etc. NL has one of his rare cliches here "Ambivalent has best been defined as watching your mother-in-law drive over a cliff in your new car".

Just as Vacillate was swinging mentally or emotionally, to sway back and forth is to Oscillate. Root is Latin oscillum, a swing. A pendulum oscillates. And people too oscillate while walking when they have had a shot too much, basically when too drunk. You know why.

Kaboom

Session 43

hello.........here goes

1.)
nervus -> latin -> nerve
e-(ex- out) + nervus -> enervate
When u are enervated, it feels as if your nerves have been ripped out....as if every ounce of energy has been sapped out

Energy seems like a related word to enervate but it is entirely the opposite
Energy = en-(Greek, in) + ergon(work)
Erg is a term used in physics for a unit of work or energy

Synergism -> syn (together or with) + ergon -> the process by which 2 or more substances or drugs, by working together produce a greater effect than sum of individiual 2 .

Synergy is an alternate form of synergism


2.)
Castigate -> latin word for punish
Present day usage -> verbal punishment, usually harsh and severe.

Synonymous with Scold, criticise, rebuke, censure, reprimand, or berate

3.)
Abnegate -> ab- (Latin->away) + nego [(neg {Latin->no, not)} + aio(I say)]

Meaning -> Self denial

To negate, is to deny the truth or existence of....

4.)
Caput (Latin -> Head)
The captain is the head of any group
The capital is the head city of a state or nation

Also,
Decapitate -> to chop off someone's head

Capitulum (Latin-> little head or by extension the haeding of a chapter)
e.g.
When we recapitulate, we go through the headings again
when you capitulate, we arrange in headings or as the meaning really evelved, you arrange conditions of surrender
An army capitulates to the enemy forces under prearranged conditions, or stop resisting and give up
He realised there was no point in resisting, so he reluctantly capitulated

5.)
Vegeto (Latin -> to live and grow) which is what vegetables dobut thats all they do ..
so to vegetate, is by implication, to do no more than stay alive, stuck in a rut, leading an inactive, unstimulating, emotionally and intellectually stagnant existence.

Vegetatation -> dull passive existence

C ya around
Gau

Session 42

The words to look out for in the session...

1. Complete exhaustion: It is not work or effort that causes fatigue, but boredom, frustation, etc. to enervate - To feel mental, physical and nervous fatigue.

2. Tongue-lashing: Take this case... Errant drivers lash out at the prosecuting police officer with all the verbal vituperation welling up in them due to self anger.
castigate - v. censure severely; "She chastised him for his insensitive remarks"

3. Altruistic:
to self-abnegate- v. deny or renounce; "They abnegated their gods"

4. Repetition - When one restates the key ideas, the main thoughts, he/ she is recapitulating.

5. No joie de vivre: Surely this is one situation, I dont wish to see anyone of us in or for that matter all others.
To vegetate - No change, monotony, sameness, no progress in any department of life.

6. Pretence:
To simulate - to pretend rapt attention, nodding wisely at what you hope are the right moments.
7. To intimate - To hint...
No unequivocal commitments, no clear-cut promises, only slight & oblique mention of possibilities.

8. Helpful - As in the case of a pain killer.
To alleviate - to relieve someone of pain.

9. When the bell tolls
to commiserate.

10. to vacillate:
v. be undecided about something

Additional words...
• ministration
n. assistance in time of difficulty; "the contributions provided some relief for the victims"

• joie de vivre
joie de vivre, happiness of life, joy of living

Keep Walking...
Priyank

Session 41

1) Jaaahnwar!! Tumh… tumh… aaadmi ho yah… yah… jaaahnwar??(Hema Malini style)

Bovine – bovis(ox/cow)+ine(like, Similar to)
A bovine person is lacking in any strong feelings. Unlike what traditional Indian women may think, it is NOT complimentary.

Other adjectives in which humans are compared to animals :

Word – animal - root – traits – other words

Leonine – like a lion - leo – appearance/temperament
Canine – dog - canis– as in canine teeth
Feline – cat – felis - grace(complimentary)/temperament(insulting)
Porcine – pig – porcus - trait not mentioned in NL, but I guess it must be uncleanliness – pork
Vulpine – fox – vulpus - appearance/temperament (shrewd)
Ursine – bear – ursus – probably weight or shape – ursa major, ursa minor(the great bear and little bear constellations)
Lupine – wolf - lupus
Equine – horse - equus
Piscine – fish – piscis


2) Life always seems pleasanter in retrospect

Nostalgia – nostos(a return) + algos(pain)

I’m sure there is no need to explain this.


3)
Kakos – bad, harsh, ugly
Phony and optics we all know is related to sound and vision
Cacophony – harsh sounding
Cacopsis/cacoptic – eye offending


4) Main tujhaay kaccha khaaa jaaauungaaa…(yes, Dharmendra style. of course)

Carnis – flesh
Herba – herb
Omnis - all
Voro – to devour

Hence, the words carnivorous, herbivorous and omnivorous. Omnivorous actually eat everything(digestible, ie). Supposedly, only humans and rats have this kind of diet. And also some domestic cats and dogs. This can be a nice quiz question, what is common between humans and rats?
Omnivorous can be used to describe other things, like reading habits too.

Also derived from voro is voracious – devouring, hence greedy or gluttonous. It may or may not refer to food.

5) More on omnis(all)

Omnipotent – omnis + potens/potentis(powerful) - All powerful, usually used for god, or an extremely powerful ruler.
Omniscient – All knowing. I think no one can be literally omniscient, its just used for extremely wise people. Or used as, ‘You think you are omniscient? Well, you are not!’
Omnipresent – Present in all places at once. Synonym – ubiquitous – fairly common words
Omnibus – No, this has nothing to do with Maruti Omni, or may be it does. I think its' punchline was the car for your whole family? Omnibus is etymologically, ‘for all, including all’. Bus is a short form of this word, a public vehicle for all who can pay(and in Delhi, for all who can find a place to step into it). An authors’ omnibus has all his works, and other such usages.


6) More on carnis(flesh)

Carnelian – a reddish gemstone, the colour of red flesh
Carnival – season of merry making. Apparently, there was some celebration after which people(one flesh) bid farewell to each other(another flesh) by saying ‘carne vale’ or ‘oh flesh, farewell’… and so it became carnival. I wonder if NL actually makes all this up sometimes, or is all this true.
Carnal – pleasures of appetites of the flesh rather than spirit, so it is used for sensual, lecherous, lascivious, lubricious pleasures.
Carnage – great destruction of life(flesh), as in war or mass murders.
Reincarnation – To bring a soul back in another bodily form(flesh)
Incarnate – in the flesh. The Devil incarnate (devil in the flesh) had his birthday on 6.6.6.
Thus, incarnate is to give bodily form to, or make real.

7) clandestine vs surreptitious

clam – secretly

Clandestine is some abstract thing or idea which is secret, surreptitious is an undisclosed, secretly performed action or movement. Sometimes these words are used interchangeably, like clandestine meetings or surreptitious meetings.


Thats all!