学习词根--Unit 8.6 总结篇

上次的答案:

1. g   2. f   3. e   4. d   5. a   6. h   7. b   8. c


PORT comes from the Latin verb portare, meaning "to carry." Thus, something portable can be carried around. A porter carries your luggage, whether through a train station or high into the Himalayas. When we transport something, we have it carried from one place to another. And goods for export are carried away to another country.

portage. The carrying of boats or goods overland from one body of water to another; also, a regular route for such carrying.

portfolio. (1) A flat case for carrying documents or artworks. (2) The investments owned by a person or organization.

comport. (1) To be in agreement with. (2) To behave.

deportment. Manner of conducting oneself socially.


PEND comes from the Latin verb pendere, meaning "to hang" or "to weigh." (In the Roman era, weighing something large often required hanging it from a hook on one side of the balance scales.) We find the root in English words like appendix, referring to that useless and sometimes troublesome tube that hangs from the intestine, or that section at the back of some books that might contain some useful additional information.

pendant. Something that hangs down, especially as an ornament.

append. To add as something extra.

appendage. (1) Something joined on to a larger or more important body or thing. (2) A secondary body part, such as an arm or a leg.

suspend. (1) To stop something, or to force someone to give up some right or position, for a limited time. (2) To hang something so that it is free on all sides.



PAN comes from Greek word meaning "all"; as an English prefix, it can also mean "completely," "whole," or "general." A panoramic view is a complete view in every direction. A pantheon is a temple dedicated to all the gods of a religion. A pandemic outbreak of a disease may not affect the entire human population, but enough to produce a catastrophe.

panacea. A remedy for all ills or difficulties; cure-all.

pandemonium. A wild uproar or commotion.

pantheism. A system of belief that regards God as identical with the forces and laws of the universe.

panoply. (1) A magnificent or impressive array. (2) A display of all appropriate accessory items.


EXTRA is Latin for "out side" or "beyond." So anything extraterrestrial or extragalactic takes place beyond the earth or the galaxy. Something extravagant, such as an extravaganza, goes way beyond the normal. And extra is naturally a word itself, a shortening of extraordinary, "beyond the ordinary."

extradite. To deliver an accused criminal from one place to another where the trial will be held.

extrapolate. To extend or project facts or data into an area not known in order to make assumptions or to predict facts or trends.

extrovert. A person mainly concerned with things outside him- or herself; a sociable and outgoing person.

extraneous. (1) Existing or coming from the outside. (2) Not forming an essential part; irrelevant.



PHOT comes from the Greek word for "light." Photography uses light to create an image on film or paper, and a photocopy is an image made by using light and tiny electrically charged ink particles.

photoelectric. Involving an electrical effect produced by the action of light or other radiation.

photovoltaic. Involving the direct generation of electricity when sunlight or other radiant energy falls on the boundary between dissimilar substances. (such as two different semiconductors).

photon. A tiny particle or bundle of radiant energy.

photosynthesis. The process by which green plants use light to produce organic matter from carbon dioxide and water.


LUC comes from the Latin noun lux, "light," and the verb lucere, "to shine or glitter." In ancient Rome, Lucifer, meaing "Light-bearer," was the name given to the morning star, but the name was eventually transferred by Christians to Satan. This tradition, which dates back to the period before Christ, said that Lucifer had once been among the angels but had wanted to be the great light in the sky, and for his pride had been cast out of heaven and thus became the opponent of everything good.

lucid. (1) Very clear and easy to understand. (2) Able to think clearly.

elucidate. To clarify by explaining; explain.

lucubration. (1) Hard and difficult study. (2) The product of such study.

translucent. Partly transparent; allowing light to pass through without permitting objects beyond to be seen clearly.



MOR/MORT comes from Latin words meaning "to die" and "death." A mortuary is a place where dead bodies are kept until burial, and a postmortem examination is one conducted on a recently death body. The Latin phrase "Memento mori" means "Remember that you must die"; so a memento mori is the name we give to a reminder of death; the skulls you can find carved on gravestones in old cemeteries are examples.

mortality. (1) The quality or state of being alive and therefore certain to die. (2) The number of deaths that occur in a particular time or place.

moribund. (1) In the process of dying or approaching death. (2) Inactive or becoming outmoded.

amortize. To pay off (something such as a mortgage) by making small payments over a period of time.

mortify. (1) To subdue or deaden (the body) especially by self-discipline or self-inflicted pain. (2) To embarrass greatly.


TROPH comes from the Greek trophe, meaning "nourishment." This particular troph- root doesn't show up in many everyday English word (the troph- in words like trophy, apostrophe, and catastrophe has a different meaning), but instead tends to appear in scientific terms.

atrophy. (1) Gradual loss of muscle or flesh, usually because of disease or lack of use. (2) A decline or degeneration.

hypertrophy. (1) Excessive development of an organ or part. (2) Exaggerated growth or complexity.

dystrophy. Any of several disorders involving the nerves and muscles, especially muscular dystrophy.

eutrophication. The process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients.



aeolian harp. A box-shaped instrument with strings that produce musical sounds when the wind blows on them.

cynosure. (1) A guide. (2) A center of attention.

laconic. Using extremely few words.

mnemonic. Having to do with the memory; assisting the memory.

platonic. (1) Relating to the philosopher Plato or his teachings. (2) Involving a close relationship from which romance and sex are absent.

sapphic. (1) Lesbian. (2) Relating to a poetic verse pattern associated with Sappho.

Socratic. Having to do with the philosopher Socrates or with his teaching method, in which he systematically questioned the student in conversation in order to draw forth truths.

solecism. (1) A grammatical mistake in speaking or writing. (2) A blunder in etiquette or proper behavior.


Review Quizzes:

A. Fill in each blank with the correct letter.

a. elucidate   b. appendage   c. solecism   d. pantheism   e. comport 

f. laconic   g. moribund   h. deportment   i. mortality   j. atrophy

1. After spending four years at home, she's afraid her professional skills have begun to _________.

2. Her impressive resume doesn't ______ well with her ignorance of some basic facts about the business.

3. He can't go to a cocktail party without committing at least one _______ and offending a couple of people.

4. Like most farmers, he's fairly _______, but when he says something it's usually worth listening to.

5. For kids their age they have excellent manners, and everyone admires their ______ around adults.

6. It was a large beetle with an odd ________ coming off the top of its head.

7. The book's introduction helps ______ how the reader can make the best use of it.

8. _______ has been a common element in religious belief in the West over many centuries.

9. The newspaper has suffered declines in both advertisements and readership over the last few years and is clearly _____.

10. The ________ rates from these kinds of cancer have been going down as new treatments have been adopted.

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