These are the vocabulary words for January. In this term we will study more of the etymology of the words and how they can be used to see patterns in words.

Grade 8 words have been included by request.

Download the PDF here

... it's really quite nice

 

Some of these words may not be found in your personal dictionary. Try these resources if you wish to find the words online:

<http://dictionary.reference.com/>

<www.oed.com>

<www.merriam-webster.com>

<dictionary.cambridge.org>

<http://wordinfo.info/>

<http://www.wordfocus.com/>

Grade Seven Words

Week 1

 circumnavigation, intransigent, intrepid, foment, fortuitous, aphorism, aplomb, maudlin, thermophile, ectothermic

Week 2

 circumagitate, specious, soporific, divulge, somnambulist, distraught, dissuade, dissonance, thermogeography, isolation
Week 3 apparition, precluded, derogatory, hamlet, loquacious, circuitous, endothermic, thermobiology, peninsula, destitution,
Week 4 inscrutable, insidious, interim, commensurate, flout, doleful, homogeneous, writhe, zenith, despicable

Grade Eight Words
Week 1
aptitude, scrutinize, superficial, coalesce, robust, obfuscate, mundane, harbinger, circumspect, approbation


Here are some Greek cognates:

  • therm - pertaining to heat
  • hypo - pertaining to heat
  • hyper - pertaining to heat
  • geo - of the earth
  • hydro - of the water
  • esthesia - sensitivity
  • topo - of the surface

    Here are 3 challenge words for this week. Using the root words, can you define these words?

    topothermesthesiometer
    hypothermesthesia
    hyperthermoesthesia
    This week's words contain root elements that come from the Greek language. By undestanding the root, you can decipher the whole word. Because this is repetitive, and the roots are common, there are more words.
Week 2
hydrogeology, hydroelectric, geopolitics, ectothermic, homeotherm, geoponics, thermometer, thermonuclear, thermotoxin, thermodynamics, geography, geosynchronous, hypodermic, hyperacute, hypersensitive
 

Here are some Latin cognates:

  • circum - around
  • gyro - to turn
  • salt, sali - to leap

This week's words contain root elements that come from the Latin language. By undestanding the root, you can decipher the whole word. Because this is repetitive, and the roots are common, there are connections to many other words.

Here are some links for you to find some of the more difficult words.

 

Week 3
gyration, circuitous, circumboreal, circumlocution, salacious, assailant, circumagitation, circumference, dextrogyrate, salmon
Week 4
gyrograph, assault, circumgyrate, sinistrogyration, assail, circumlunar, gyroscope, insult, somersault, circumambulate
  This page was updated January 4, 2010 4:16 PM
Please note that there are now at least ten words per week. Beginning in week 2, we will study words with Greek and Latin roots and their cognates. What is a cognate? Hmm, good question.