Word Elements
Monmouth College
List of Important Terms

Be prepared to DEFINE or IDENTIFY each of the following terms (based on the Latin half of Ayer's Latin and Greek Elements). Where appropriate, give a linguistic example.

For a copy of this list with definitions added click here.

 

Introduction:
INDO-EUROPEAN
TEUTONIC
CELTIC
COGNATE LANGUAGES
SANSKRIT
SIR WILLIAM JONES
OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD
INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH PERIOD
NORMAN CONQUEST
ALFRED THE GREAT
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
BAYEUX TAPESTRY
GOEFFREY CHAUCER
SIR WILLIAM CAXTON


Lesson I:
OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
MORPHOLOGY
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE
PHONETICS
PHONETIC CHANGE
SEMANTICS
SEMANTIC CHANGE
ETYMOLOGY
GRAMMATICAL INFORMATION
DEFINITION
USAGE OR SPECIAL LABEL
SYNONYM
IDIOM OR IDIOMATIC USE
PRESCRIPTIVIST
DESCRIPTIVIST


Lesson II:
BASE
DERIVATIVE

Lesson III:
PREFIX
"INTENSIVE" PREFIXES
EUPHONY
ASSIMILATION


Lesson IV:
ACRONYM
ABBREVIATION


Lesson V:
BACK FORMATION
APHERESIS
APHESIS
ANTONYM


Lesson VI:
CONNECTING VOWEL
COMPOUND WORD


Lesson VII:
HYBRID


Lesson VIII:
SUFFIX
ELISION
INDEPENDENT TWIN

Lesson IX:
WORD ANALYSIS
ETYMOLOGICAL DEFINITION

Lesson X:
DISSIMILATION

Lesson XI:
SEMANTIC CHANGE
SIMILITUDE
MODULATION
METAPHORIC CHANGE
RADIATION

 

Lesson XII:
SPECIALIZATION OF MEANING
GENERALIZATION OF MEANING


Lesson XIII:
FUNCTIONAL CHANGE


Lesson XIV:
DEGENERATION OF MEANING
ELEVATION OF MEANING


Lesson XV:
CHANGE FROM ABSTRACT TO CONCRETE


Lesson XVI:
WEAKENING
HYPERBOLE


Lesson XVII:
CHANGE OF MEANING DUE TO CHANGING CONCEPTS
DIMINUTIVE SUFFIX


Lesson XVIII:
EUPHEMISM
TABOO DEFORMATION
CIRCUMLOCUTION


Lesson XIX:
FOLK ETYMOLOGY


Lesson XX:
CLIPPED WORD


Lesson XXI:
BLEND


Lesson XXII:
DOUBLET


Lesson XXIII:
LATINISM

Lesson XXIV:
METATHESIS


Lesson XXV:
LOAN WORD

This material was placed on the web by Professor Tom Sienkewicz for his students at Monmouth College Monmouth, Illinois. If you have any questions, you can contact him at toms@monm.edu.

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