English vocabulary is made up of morphemes, the smallest unit of sound with meaning. Most come from Greek or Latin, like the prefix “pre-” meaning “before”. Other prefixes like “en-“, “em-“, and “el-” also have Greek origins. Some words, like “bow”, are root words that can have different meanings in different languages. Understanding morphemes can help readers understand new words, but not all words can be broken down this way.
The elements of English vocabulary are the morphemes that combine to form most words in the English language. Morphemes are the smallest unit of sound that has meaning, like the prefix “re-“, which adds the meaning “again” to a word. Most elements of English vocabulary come from Greek or Latin. Knowledge of these morphemes allows readers to understand new words simply by knowing the meaning of the parts of the word.
An example from the Latin is the prefix “pre-“, which means “before”. For example, a premature baby is born before it is mature. Presentiment, premonition and omen all use this morpheme to indicate the realization of an imminent event.
The prefixes “en-“, “em-” and “el-” have become part of the English vocabulary through Greek. Each generally means “in” or “in”, but they may also use similar definitions of “in”, “near” or “at”. Examples of these prefixes in action include embark and entombment. When people embark, get on a boat or go on a journey, and when a dead body is buried, it is placed in a grave.
Not all English vocabulary items are prefixes. Some, such as “bow”, are root words, to which other morphemes may be associated. “Arc” is both a Latin and a Greek element, with a different definition in each. As a Latin root, it means arch or curved structure and can be seen in words like bow and archery.
“Bow” also has a Greek definition as primary, chief, and first in importance or tense, and this Greek usage is much more common in English than in Latin. For example, anarchy is the state of government where there is no ruler. Archeology is the study of ancient things, which were first in time.
“Ped” is another English vocabulary item with separate definitions in Latin and Greek. As a Latin root, “ped” refers to the feet. Bipeds, like humans, have two feet, and quadrupeds, like horses, have four. When people ride bicycles or drive a car, their feet push the pedals.
In Greek, “ped” refers to children. Thus, a pedagogue is a leader of children, or a teacher, and a pediatric doctor treats children’s diseases. Nor would it likely be a pedophobia, which is someone who is afraid of children.
While some words can be broken down into morphemes to derive meaning from them, this method doesn’t work for all words. For example, a butterfly is not a flying stick of butter and a shoehorn is not a horn in the shape of a shoe. Using affixes to derive partial meaning is entirely acceptable and correct most of the time.
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