Greek and Latin Roots

Greek and Latin Roots UNIT TWO

STA, STI From the Latin ‘stare’ and ‘stantum’ stand or stay

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’ stanch Verb; to stop the flow of Desperate to stanch the blood seeping from the wound, the doctor decided to put a tourniquet on the patient’s arm.

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’ staunch adjective; firm and steadfast; true Though the reverend was a staunch believer in predestination, his faith was tested by horrible events. Synonym: strong antonym: fickle, wavering

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’ extant adjective; still in existence; not destroyed Scientists continue to search through the remains of the museum in the hopes that they will discover some extant works of art. Synonym: existing antonym: extinct

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’ restive adjective; resisting authority; difficult to control Police feared the townspeople would grow restive under the strict curfew and begin to engage in acts of civil disorder. synonym: contrary antonym: compliant

POS From the Latin ‘ponere’ and ‘positum’ To put or place

‘pos’ – to put or place apropos preposition; with regard to Apropos of Jim’s speech on nuclear energy, Dawn mentioned that a new power plant would be built in the neighboring town. synonym: proper antonym: inappropriate

‘pos’ – to put or place depose verb; to remove from office or power The Russian rule of Czar Nicholas came to an end when the Czar and other members of the royal family were deposed and murdered by rebel forces.

STAS, STAT From the Greek ‘statos’ standing

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing static adjective; having no motion or change Critics found the composer’s latest work static, boring, and lacking in emotional development. synonym: still antonym: dynamic

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing ecstasy noun; intense joy or delight The ecstasy Bob felt after watching the Red Sox win the World Series was matched only by the joy of the Yankees not winning. synonym: joy antonym: misery

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing stasis noun; condition in which there is no change Scientists find it difficult to accurately predict climate patterns because the environment is not in stasis, but constantly changing. synonym: balance

ENT, ESS From the Latin ‘esse’ to be

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be entity noun; an existence; a being For tax purposes, a married couple may be considered either two people or a single entity.

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be essence noun; the most important ingredient; the crucial element After months of preparation, the lawyers finally began to discuss the essence of the case. synonym: crux

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be quintessential adjective; important The goalie declared that the Blackhawk’s victory in the last second of the final game was his quintessential sports triumph. synonym: essential antonym: unnecessary

A group of local citizens has drafted a petition to depose the governor on the grounds that… • Peter was such a staunch supporter of his local football team that….. • Because the manuscripts are the only extant writings from the time of the town’s founding, we can assume… • Nate began to grow restive when his parents….. • The rainforest went into stasis as a result of…….. • Trying to stanch the number of immigrants coming into the country, the government…..

The fresh roses seemed the quintessential expression of love because…… • The ecstasy that the spelling bee contestant felt was the result of….. • The news anchor mentioned a recent bank robbery apropos of…. • The business group was not a legal entity because….. • The essence of the manufacturer’s speech against taxes on trade was…. • Feeling that his existence had become rather static, Jay decided to…..

Greek and Latin Roots