Unit 14 Vocabulary from Latin/Greek Roots

Grade 10

VIR DEM POLIT CIVIS

VIR – Latin VIR, “man”

Virile – adj. Masculine; manly

Jeb tried to prove he was strong and virile by lifting an enormous amount of weight.

VIR – Latin VIR, “man”

Virtue – n. Right action; moral goodness

It takes a special kind of virtue to do good deeds and never seek recognition or reward for them.

VIR – Latin VIR, “man”

Virtuoso – n. Someone extraordinarily skilled in a particular art

Frank was a piano virtuoso; he could play extraordinarily difficult pieces by ear.

DEM – Greek DEMOS, “people”

Demagogue – a leader who appeals to people’s emotions to gain power

Some voters feared our governor, whose opinions seemed to change depending on his audience, was in danger of becoming a demagogue.

DEM – Greek DEMOS, “people”

Demographic – adj. Having certain characteristics in common, such as age, race, or gender

The company targeted a very specific demographic group with a new series of advertisements aimed at teenagers.

DEM – Greek DEMOS, “people”

Pandemic – adj. Having an effect on a large area or region

The mysterious illness seemed to be pandemic among the inhabitants of the country.

POLIT – Greek POLIS “city”

Cosmopolitan – adj. Worldly or sophisticated

While Wendy thought the restaurant had an appealing cosmopolitan flavor, her friend thought the whole place rather snobbish.

POLIT – Greek POLIS, “city”

Politicize – v. To give a political character to something

Some people criticized the mayor for politicizing an otherwise neutral situation.

POLIT – Greek POLIS, “city”

Apolitical – adj. Having no interest in politics; not political

Many people who were once apolitical turned out to vote in the recent elections.

CIVIS – Latin CIVIS, “citizen”

Civility – n. Politeness; courteousness

Although my brother and I fought constantly, we treated each other with civility in public.

CIVIS – Latin CIVIS, “citizen”

Civic – adj. Having to do with the business of a town or community

Mrs. Morita considers it her civic duty to attend town hall meetings.

CIVIS – Latin CIVIS, “citizen”

Civilize – v. To make more cultured or refined

My mother’s attempt to civilize her wild children only made us more determined to do whatever we wanted.

Allusions 25 & 26

Golden Calf

Sword of Damocles

Golden Calf

• In the Book of Exodus, Moses

is leading his people out of

Egypt to the Promised Land.

While Moses is on Mt. Sinai

receiving the ten

commandments from God, the

people melt down their jewelry

and ornaments and make a calf

of gold, and they begin to

worship it. Moses is angered

when he returns and breaks the

stone tablets on which the

commandments were written.

So, a “golden calf” is . . .

an idol or any object, especially a material

object, that is worshipped even though it is

not worthy of worship.

• For example: In their relentless pursuit of

their idea of “success,” people who worship

the golden calf of financial wealth often

miss out on the pleasure of spending time

with friends and family.

Sword of Damocles

• According to legend, Damocles was a courtier of a Greek king, and Damocles constantly flattered the king by speaking of what a wonderful, easy life the king led. Tired of the flattery, the king held a banquet, and Damocles was seated in the king’s own chair under a sword that was suspended by a single thread. The king wanted Damocles to experience what it was really like to be king: along with the privileges of kingship, the king was always aware of impending dangers and was never entirely at ease.

So, the phrase “sword of

Damocles” refers to . . . an awareness of impending or imminent danger.

• His father’s return from work was a sword of Damocles for Lewis because Lewis knew he would have to explain the new dent in his father’s car.