Lesson 2A
The Other
Key words
Alter
Latin – “other”
1. Altercation
Latin – altercari –
“to have difference
with another”
Noun
Definition: A noisy quarrel
Sentence: In the British Parliament of the 1880s altercations over Home Rule for Ireland
arose frequently between the prime minister William Gladstone and the Irish member Charles Parnell.
2. Altruism
Adjective: Altruistic
Sentence: The economist Barbara Ward asserts that both individuals and governments prosper
when sagacious (wise) altruism governs their cooperation.
Noun
Concern for the welfare of others; unselfishness.
Familiar Words
Challenge words
epi
Greek: “on,” “toward”
3. Ephemeral
Epi + hemera – Greek – day
Adjective
Definition: Lasting for a very short time (literally, for one day); transitory; not everlasting.
Sentence: The experiment in harmonious community living begun in 1841 on Brook Farm proved
to be ephemeral, lasting only until 1847 despite the hopes of its members to share intellectual stimulation and manual labor.
4. Epitaph
Epi + taphos – Greek – tomb
Noun
Definition: An inscription on a tombstone in memory of the person buried there; a brief
(literary) summary of a dead person’s life.
4. Epitaph
Sentence: Jane Austen’s epitaph
in Winchester Cathedral attests to “the
benevolence of her heart.”
5. Epitome
Epi + Greek – temnein – “to cut”
Noun
Definition: A typical representation of something; a person who embodies a quality.
5. Eponymous
Epi + Greek onym – “name”
Adj
Definition: Refers to the name a of a person, a mythical being, or a literary figure associated
with something, or to a word incorporating the name of such a person.
Sentence
An arbiter of fashion in the court of Louis XV the eponymous Marquise de Pompadour wore
her hair upswept from the forehead in the style that became known as the pompadour.
Nota Bene
Although epicurean begins with epi, its source is the eponymous Greek philosopher Epicurus,
who is sometimes interpreted as endorsing self-indulgence: an epicure is someone of refined taste in food and drink. However,
Epicurus believed that happiness comes from moderation. He advocated rational thought and self-control as a means of heightening
pleasure and avoiding pain.
Familiar words (look up any you don’t already know)
Challenge words
Lesson
2B
Beside
Para
Greek
– “beside”
7.
Paradigm
Para +
Greek – deiknunai – “to show”
Noun
Definition:
an example serving to illustrate a process, pattern, or concept
8.
Paradox
Para +
Greek – doxa = opinion; judgment
Noun
A statement
that seems contradictory but contains a truth or valid deduction
Sentence:
“There is that glorious epicurean paradox…”Give us the luxuries of life, and we will dispense with its necessaries.”
--Oliver
Wendell Holmes
9.
Paragon
Para +
Greek – akonan - “to sharpen”
Noun
Definition:
A model of excellence or perfection
Sentence: Aspasia became known in Athens as a paragon of oratory, inspiring Plato, socrates, and Pericles
with her eloquence and skill in composing speeches.
Nota bene
The definitions
of epitome, paradigm, and paragon overlap somewhat. Note that an epitome is a general
representation of something, not necessarily good or admirable. One person may be the epitome of courage and another
the epitome of cowardice; a room may be the epitome of tastelessness or of classical grandeur.
A paradigm
provides a basic form of something whose process, pattern, or concept can serve as a model, as in automobile assembly, the
conjugation of verbs, or the working of an algebra problem.
A paragon,
usually a person, is someone outstanding for some personal quality or remarkable achievement.
10.
Parameter
Para +
Greek – metron = “to measure”
Noun
Definition:
# 1 In mathematics, a constant that has variable values and is used to determine other variables.
Sentence:
If a gorilla were scaled up to the size of King Kong, the parameters of the volume and cross-sectional area show that the
creature would collapse under its own weight.
10. Parameter
Definition
#2: A factor that determines a range of variations: a boundary
Sentence
#2: One of the functions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is to set parameters for the workplace, such
as humane schedules and physical safeguards.
Familiar
Words
More Familiar
words
Challenge
words
Lesson 2C
Around; Put
PERI
Greek: “around”
11.Peripatetic
Patein
– Greek –
To
walk
Definition:
Walking or traveling about
Sentence:
At age nineteen the English author Laurie Lee made a peripatetic journey across Spain, walking from village to village and
playing his violin in cafes for meals and lodging.
12. Peripheral
Greek
– pherein – to carry
Definition
1: Pertaining to the boundary of an area
Sentence
#1: When the Romans invaded Britain, they built camps whose peripheral walls still surround central sections of many English
cities.
12. Peripheral
Nota
Bene
A
test of peripheral vision determines the capacity of the eye when focused directly ahead to see objects on the perimeter
of the field, out of the corner of the eye.
Familiar
words
challenge
words
tithenai
Greek: “to put”
13. Anathema:
Greek
– Ana – “up”
Noun
Definition
#1: A person or thing detested and shunned.
13. Anathema
Definition
#2
A
curse, especially a formal church ban or excommunication.
Sentence
#2
Pope
Leo X in 1520 proclaimed an anathema against Martin Luther for his attack on the sale of indulgences, a practice the Pope
himself had encouraged.
Familiar
words:
Challenge
words
14. Antithesis
Anti
– Greek – “opposite;” “against”
Noun
Definition
#1: An exact opposite; a complete contrast
Sentence
#1: Ella Fitzgerald’s sinuous vocal improvisations are the antithesis of the thunderous drive of rock music although
the term popular music can refer to both.
Antithesis
Examples
Ella
Fitzgerald
Coldplay
14. Antithesis
Definition
#2
A
rhetorical form juxtaposing contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure.
Sentence
#2
Minna
Antrim juxtaposes two kinds of knowledge to create antithesis: “to know one’s self is wisdom, but to know one’s
neighbor is genius.”
NOTA
BENE
History
students become familiar with another meaning of antithesis. Karl Marx borrowed from Friedrich Hegel a theory of the historical
process having three stages: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Envisioning
a classless society, Marx perceived economic modes of production as the concern of the first stage, or thesis; internal tensions
and disagreements would follow as the second stage, or antithesis, and the resolution of differences would bring the third
stage or synthesis, the completion of the cycle and the realization of the perfect socialist state.
15. epithet
Epi
– Greek – “onward”
Noun
Definition: A word or phrase used positively or negatively that characterizes or describes a person
or thing, added to or replacing a name.
Sentence:
The repetition of epithets in The Odyssey such as “rosy-fingered dawn” and “grey-eyed Athena”
served as a mnemonic for the minstrel as well as for the listener.
