字根講義001

atheism, atheist, apathy, sympathy, theology, biology, modernism, Buddhism,  Buddhist

atheism 無神論     a-「沒有」-the- 「神」 -ism「思想或主義」

Some people believe in atheism; they don’t think God exists.

atheist無神論者    -ist 「信仰某種思想或主義的人」

The atheist was unwilling to attend the church service.

apathy 無感情 .  -pathy 「感情」

My parents do not feel apathy about the election.

sympathy 同情心 .  sym- 「相同的」

The documentary aroused public sympathy for victims of the disaster.

theology 神學   -logy 「研究」

According to Muslim theology there is only one God.

biology 生物學   bio- 「生命」

She has a degree in biology.

modernism 現代主義

In art history, modernism refers to the philosophies of art made in Europe and the United States during a period roughly from the 1860s through the 1970s.

Buddhism 佛教 .   Buddha 佛陀

Who is the founder of Buddhism? 

Buddhist 佛教徒

A Buddhist is the one who follows the teachings of Buddha .

字根講義002

antipathy, antibiotic, antiwar, symphony, symbiosis, phonetic, phonology, microphone, microbiology, microwave

antipathy n.反感 anti- 反 -pathy 感情 

He felt a strong antipathy towards them.

antibiotic adj. 抗菌的 n. 抗生素, 抗菌素 -bio- 生命 

The doctors use a course of antibiotics to clear an infection.

antiwar adj. 反戰的

A peace-loving people is antiwar.

symphony n. 交響樂 sym- 相同的 -phone 聲音 

My little brother had joined a symphony orchestra.

symbiosis n. 共生,合作(互利、 互依)關係 

The bird lives in symbiosis with cattle; it picks insects from their skin to eat.

phonetic adj. 語音的 

People can pronounce a word by following its phonetic symbols.

phonology n. 語韻學 -logy 研究

In order to become an English teacher, he studies phonology at college.

microphone n. 麥克風 micro- 小的 

He is talking into a microphone.

microbiology n. 微生物學 

Microbiology is an important course for a medical student.

microwave n. 微波;微波爐 

Using microwaves to cook is very convenient, but not very healthy.

字根講義005

psychology, psychologist, psychic, psycho, psychotherapy, chemotherapy, zoology, astrology, astronaut, astronomy.

psychology n. 心理學  psych 心

He has obtained a degreed in psychology.

psychologist n. 心理學家

He fancies himself a bit of a psychologist.

psychic n. 靈媒；通靈人adj. 通靈的；有特異功能的

She is said to have psychic power.

psycho n. 變態；精神病患者

A:  “ The guy is often saying that he used to be a commander-in-chief.”

B:  “Psycho! He has been in the cuckoo house more than a score years.”

psychotherapy n. 心理治療法；精神療法  therapy 治療

Some doctors suggest that the treatment of psychiatric patients should involve psychotherapy rather than drugs.

chemotherapy n. 化學療法 chemo- 化學

Most doctors use chemotherapy to treat and control certain diseases.

zoology n. 動物學

Zoology is the scientific study of the different kinds of animals, and of where and how they live.

astrology n. 占星術；占星學 astr- 星

He loves to look at the stars. Astrology is his particular hobby. 

astronaut n. 太空人 -naut 航行者

An astronaut is a person who travels in spaceship. 

astronomy n. 天文學 -nomy 有系統的知識

Astronomy is the scientific study of the sun, moon, stars, etc.

字根講義006

synonym, acronym, anonymous, pseudonym, antonym, Antarctica, antiseptic, epigraph, epidemic, epicenter

synonym n. 同義字[詞] .  syn (or sym) 相同的 –onym 名

“Sad” and “unhappy” are synonyms.

acronym n.首字母縮略字 . acro- 開始  

Acronym means a word formed from the initial letters of a name, such as OPEC from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

anonymous adj. 不具名的；匿名的 .  a(n)- 沒有

The police chief sometimes gets anonymous phone calls.

pseudonym n. 假名；筆名 .  pseudo- 假的

He wrote under a pseudonym.

antonym n. 反義字[詞] .  ant- (anti-) 相反

“Pain” is the antonym of “pleasure”.

Antarctica n. 南極洲 .  Arctic 北極

Antarctica is characterized by extremely low temperatures. 

antiseptic adj. 防腐的、無菌的 n. 防腐劑 .  septic 腐化的

The technician had on an antiseptic white jacket.

epigraph n. 碑文；題詞 .  epi- 在…之上

Wait here while I get a closer look at the epigraph on that statue.

epidemic n. 流行病；傳染病 adj. 流行性的；傳染性的

epi- 在…之中 dem- 人民 (eg. democracy) 

There has been a cholera epidemic in the city.

epicenter n. 震央；中心

The weather bureau said that the epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake was 200 kilometers southeast of Hualian.

字根講義009

subtitle, subscirbe, script, scripture, describe, transcribe, prescription, postscript, manuscript, circumscribe

subtitle  n.字幕；對白；副標題 sub 在…之下；次   title 標題

This is a French film with English subtitles.

subscribe  v.訂閱；簽署 scribe 寫

I subscribe to one newspaper and two magazines. 

script  n.劇本

The comedian often improvises, using the script only as a reference.

scripture  n.經文

When he needs divine guidance, he turns to a random page of the Bible and follows the scripture.

describe  v.描寫 de- 下 

Because of the transience and changeability of human life, we often describe it as a dream. 

transcribe  v.抄寫；騰寫；改寫 trans- across      transcript 講記

The piano piece was transcribed into a symphony. 

prescription  n.處方；藥方；指示；規定 pre- before 

A doctor writes out a prescription, and the pharmacist fills it.

postscript  n. (信末的)附筆,又及(略作P.S.) post- after 

She added a postscript to her letter.

manuscript  n.手稿 manu 手 manual 

Bill Gates paid several million dollars for a collection of Da Vinci’s manuscripts.

circumscribe  v.限制；在周圍畫線；下定義  circum- around

The rules of the private school circumscribed the daily activities of the students. 

字根講義010

transport, transfer, transform, portable, export, import, predict, prevent, dictator, dictation

transport (v.) 傳送;運輸 trans- across      port- carry

Each week the farmers transport their produce to the markets in the city. 

transfer (n.) (v.)轉移;調動；換車 fer- carry

He has transferred from the warehouse to the QC (Quality Control) department. 

transform (v.) 轉變 form- 形狀

After going on a strict diet, Mary was transformed into a true beauty.

portable (adj.) 可攜帶的

I bought my son a portable computer. 

export (v.) 出口；外銷 ex- out

Taiwan has an export-oriented economy. 

import (v.) 進口 im- in

Taiwan imports most of the crude oil it needs. 

predict (v.) 預言；預測 pre- before    dict- 說

A prophet predicted that there would be an earthquake next year. 

prevent (v.) 禁止；防止 vent- come

Most parents prevent their minor children from smoking. 

dictator (n.) 獨裁者

“Big Brother” is the title of the dictator in George Orwell’s 1984.

dictation (n.) 聽寫

The English teacher gave her students a dictation to test their listening comprehension.

字根講義013

transfuse, transfusion, diffuse, suffuse, transmit, emit, intermittent, permit, submit, submerge

transfuse (v.)輸血；注射；灌輸

trans- across  fuse- pour

The doctor decided to the transfuse the patient after he lost a lot of blood.

transfusion (n.)輸血-ion 名詞字尾

Blood transfusion can be lifesaving therapy for patients with a variety of medical and surgical conditions.

diffuse (v.) 使(熱、氣味等)四散,擴散(氣體等);使滲出；傳播；擴散

di- apart

The ink diffuses into the paper.

suffuse (v.)遍佈…；充滿  sub = suf- under

The light of the setting sun suffused the clouds.

transmit (v.)直播；傳播；傳染 . mit- send 

The World Cup will be transmitted live via satellite.

emit (v.)散發 . e- out

Nearly everything can emit smell, heat, light, or sound. 

intermittent (a.)間歇的；時斷時續的；週期性的

inter- between  -ent 形容詞字尾

There will be intermittent showers throughout the day. 

permit (v.)允許；准許；容許 . per- through

These stores do not permit sales of alcoholic beverages. 

submit (v.)提交；呈遞；使服從；使屈服

He submitted his proposal for urban development to the city council. 

submerge (v.)淹沒；把…浸入水中；覆蓋 . merge- dip 

The sewers were completely blocked, so the entire city was submerged by the ensuing flood.

字根講義014

monologue, monopoly, monotheism, monotony, intonation, monocracy, monogamy, bigamy, polygamy, polygamist

monologue (n.)獨白 . mono- alone  log- speak

The comedian delivered a hilarious monologue to the audience. 

monopoly (n.)壟斷；專賣 . -poly sell

The government holds a monopoly on the sale of tobacco and wine. 

monotheism (n.)一神論；一神教 . the- god  -ism belief

Christianity is monotheism.

monotony (n.)單調；無變化；千篇一律 . tony- tone

Many retired people do voluntary work to relieve the monotony of everyday life.

intonation (n.)音調；語調 . -tion suffix 

Questions are spoken with a rising intonation. 

monocracy (n.)獨裁政治 . cracy- rule

A country ruled by only one person is a monocracy. 

monogamy (n.)一夫一妻制   gam- marriage

Monogamy is practiced in most countries today. 

bigamy (n.)重婚  bi- two

Bigamy is against the law in our country.

polygamy (n.)一夫多妻制 . poly- many

The American Mormons used to practice polygamy.

polygamist (n.)一夫多妻論者；一妻多夫論者-ist suffix

Some people think being a polygamist is a blessing. 

字根講義017

secede, seclude, seclusion, secrete, seduce, segregate, select, separate, sever, include, exclude

secede (v.)脫離   se- apart, away  cede- go

The South seceded from the Union upon Lincoln’s election to the presidency. 

seclude(v.)使孤立；使隔離；使隱居  clude- shut

The rich secluded themselves from contact with the poor. 

seclusion (n.)隔絕；隱居；隱蔽的地方；僻靜之地  -sion 名詞字尾 suffix

He now lives in seclusion. 

secrete (v.) 1. 隱藏,藏匿 2. 【生理】分泌   crete- separate

Tears are secreted by an organ under the upper eyelid. 

seduce (v.)引誘;誘使墮落(或犯罪)  duce- lead

He was seduced into leaving the company by the offer of higher pay elsewhere.

segregate (v.)隔離；在...實行種族隔離  gre- flock  -ate 動詞字尾

American Blacks used to be segregated from whites in school. 

select (v.)選擇  lect- choose

It’s hard for me to select the right person for this position. 

separate (v.)分離 (a.)分別的;分隔的

The Atlantic Ocean separates America from Europe. Pacific 

sever (v.) 切斷

His arm was severed from the body in the accident. 

include (v.)包括；包含

The price includes both house and furniture. 

exclude (v.)把...排除在外;不包括

People under 18 are excluded from entering pubs.

字根講義018

precede, recede, precedent, unprecedented, retrocede, retrocession, retrospect, election, intellect, intellectual

precede (v.)在前；居先  pre- before  cede-go

The flash of lightning preceded the sound of thunder by two seconds. 

recede (v.)後退；退出  re- back

His hair has receded since I last saw him.

precedent (n.)先例

The September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center set a horrible precedent. 

unprecedented (a.)史無前例的

Under a booming economy, the Dow Jones industrial index is heading for unprecedented highs. 

retrocede (v.)交還  retro- backwards

The British colony of Hong Kong is retroceded to China in 1997.

retrocession (n.)交還；後退  -sion 名詞字尾

After retrocession, Taiwan's economy grew with unprecedented speed and the people's standard of living, compared with that during the colonial period, changed enormously for the better.

retrospect (n.)(v.) 回顧,回想;追溯  spect- look

My school life seems happier in retrospect than it seemed at the time.

election (n.)選舉  lect- choose

After he lost the election, David lived a secluded life. 

intellect (n.) 智力;理解力;非凡的才智;才華出眾的人  

intel = inter- between

He is a man of great intellect. 

intellectual (a.) 智力的;理智的;需智力的 (n.) 知識分子;有很高智力的人

Chess is a highly intellectual game. 

字根講義021

accord, according, core, cordial, record, corps, corpse, corporal, corporation, incorporate

accord (v.)一致；相同 (n.)一致；符合

His actions accord with his words.

according (adv.)按照；根據

The salary will be fixed according to age and experience.

core(n.)核心；果心；果核(v.)去掉核心

Peel and core the apples.

cordial (n.)熱誠的；衷心的

A cordial smile or a cordial welcome makes all the visitors feel at home.

record (v.)記錄；錄音 (n.)唱片；紀錄

The pupils observed and recorded the growing process of caterpillars during the summer vacation.

corps (n.) (醫務,通訊,等兵種的)部隊;(經專門訓練或有特種使命的)隊;兵團

My brother once severed in the marine corps. 

corpse (n.)屍體

The soldiers are burying the corpse. 

corporal (a.)身體的

In Taiwan, corporal punishment used to be very common in all level of school. 

corporation (n.)公司

I run a multinational corporation. 

incorporate (v.)合併；納入；組成公司；混合

The designer incorporated many environmentally- friendly features into the new building. 

字根講義022

circumstance, circumspect, circumnavigate, circumvent, circumlocution, forearm, forebear, forefinger, foreman, foresee, forehead 

circumstance (n.)環境;情況  circum- around  stan- stand

Under extreme circumstances, some animals can survive for over a week on nothing but water.

circumspect (a.)謹慎的 . spect- look

I am surprised he got married in such a hurry because he is usually pretty circumspect. 

circumnavigate (n.)環繞一周 . navigate- sail

Magellan led the first ship that circumnavigated the globe.

circumvent (v.)繞過;巧妙地規避 . vent- come

The company opened an office abroad in order to circumvent the tax laws.

circumlocution (n.)囉唆;閃爍其詞;遁辭 . locu- speak

There is a heavy dose of circumlocution in the writing.

forearm (n.)前臂   fore- before

He had a tattoo on his forearm.

forebear (n.)祖先(常用複數) . bear- give birth to 

Our forebears left us with many charming folk tales.

forefinger (n.)食指

She pointed out the route on the map with her forefinger.

foreman (n.)工頭;領班;陪審團主席

The foreman swore at one of the workers. Swear 

foresee (v.)預見;預知

Nobody could have foreseen the result of the election.

forehead (n.)額頭

He has a broad and wrinkled forehead.