Vocabulary unit 13

1. Vocabulary unit 13 Stems/Roots, Definitions, and Association Words

2. Chromo (color) som (body) • Chromosome: the part of a cell that contains the genes which control how an animal or plant grows and what it becomes • Chromosomes influence the color of hair, eyes, and skin in all animals.

3. Glyc (sweet) ose (sugar) • Glycose: any of various monosaccharides; an older word for glucose • The girl had to monitor her glucose levels daily because she had low blood sugar levels.

4. Form (shape) • Formulaic: a plan or method for doing, making, or achieving something • Ms. Chapman tries to rid students of their need to write formulaic essays.

5. Para (beside or near) sequ (follow) • Parasequential: out of sequence • The way the doctor’s office called patients was parasequentialbecause I was there first and went to the see the doctor last.

6. Hema (blood) Oma (Tumor) • Hematoma: a mass of usually clotted blood that forms in a tissue, organ, or body space as a result of a broken blood vessel • Jose had a hematoma on his leg after having a bad car accident.

7. ultima(last) • Ultimatum: a final threat : a promise that force or punishment will be used if someone does not do what is wanted • Jackie’s parents were tired of her being late, so they gave her an ultimatum: come home on time or lose your car.

8. Cata (down) Lys (break) • Catalyst: a substance that causes a chemical reaction to happen more quickly; a person or event that quickly causes change or action • BarackObama and Hilary Clinton both promised to be catalysts for change.

9. Meso (middle) Pot (drink) • Mesopotamia: region SW Asia between the Tigris & the Euphrates extending from the mountains of E Asia Minor to the Persian Gulf • Mesopotamia was the land between two rivers.

10. Mill (thousand) • Millionaire: a rich person who has at least a million dollars, pounds, etc. • For the millionaire, a thousand dollars was just pocket change.

11. Mem (memory) • Memorable: very good or interesting and worth remembering • The first day of school was always a memorable event.

12. Di (two) Gress (Step) • Digress: to speak or write about something that is different from the main subject being discussed • The conversation digressed when Katie asked Brian about Tuesday’s soccer game.

13. Labor (work) Less (without) • Laborless: without productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain • Susan dreaded leaving her laborless summer cottage and coming back to school after the summer.

14. Myo (muscle) Opia (sight) • Myopia: a condition of the eye that makes it difficult to see objects that are far away • Lauren wears glasses because she has myopia and cannot see the board during class.

15. Vac (empty) • Vacuous: having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought : lacking meaning, importance, or substance • When Chris didn’t know the answer, he gave the teacher a vacuous stare.

16. Oligo (few or small) • Oligarchy: a country, business, etc., that is controlled by a small group of people • Many people argue that the United States is actually an oligarchy.

17. Histo (tissue) path (disease) • Histopathology: a branch of pathology concerned with the tissue changes characteristic of disease • Monica’s doctor removed a mole and completed a histopathology to determine if it was cancerous.

18. Macro (large) Phag (eat) • Macrophage: a phagocytic tissue cell of the immune system that may be fixed or freely motile, is derived from a monocyte, functions in the destruction of foreign antigens (as bacteria and viruses), and serves as an antigen-presenting cell — compare • Our macrophage keeps infections out of our blood streams, thus keeping us healthy.

19. Pleo (more) Pod (foot) • Pleopod: an abdominal limb of a crustacean • The pleopod helped the sea creature move quickly across the sea floor.