I added Merriam‑Webster’s Vocabulary Builder to my to‑do list on 12/29/2012 and finally finished reading it in 2025. It was a long wait, but I’m glad my judgment from 13 years ago proved right—this is truly a fantastic book for learning English. It teaches word roots and provides interesting background stories. Some concepts are challenging to retain, so I took notes to help myself review and digest the material.

Book Extraction

unit_1 - AM

• AM: comes from the Latin amare, “to love.” The Roman god of love was known by two different names, Cupid and Amor. Amiable means “friendly or good-natured,” and amigo is Spanish for “friend.”
• amicable: 友善的
• enamored: 迷恋
• amorous: 多情的
• paramour: 情人

unit_1 - BELL

• BELL: comes from the Latin word meaning “war.” Bellona was the little-known Roman goddess of war; her husband, Mars, was the god of war.
• antebellum: 战前
• bellicose: 好战的
• belligerence: 好战
• rebellion: 叛乱

unit_1 - BENE

• BENE: is Latin for “well.” A benefit is a good result or effect. Something beneficial produces good results or effects. The Latin root can be heard in other languages as well: “Good!” or “Fine!” in Spanish is “Bueno!”; in French, it's “Bon!”; and in Italian, just say “Bene!”
• benediction: 祝福
• benefactor: 恩人
• beneficiary: 受益人
• benevolence: 仁

unit_1 - CRIM

• CRIM: comes from the Latin words for “fault or crime” or “accusation.” It's obvious where the root shows up most commonly in English. A crime is an act forbidden by the government, which the government itself will punish you for, and for which you may be branded a criminal. A crime is usually more serious than a tort (see TORT ), a “civil wrong” for which the wronged person must himself sue if he wants to get repaid in some way.
• criminology: 犯罪学
• decriminalize: 非刑事化
• incriminate: 入罪
• recrimination: 相互指责

unit_1 - GRAV

• GRAV: comes from the Latin word meaning “heavy, weighty, serious.” Gravity is, of course, what makes things heavy, and without it there wouldn't be any life on earth, since nothing would stay on earth at all. This doesn't stop us from yelling in outrage when the familiar laws of gravity cause something to drop to the floor and break.
• grave: 严重
• gravitas: 庄重
• gravitate: 吸引
• aggravate: 加剧

unit_1 - LEV

• LEV: comes from the Latin adjective levis, meaning “light,” and the verb levare, meaning “to raise or lighten.” So a lever is a bar used to lift something, by means of leverage. And levitation is the magician's trick in which a body seems to rise into the air by itself.
• alleviate: 减轻
• elevation: 海拔
• cantilever: 悬臂
• levity: 轻浮

unit_1 - PAC

• PAC: is related to the Latin words for “agree” and “peace.” The Pacific Ocean—that is, the “Peaceful Ocean”—was named by Ferdinand Magellan because it seemed so calm after he had sailed through the storms near Cape Horn. (Magellan obviously had never witnessed a Pacific typhoon.)
• pacify: 安抚
• pacifist: 和平主义者
• pact: 协议
• pace: 步伐

unit_1 - PROB

• PROB: comes from the Latin words for “prove or proof” and “honesty or integrity.” A probe, whether it's a little object for testing electrical circuits or a spacecraft headed for Mars, is basically something that's looking for evidence or proof. And probable originally described something that wasn't certain but might be “provable.”
• approbation: 赞许
• probate: 遗嘱认证
• probity: 廉洁
• reprobate: 被遗弃的

unit_1 - Words from Mythology and History

• Words from Mythology and History: cicerone A guide, especially one who takes tourists to museums, monuments, or architectural sites and explains what is being seen. • On Crete they sought out a highly recommended cicerone, hoping to receive the best possible introduction to the noteworthy historical sites. The Roman statesman and orator Cicero was renowned for his elegant style and great knowledge (and occasional long- windedness). So 18th-century Italians seem to have given the name cicerone to the guides who would show well-educated foreigners around the great cultural sites of the ancient Roman empire—guides who sought to be as eloquent and informed as Cicero in explaining the world in which he lived.
• hector: 赫克托
• hedonism: 享乐主义
• nestor: 内斯托尔
• spartan: 斯巴达人
• stentorian: 声音洪亮
• stoic: 坚忍的
• sybaritic: 奢侈的

unit_2 - CEPT

• CEPT: comes from the Latin verb meaning “take, seize.” Capture, which is what a captor has done to a captive, has the same meaning. Captivate once meant literally “capture,” but now means only to capture mentally through charm or appeal. But in some other English words this root produces, such as those below, its meaning is harder to find.
• reception: 接待
• intercept: 截距
• perceptible: 可察觉的
• susceptible: 易受影响的

unit_2 - DUC,DUCT

• DUC,DUC: from the Latin verb ducere, “to lead,” shows up regularly in English. Duke means basically “leader.” The Italian dictator Mussolini was known simply as Il Duce, “the leader.” But such words as produce and reduce also contain the root, even though their meanings show it less clearly.
• conducive: 有利于
• deduction: 扣除
• induce: 诱发
• seduction: 诱惑

unit_2 - FIN

• FIN: comes from the Latin word for “end” or “boundary.” Final describes last things, and a finale or a finish is an ending. (And at the end of a French film, you may just see the word “Fin.”) But its meaning is harder to trace in some of the other English words derived from it.
• confine: 局限
• definitive: 确定的
• finite: 有限
• infinitesimal: 无穷小

unit_2 - JECT

• JECT: comes from jacere, the Latin verb meaning “throw” or “hurl.” To reject something is to throw (or push) it back; to eject something is to throw (or drive) it out; and to inject something is to throw (or squirt) it into something else.
• interject: 插
• conjecture: 推测
• projection: 投影
• trajectory: 弹道

unit_2 - MANIA

• MANIA: in Latin means “madness,” and the meaning passed over into English unchanged. Our word mania can mean a mental illness, or at least an excessive enthusiasm. We might call someone a maniac who was wild, violent, and mentally ill—or maybe just really enthusiastic about something. Too much caffeine might make you a bit manic. But the intense mood swings once known as manic- depressive illness are now usually called bipolar disorder instead.
• kleptomania: 盗窃癖
• dipsomaniac: 醉鬼
• megalomaniac: 自大狂
• egomaniac: 自大狂

unit_2 - PSYCH

• PSYCH: comes from the Greek word psyche, meaning “breath, life, soul.” Psychology is the science of mind and behavior, and a psychologist treats or studies the mental problems of individuals and groups. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that deals with mental and emotional disorders, and a psychiatrist (like any other doctor) may prescribe drugs to treat them.
• psyche: 精神
• psychedelic: 迷幻的
• psychosomatic: 心身的
• psychotherapist: 心理治疗师

unit_2 - SEQU

• SEQU: comes from the Latin verb sequi, meaning “to follow.” A sequel follows the original novel, film, or television show.
• sequential: 顺序的
• subsequent: 随后的
• consequential: 后果性的
• non sequitur: 不合逻辑的

unit_2 - TRACT

• TRACT: comes from trahere, the Latin verb meaning “drag or draw.” Something attractive draws us toward it. Something distracting pulls your attention away. And when you extract something from behind the sofa, you drag it out.
• traction: 牵引力
• retract: 缩回
• protracted: 旷日持久的
• intractable: 棘手的

unit_2 - Words from Mythology

• Words from Mythology: Apollonian Harmonious, ordered, rational, calm. • After a century of Romantic emotion, some composers adopted a more Apollonian style, producing clearly patterned pieces that avoided extremes of all kinds. In Greek mythology, Apollo was the god of the sun, light, prophecy, and music, and the most revered of all the gods. Partly because of the writings of Nietzsche, we now often think of Apollo (in contrast to the god Dionysus) as a model of calm reason, and we may call anything with those qualities Apollonian. This isn't the whole story about Apollo, however; he had a terrible temper and could be viciously cruel when he felt like it.
• bacchanalian: 酒神狂欢
• delphic: 德尔菲克
• Dionysian: 酒神
• jovial: 快活的
• mercurial: 水银
• Olympian: 奥林匹斯山
• venereal: 性病的

unit_3 - AMBI

• AMBI: means “on both sides” or “around”; ambi- comes from Latin. Most of us are either right-handed or left-handed, but ambidextrous people can use their right and left hand equally well.
• ambiguous: 模糊的
• ambient: 周围的
• ambivalent: 矛盾的
• ambit: 范围

unit_3 - DIS

• DIS: comes from Latin, where it means “apart.” In English, its meanings have increased to include “opposite” or “not” (as in distaste, disagreeable), “deprive of” (disinfect), or “exclude or expel from” (disbar). The original meaning can still be seen in a word like dissipate, which means “to break up and scatter.”
• dissuade: 劝阻
• disorient: 迷失方向
• discredit: 抹黑
• dislodge: 驱逐

unit_3 - EPI

• EPI: is a Greek prefix that may mean various things, but usually “on, over” or “attached to.” So an earthquake's epicenter is the ground right over the center of the quake. And your epidermis is the outer layer of your skin, on top of the inner dermis.
• epilogue: 结语
• epiphyte: 附生植物
• epitaph: 墓志铭
• epithet: 绰号

unit_3 - HOM,HOMO

• HOM,HOMO: comes from homos, the Greek word for “same,” which in English words may also mean “similar.” A homograph is a word spelled like another word but different in meaning or pronunciation, and a homosexual is a person who favors others of the same sex. (This root has nothing to do with the Latin homo, meaning “person,” as in Homo sapiens, the French homme, and the Spanish hombre.)
• homonym: 同音异义词
• homogeneous: 同质
• homologous: 同源的
• homogenize: 均质化

unit_3 - HYP,HYPO

• HYP/HYPO: is a Greek prefix meaning “below, under.” Many hypo-words are medical. A hypodermic needle injects medication under the skin. Hypotension, or low blood pressure, can be just as unhealthy as the better-known hypertension, or high blood pressure.
• hypochondriac: 疑病症
• hypoglycemia: 低血糖
• hypothermia: 低温
• hypothetical: 假想

unit_3 - Latin Borrowings

• Latin Borrowings: Quiz 3-1 Quiz 3-2 Quiz 3-3 Quiz 3-4 Quiz 3-5 Review Quizzes 3 AMBI means “on both sides” or “around”; ambi- comes from Latin. Most of us are either right-handed or left-handed, but ambidextrous people can use their right and left hand equally well.
• ambiguous: 模糊的
• ambient: 周围的
• ambivalent: 矛盾的
• ambit: 范围
• EPI: EPI
• epilogue: 结语
• epiphyte: 附生植物
• epitaph: 墓志铭
• epithet: 绰号

unit_3 - POLY

• POLY: comes from polys, the Greek word for “many.” A polytechnic institute offers instruction in many technical fields. Polygamy is marriage in which one has many spouses, or at least more than the legal limit of one. And polysyllabic words are words of many syllables —of which there are quite a few in this book.
• polyp: 息肉
• polyglot: 多语言
• polymer: 聚合物
• polygraph: 测谎器

unit_3 - PRIM

• PRIM: comes from primus, the Latin word for “first.” Something primary is first in time, rank, or importance. Something primitive is in its first stage of development. And something primeval had its origin in the first period of world or human history.
• primal: 原始的
• primer: 底漆
• primate: 灵长类动物
• primordial: 原始的

unit_3 - THERM,THERMO

• THERM/THERMO: comes from the Greek word meaning “warm.” A thermometer measures the amount of warmth in a body, the air, or an oven. A thermostat makes sure the temperature stays at the same level. And it's easy to see why the German manufacturers of a vacuum-insulated bottle back in 1904 gave it the name Thermos.
• thermal: 热的
• thermodynamics: 热力学
• thermonuclear: 热核
• British thermal unit: 英国热量单位

unit_4 - CARN

• CARN: comes from a Latin word meaning “flesh” or “meat.” Carnation originally meant “the color of flesh,” which was once the only color of the flower we call the carnation. In Christian countries, Lent is the period when the faithful traditionally give up something they love, often meat. The days leading up to Lent are known as the carnival season, from the Italian carnelevare, later shortened to carnevale, which meant “removal of meat”—though during carnival, of course, people indulge in just about everything, and the removal of meat only comes later.
• carnage: 屠杀
• carnal: 肉体的
• incarnate: 体现
• reincarnation: 投胎

unit_4 - CRED

• CRED: comes from credere, the Latin verb meaning “to believe” or “to entrust.” We have a good credit rating when institutions trust in our ability to repay a loan, and we carry credentials so that others will believe that we are who we say we are.
• credence: 信任
• credible: 可信的
• credulity: 轻信
• credo: 信条

unit_4 - CURR,CURS

• CURR/CURS: comes from currere, the Latin verb meaning “to run.” Although words based on this root don't tend to suggest speed, the sense of movement remains. Current, for instance, refers to running water in a stream or river, or electrons running through a wire, and an excursion is a trip from one place to another.
• concurrent: 并发
• cursory: 粗略的
• discursive: 话语性的
• precursor: 前体

unit_4 - FID

• FID: comes from fides, the Latin word for “faith” or “trust.” Fidelity is another word for “faithfulness.” Confidence is having faith in someone or something. An infidel is someone who lacks a particular kind of religious faith. And the once-popular dog's name Fido is Latin for “I trust.”
• affidavit: 宣誓书
• diffident: 胆怯的
• fiduciary: 受托人
• perfidy: 背信弃义

unit_4 - FLECT

• FLECT: comes from flectere, the Latin verb meaning “to bend.” The root sometimes takes the form flex-. Things that are flexible can be bent, and when you flex a muscle, you're usually bending a limb— which, as a trainer at the gym will tell you, requires the use of flexor muscles.
• deflect: 偏转
• reflective: 反光的
• genuflect: 跪
• inflection: 屈折变化

unit_4 - PED

• PED: comes from the Latin word for “foot.” A pedal is pushed by the foot; a pedicure is a treatment of the feet, toes, and toenails; and a pedestal is what a statue stands on—in a sense, its foot.
• quadruped: 四足动物
• pedigree: 谱系
• impediment: 障碍
• pedestrian: 行人

unit_4 - POST

• POST: comes from a Latin word meaning “after” or “behind.” A postscript (or PS) is a note that comes after an otherwise completed letter, usually as an afterthought. Postpartum refers to the period following childbirth, with any related events and complications. To postdate a check is to give it a date after the day it was written.
• posterior: 后部
• posthumous: 死后的
• postmodern: 后现代的
• postmortem: 尸检

unit_4 - VOR

• VOR: comes from the Latin verb vorare, “to eat,” and the ending - ivorous shows up in words that refer to eaters of certain kinds of food. Frugivorous (for “fruit-eating”), granivorous (for “grain- eating”), and graminivorous (for “grass-eating”) aren't too rare, but you won't run across phytosuccivorous (“plant-sap-eating”) every day.
• carnivorous: 肉食性的
• herbivorous: 草食性的
• insectivorous: 食虫的
• voracious: 贪婪的

unit_4 - Words from Mythology

• Words from Mythology: calypso A folk song or style of singing of West Indian origin that has a lively rhythm and words that are often made up by the singer. • If you take a Caribbean vacation in December, you end up listening to a lot of Christmas carols played to a calypso beat. In Homer's Odyssey, the nymph Calypso detains Odysseus for seven years on his way home from the Trojan War, using all her wiles to hold him on her lush island. For many people, the calypso music of the West Indian islands, which was eventually brought to America by singers such as the Andrews Sisters and later Harry Belafonte, has some of the same captivating power as the nymph, though the lyrics that are often improvised to the melodies tend to make fun of local people and happenings. The original name for these songs, however, actually seems to be based on a similar-sounding African word, for which, early in the 20th century, someone began substituting this name from Greek mythology.
• odyssey: 奥德赛
• palladium: 钯
• Penelope: 佩内洛普
• procrustean: 普罗克拉斯泰安
• protean: 千变万化的
• sibyl: 西比尔
• siren: 警笛

unit_5 - ANTE

• ANTE: is Latin for “before” or “in front of.” Antediluvian, which describes something very old or outdated, literally means “before the flood”—that is, Noah's Flood. And antebellum literally means “before the war,” usually the American Civil War.
• antechamber: 前厅
• antedate: 早于日期
• antecedent: 先行词
• anterior: 前部

unit_5 - CATA

• CATA: comes from the Greek kata, one of whose meanings was “down.” A catalogue is a list of items put down on paper, and a catapult is a weapon for hurling missiles down on one's enemies.
• cataclysm: 灾难
• catacomb: 地下墓穴
• catalyst: 催化剂
• catatonic: 紧张症

unit_5 - DYS

• DYS: comes from Greek, where it means “bad” or “difficult.” So dysphagia is difficult swallowing, and dyspnea is difficult or labored breathing. Dysphasia is an inability to use and understand language because of injury to or disease of the brain. Dys- is sometimes close in meaning to dis- (see DIS ), but try not to confuse the two.
• dystopia: 反乌托邦
• dyslexia: 阅读障碍
• dyspeptic: 消化不良的
• dysplasia: 发育不良

unit_5 - EU

• EU: comes from the Greek word for “well”; in English words it can also mean “good” or “true.” A veterinarian who performs euthanasia is providing a very sick or hopelessly injured animal a “good” or easy death.
• eugenic: 优生的
• euphemism: 委婉语
• euphoria: 欣快感
• eulogy: 颂

unit_5 - Latin Borrowings

• Latin Borrowings: a fortiori All the more certainly. • If drug users are going to be subject to mandatory sentences, then, a fortiori, drug dealers should be subject to them also. A fortiori in Latin literally means “from the stronger (argument).” The term is used when drawing a conclusion that's even more obvious or convincing than the one just drawn. Thus, if teaching English grammar to native speakers is difficult, then, a fortiori, teaching English grammar to nonnative speakers will be even more challenging.
• a posteriori: 后验的
• a priori: 先验
• bona fide: 善意
• carpe diem: 及时行乐
• caveat emptor: 买者自负
• corpus delicti: 犯罪主体
• curriculum vitae: 简历

unit_5 - MAL

• MAL: comes from a Latin word meaning “bad.” A malady is a bad condition—a disease or illness—of the body or mind. Malpractice is bad medical practice. Malodorous things smell bad. And a malefactor is someone guilty of bad deeds.
• malevolent: 恶毒的
• malicious: 恶意的
• malign: 诽谤
• malnourished: 营养不良的

unit_5 - ORTHO

• ORTHO: comes from orthos, the Greek word for “straight,” “right,” or “true.” Orthotics is a branch of therapy that straightens out your stance or posture by providing artificial support for weak joints or muscles. And orthograde animals, such as human beings, walk with their bodies in a “straight” or vertical position.
• orthodontics: 正畸学
• orthodox: 正统
• orthopedics: 骨科
• orthography: 正字法

unit_5 - PROT,PROTO

• PROT/PROTO: comes from Greek and has the basic meaning “first in time” or “first formed.” Protozoa are one-celled animals, such as amoebas and paramecia, that are among the most basic members of the biological kingdom. A proton is an elementary particle that, along with neutrons, can be found in all atomic nuclei. A protoplanet is a whirling mass of gas and dust that astronomers believe may someday become a planet.
• protagonist: 主角
• protocol: 协议
• protoplasm: 原生质
• prototype: 原型

unit_5 - RECT

• RECT: comes from the Latin word rectus, which means “straight” or “right.” To correct something is to make it right. A rectangle is a four-sided figure with straight parallel sides. Rectus, short for Latin rectus musculus, may refer to any of several straight muscles, such as those of the abdomen.
• rectitude: 正直
• rectify: 纠正
• rectilinear: 直线的
• directive: 指示

unit_6 - AUD

• AUD: , from the Latin verb audire, is the root that has to do with hearing. What is audible can be heard. An audience is a group of listeners, sometimes seated in an auditorium. And audio today can mean almost anything that has to do with sound.
• auditor: 审计员
• auditory: 听觉的
• audition: 试镜
• inaudible: 听不见的

unit_6 - CED

• CED: comes from the Latin verb cedere, meaning “to proceed” or “to yield.” Proceed itself employs the root, as does recede, and their related nouns procession and recession employ another form of the Latin verb.
• cede: 放弃
• concede: 承认
• accede: 同意
• precedent: 先例

unit_6 - EQU

• EQU: comes from the Latin word aequus, meaning “equal.” To equalize means to make things equal. Things that are equivalent have the same value, use, or meaning. All three sides of an equilateral triangle are of the same length. And an equation (for instance, 21 + 47 = 68) is a statement that two mathematical expressions are equal.
• equable: 平等的
• adequacy: 充分性
• equilibrium: 平衡
• equinox: 春分

unit_6 - ERR

• ERR: , from the Latin verb errare, means “to wander” or “to stray.” The root is seen in the word error, meaning a wandering or straying from what is correct or true. Erratum (plural, errata) is Latin for “mistake”; so an errata page is a book page that lists mistakes found too late to correct before the book's publication.
• errant: 错误的
• aberrant: 异常
• erratic: 不稳定的
• erroneous: 错误

unit_6 - METR,METER

• METR/METER: comes to us from Greek by way of Latin; in both languages it refers to “measure.” A thermometer measures heat; a perimeter is the measure around something; and things that are isometric are equal in measure.
• metric: 公制
• meter: 仪表
• odometer: 里程表
• tachometer: 转速表

unit_6 - PLE,PLEN

• PLE/PLEN: comes from a Latin word meaning “to fill.” It can be seen in the words plenty, meaning basically “filled,” and complete, meaning “thoroughly filled.”
• plenary: 全体会议
• complement: 补充
• deplete: 消耗
• replete: 充满

unit_6 - QUIS

• QUIS: is derived from the Latin verb meaning “to seek or obtain.” The roots quer, quir, and ques are derived from the same Latin verb and give us words such as inquiry and question.
• inquisition: 宗教裁判所
• perquisite: 额外津贴
• acquisitive: 贪婪的
• requisition: 征用

unit_6 - SON

• SON: is the Latin root meaning “sound.” Sonata, meaning a piece for one or two instruments, was originally an Italian verb meaning “sounded” (when singers were involved, the Italians used a different verb). And sonorous means full, loud, or rich in sound.
• sonic: 索尼克
• dissonant: 不和谐的
• resonance: 谐振
• ultrasonic: 超声波

unit_6 - Words from Mythology and History

• Words from Mythology and History: Augean stable A condition or place marked by great accumulation of filth or corruption. • Leaders of many of the newly formed nations of Eastern Europe found that the old governments of their countries had become Augean stables that they must now clean out. Augeus, the mythical king of Elis, kept great stables that held 3,000 oxen and had not been cleaned for thirty years when Hercules was assigned the job as one of his famous “twelve labors.” This task was enormous even for someone so mighty, so Hercules shifted the course of two rivers to make them pour through the stables. Augean by itself has come to mean “extremely difficult or distasteful”, and to “clean the Augean stable” usually means either to clear away corruption or to perform a large and unpleasant task that has long called for attention. So today we refer to “Augean tasks,” “Augean labor,” or even “Augean clutter.” And the British firm Augean PLC is— what else?—a waste-management company.
• Croesus: 克洛伊斯
• dragon's teeth: 龙的牙齿
• Hades: 哈迪斯
• lethargic: 昏昏欲睡的
• Midas touch: 点石成金
• Pyrrhic victory: 代价高昂的胜利
• stygian: 冥河

unit_7 - CUR

• CUR: , from the Latin verb curare, means basically “care for.” Our verb cure comes from this root, as do manicure (“care of the hands”) and pedicure (“care of the feet”).
• curative: 有疗效的
• curator: 馆长
• procure: 采购
• sinecure: 闲职

unit_7 - PERI

• PERI: , in both Latin and Greek, means “around.” A period is often a span of time that keeps coming around regularly, day after day or year after year. With a periscope, you can see around corners. Peristalsis is the process that moves food around the intestines; without it, digestion would grind to a halt.
• perimeter: 周长
• periodontal: 牙周的
• peripatetic: 逍遥的
• peripheral: 周边

unit_7 - PHON

• PHON: is a Greek root meaning “sound,” “voice,” or “speech.” It's probably most familiar in the form of the English suffix -phone, in words that begin with a Greek or Latin root as well. Thus, the tele- in telephone means “far,” the micro- in microphone means “small,” the xylo- in xylophone means “wood,” and so on.
• phonics: 自然拼读法
• phonetic: 语音的
• polyphonic: 复调的
• cacophony: 刺耳的声音

unit_7 - SENS

• SENS: comes from the Latin noun sensus, meaning “feeling” or “sense.” Sense itself obviously comes straight from the Latin. A sensation is something you sense. And if you're sensitive, you feel or sense things sharply, maybe even too sharply.
• sensor: 传感器
• desensitize: 脱敏
• extrasensory: 超感官的
• sensuous: 感性的

unit_7 - SOPH

• SOPH: come from the Greek words meaning “wise” and “wisdom.” In English the root sometimes appears in words where the wisdom is of the “wise guy” variety, but in words such as philosophy we see it used more respectfully.
• sophistry: 诡辩
• sophisticated: 复杂的
• sophomoric: 二年级的
• theosophy: 神智学

unit_7 - SPECT

• SPECT: comes from the Latin verb specere, meaning “to look at,” and produces several familiar English words. Spectacles can be glasses that you look through; but a spectacle can also be a remarkable sight—in Roman times, perhaps a spectacular chariot race or a spectacularly bloody battle between gladiators and wild beasts, mounted for the pleasure of its spectators.
• aspect: 方面
• prospect: 前景
• perspective: 看法
• prospectus: 招股说明书

unit_7 - VIS

• VIS: comes from a Latin verb meaning “see.” Vision is what enables us to see, visual images are visible to our eyes, and a visitor is someone who comes to see something. The same verb actually gives us another root, vid-, as in Julius Caesar's famous statement about his military exploits, “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”), and such common English words as video.
• vista: 远景
• vis-à-vis: 相对
• visionary: 有远见的
• envisage: 设想

unit_7 - VOC

• VOC: comes from the Latin words meaning “voice” and “speak.” So a vocal ensemble is a singing group. A vocation was originally a “calling” from God to do religious work as a priest, monk, or nun, though today most people use the word just to mean a career. And a vocabulary is a set of words for speaking.
• equivocate: 模棱两可
• irrevocable: 不可撤销的
• advocate: 提倡
• vociferous: 吵闹的

unit_7 - Words from Mythology and History

• Words from Mythology and History: Achilles' heel A vulnerable point. • By now his rival for the Senate seat had discovered his Achilles' heel, the court records of the terrible divorce he had gone through ten years earlier. When the hero Achilles was an infant, his sea-nymph mother dipped him into the river Styx to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water and so remained mortal and vulnerable, and it was here that Achilles was eventually mortally wounded. Today, the tendon that stretches up the calf from the heel is called the Achilles tendon. But the term Achilles' heel isn't used in medicine; instead, it's only used with the general meaning “weak point”—for instance, to refer to a section of a country's borders that aren't militarily protected, or to a Jeopardy contestant's ignorance in the Sports category.
• arcadia: 阿卡迪亚
• Cassandra: 卡桑德拉
• cyclopean: 独眼巨人
• draconian: 严厉的
• myrmidon: 跟班
• nemesis: 克星
• Trojan horse: 特洛伊木马

unit_8 - EXTRA

• EXTRA: is Latin for “outside” or “beyond.” So anything extraterrestrial or extragalactic takes place beyond the earth or the galaxy. Something extravagant, such as an extravaganza, goes way beyond the normal. And extra is naturally a word itself, a shortening of extraordinary, “beyond the ordinary.”
• extradite: 引渡
• extrapolate: 推断
• extrovert: 外向的
• extraneous: 无关的

unit_8 - LUC

• LUC: comes from the Latin noun lux, “light,” and the verb lucere, “to shine or glitter.” In ancient Rome, Lucifer, meaning “Light-bearer,” was the name given to the morning star, but the name was eventually transferred by Christians to Satan. This tradition, which dates back to the period before Christ, said that Lucifer had once been among the angels but had wanted to be the great light in the sky, and for his pride had been cast out of heaven and thus became the opponent of everything good.
• lucid: 清醒的
• elucidate: 阐发
• lucubration: 孵化
• translucent: 半透明

unit_8 - MOR,MORT

• MOR/MORT: comes from Latin words meaning “to die” and “death.” A mortuary is a place where dead bodies are kept until burial, and a postmortem examination is one conducted on a recently dead body. The Latin phrase “Memento mori” means “Remember that you must die”; so a memento mori is the name we give to a reminder of death; the skulls you can find carved on gravestones in old cemeteries are examples.
• mortality: 死亡
• moribund: 垂死
• amortize: 缓冲
• mortify: 羞辱

unit_8 - PAN

• PAN: comes from a Greek word meaning “all”; as an English prefix, it can also mean “completely,” “whole,” or “general.” A panoramic view is a complete view in every direction. A pantheon is a temple dedicated to all the gods of a religion. A pandemic outbreak of a disease may not affect the entire human population, but enough to produce a catastrophe.
• panacea: 万能药
• pandemonium: 混乱
• pantheism: 泛神论
• panoply: 全套

unit_8 - PEND

• PEND: comes from the Latin verb pendere, meaning “to hang” or “to weigh.” (In the Roman era, weighing something large often required hanging it from a hook on one side of the balance scales.) We find the root in English words like appendix, referring to that useless and sometimes troublesome tube that hangs from the intestine, or that section at the back of some books that might contain some useful additional information.
• pendant: 吊坠
• append: 附加
• appendage: 附属物
• suspend: 暂停

unit_8 - PHOT

• PHOT: comes from the Greek word for “light.” Photography uses light to create an image on film or paper, and a photocopy is an image made by using light and tiny electrically charged ink particles.
• photoelectric: 光电
• photovoltaic: 光伏
• photon: 光子
• photosynthesis: 光合作用

unit_8 - PORT

• PORT: comes from the Latin verb portare, meaning “to carry.” Thus, something portable can be carried around. A porter carries your luggage, whether through a train station or high into the Himalayas. When we transport something, we have it carried from one place to another. And goods for export are carried away to another country.
• portage: 搬运
• portfolio: 文件夹
• comport: 康德
• deportment: 仪态

unit_8 - TROPH

• TROPH: comes from the Greek trophe, meaning “nourishment.” This particular troph- root doesn't show up in many everyday English words (the troph- in words like trophy, apostrophe, and catastrophe has a different meaning), but instead tends to appear in scientific terms.
• atrophy: 萎缩
• hypertrophy: 肥大
• dystrophy: 营养不良
• eutrophication: 富营养化

unit_8 - Words from Mythology and History

• Words from Mythology and History: aeolian harp A box-shaped instrument with strings that produce musical sounds when the wind blows on them. • Poets have long been fascinated by the aeolian harp, the only instrument that produces music without a human performer. According to the ancient Greeks, Aeolus was the king or guardian of the winds. He lived in a cave with his many, many sons and daughters, and sent forth whatever wind Zeus asked for. When Odysseus stopped there on his way home from Troy, he received a bag of winds to fill his sails. But while he was asleep, his men, thinking it contained treasure, opened the bag and released the raging winds, which blew their ships all the way back to their starting point. An aeolian harp produces enchanting harmonies when the wind passes over it. According to Homer, it was the god Hermes who invented the harp, by having the wind blow over the dried sinews attached to the shell of a dead tortoise.
• cynosure: 指环王
• laconic: 简洁
• mnemonic: 助记符
• platonic: 柏拉图式的
• sapphic: 女同性恋者
• Socratic: 苏格拉底式
• solecism: 谬误

unit_9 - COSM

• COSM: comes from the Greek word for “order.” Since the Greeks believed the universe was an orderly place, words in this group usually relate to the universe. So cosmonaut was the word for a space traveler from the former Soviet Union. (The roots of our own word, astronaut, suggest “star traveler” instead.) Oddly enough, cosmetics comes from the same root, since putting things in order is similar to decorating something—such as your face.
• cosmos: 宇宙
• cosmology: 宇宙学
• microcosm: 微观世界
• cosmopolitan: 世界性的

unit_9 - FUG

• FUG: comes from the Latin verb fugere, meaning “to flee or escape.” Thus, a refugee flees from some threat or danger, while a fugitive is usually fleeing from the law.
• centrifugal: 离心式
• refuge: 避难所
• fugue: 赋格曲
• subterfuge: 托词

unit_9 - HER

• HER: comes from the Latin verb haerere, meaning “to stick.” Another form of the verb produces the root hes-, seen in such words as adhesive, which means basically “sticky” or “sticking,” and hesitate, which means more or less “stuck in one place.”
• adherent: 依附者
• cohere: 连贯
• incoherent: 不连贯的
• inherent: 固有

unit_9 - JUNCT

• JUNCT: comes from the Latin verb jungere, meaning “to join.” A junction is a place where roads or railways come together. A conjunction is a word that joins two other words or groups of words: “this and that,” “to be or not to be.”
• juncture: 契机
• adjunct: 附件
• disjunction: 析取
• conjunct: 连词

unit_9 - MIS

• MIS: comes from the Latin verb mittere, “to send.” A missile is something sent speeding through the air or water. And when your class is dismissed at the end of the day, you're sent home.
• mission: 使命
• missionary: 传教士
• emissary: 使者
• transmission: 传播

unit_9 - PART

• PART: , from the Latin word pars, meaning “part,” comes into English most obviously in our word part. An apartment or compartment is part of a larger whole. The same is usually true of a particle.
• bipartite: 两部分
• impartial: 公正
• participle: 分词
• partisan: 党派

unit_9 - PEL

• PEL: comes from the Latin verb pellere, meaning “to move or drive.” So a propeller moves a small airplane forward. And if you dispel someone's fears, you “drive them away.”
• compel: 迫使
• expel: 驱逐
• impel: 促使
• repel: 击退

unit_9 - SCI

• SCI: comes from the Latin verb scire, “to know” or “to understand.” The root appears in such common words as science, which originally meant simply “knowledge,” and conscience, meaning “moral knowledge.” And to be conscious is to be in a state where you are able to know or understand.
• conscientious: 尽责的
• nescience: 无知
• prescient: 有先见之明
• unconscionable: 不合情理的

unit_9 - Words from Mythology

• Words from Mythology: Quiz 9-1 Quiz 9-2 Quiz 9-3 Quiz 9-4 Quiz 9-5 Review Quizzes 9 HER comes from the Latin verb haerere, meaning “to stick.” Another form of the verb produces the root hes-, seen in such words as adhesive, which means basically “sticky” or “sticking,” and hesitate, which means more or less “stuck in one place.”
• adherent: 依附者
• cohere: 连贯
• incoherent: 不连贯的
• inherent: 固有
• FUG: 福格
• centrifugal: 离心式
• refuge: 避难所
• fugue: 赋格曲
• subterfuge: 托词

unit_10 - AQU

• AQU: comes from aqua, the Latin word for “water.” We keep pet fish in an aquarium at home or visit larger sea animals in a building with that name. Water sports such as swimming, canoeing, and sailing are sometimes called aquatics. In Scandinavia there's a popular drink called aquavit, the name coming from the Latin aqua vitae, “water of life”—though instead of water it mostly consists of alcohol.
• aquaculture: 水产养殖
• aquanaut: 潜水员
• aqueduct: 渡槽
• aquifer: 含水层

unit_10 - LOG

• LOG: , from the Greek word logos, meaning “word,” “speech,” or “reason,” is found particularly in English words that end in -logy and -logue. The ending -logy often means “the study of”; so, for instance, biology is the study of life, and anthropology is the study of humans. And -logue usually indicates a type of discussion; thus, dialogue is conversation between two people or groups, and an epilogue is an author's last words on a subject. But exceptions aren't hard to find.
• physiology: 生理
• methodology: 方法论
• ideology: 思想
• cardiology: 心脏病学

unit_10 - MAR

• MAR: , from the Latin word mare, meaning “sea,” brings its salty tang to several English words. A submarine is an undersea ship. Marine means basically “relating to the sea,” so when the Continental Marines were established back in 1775, their job was to provide on- board security on naval ships; but they immediately began to be used on land as well, and the marines have continued to operate on both land and sea ever since.
• marina: 码头
• aquamarine: 蓝晶
• mariner: 水手
• maritime: 海上

unit_10 - MATR,MATER

• MATR/MATER: comes from the Greek and Latin words for “mother.” A matron is a mature woman with children. And matrimony is marriage itself, the traditional first step toward motherhood.
• maternity: 产妇
• matriarch: 女族长
• matrilineal: 母系的
• matrix: 矩阵

unit_10 - PATH

• PATH: comes from the Greek word pathos, which means “feeling” or “suffering.” So a pathetic sight moves us to pity, and a sympathetic friend “feels with” you when you yourself are suffering.
• pathos: 感伤
• apathetic: 冷漠的
• empathy: 共情
• telepathic: 心灵感应的

unit_10 - PEN,PUN

• PEN/PUN: comes from the Latin words poena, “penalty,” and punire, “to punish.” A penalty is, of course, a punishment.
• penal: 刑事
• impunity: 有罪不罚
• penance: 苦行
• punitive: 惩罚性的

unit_10 - PUT

• PUT: comes from the Latin verb putare, meaning “to think, consider, or believe.” So, for example, a reputation is what others think of you. But when the root shows up in such words as compute, dispute, and deputy, its meaning is harder to trace.
• reputed: 有名的
• disrepute: 败坏名誉
• impute: 推算
• putative: 假定的

unit_10 - TERR

• TERR: comes from the Latin terra, “earth.” A territory is a large expanse of land. Terra firma is Latin for “firm ground” as opposed to the swaying seas. A terrace is a leveled area, often one created for farming on a sloping hill. And the French word for potato, pomme de terre, means literally “apple of the earth.”
• parterre: 花坛
• subterranean: 地下
• terrarium: 玻璃容器
• terrestrial: 陆地的

unit_10 - Words from Mythology

• Words from Mythology: cereal (1) A plant that produces grain that can be eaten as food, or the grain it produces. (2) The food made from grain. • Rice is the main food cereal of Asia, whereas wheat and corn are the main food cereals of the West. The Roman goddess Ceres, the equivalent of the Greek Demeter, was a calm goddess who didn't take part in the quarrels of the other gods. Her particular responsibility was the food-giving plants, and for that reason the food grains came to carry her name. Cereals of the ancient Romans included wheat, barley, spelt, oats, and millet—but not corn (maize), which was a cereal of the Americas.
• Junoesque: 朱诺式
• martial: 武术
• Promethean: 普罗米修斯
• Sisyphean: 西西弗斯式
• titanic: 泰坦尼克号
• Triton: 海卫一
• vulcanize: 硫化

unit_11 - CANT

• CANT: , from the Latin verb cantare, meaning “sing,” produces several words that come directly from Latin. But some others came to English by way of French, which added an h to the root, giving us such words as chant and chantey.
• cantata: 康塔塔
• incantation: 咒语
• cantor: 领唱
• descant: 解说

unit_11 - FAC

• FAC: comes from the Latin verb facere, meaning “to make or do.” Thus, a fact was originally simply “something done.” A benefactor is someone who does good. And to manufacture is to make, usually in a factory.
• factor: 因素
• factotum: 杂工
• facile: 容易的
• facilitate: 促进

unit_11 - LINGU

• LINGU: comes from the Latin word that means both “tongue” and “language,” and in English today tongue can still mean “language” (as in “her native tongue”). Our expression “slip of the tongue” is just a translation of the Latin phrase lapsus linguae. The root even shows up in a slangy-sounding word like lingo. And since lingu- changed to langu- in French, our word language is related as well.
• linguistics: 语言学
• multilingual: 多种语言
• lingua franca: 通用语
• linguine: 扁面条

unit_11 - LUM

• LUM: comes from the Latin noun lumen, meaning “light.” Thus, our word illuminate means “to supply with light” or “make clear,” and illumination is light that shines on something.
• lumen: 流明
• luminous: 发光的
• bioluminescent: 生物发光
• luminary: 发光体

unit_11 - SPIR

• SPIR: comes from the Latin words meaning “breath” and “breathe.” When we inspire others—that is, give them inspiration—it's as though we're breathing new energy and imagination into them. When you expire, or die, you “breathe out” your soul in your last breath. A license, membership, credit card, or free offer may also expire, at a time indicated by its expiration date.
• spirited: 精神抖擞的
• dispiriting: 令人沮丧的
• respirator: 呼吸器
• transpire: 发散

unit_11 - TURB

• TURB: comes from the Latin verb turbare, “to throw into confusion or upset,” and the noun turba, “crowd” or “confusion.” So a disturbance, for example, confuses and upsets normal order or routine.
• turbid: 混浊
• perturb: 扰乱
• turbine: 涡轮
• turbulent: 动荡的

unit_11 - VER

• VER: comes from the Latin word for “truth.” A verdict in a trial is “the truth spoken” (see DICT ). But a just verdict may depend on the veracity, or “truthfulness,” of the witnesses.
• verify: 核实
• aver: 断言
• verisimilitude: 逼真
• veracity: 真实性

unit_11 - VOLU,VOLV

• VOLU/VOLV: comes from the Latin verb volvere, meaning “to roll, wind, turn around, or twist around.” Thus, revolve simply means “turn in circles.” And a volume was originally a scroll or roll of papyrus.
• voluble: 健谈的
• devolve: 移交
• evolution: 进化
• convoluted: 错综复杂的

unit_11 - Words from Mythology and History

• Words from Mythology and History: muse A source of inspiration; a guiding spirit. • At 8:00 each morning he sat down at his desk and summoned his muse, and she almost always responded. The Muses were the nine Greek goddesses who presided over the arts (including music) and literature. A shrine to the Muses was called in Latin a museum. An artist or poet about to begin work would call on his particular Muse to inspire him, and a poem itself might begin with such a call; thus, Homer's Odyssey begins, “Sing to me of the man, Muse” (that is, of Odysseus). Today a muse may be one's special creative spirit, but some artists and writers have also chosen living human beings to serve as their muses.
• iridescent: 彩虹色的
• mausoleum: 陵
• mentor: 导师
• narcissism: 自恋
• tantalize: 吊胃口
• thespian: 戏剧的
• zephyr: 和风

unit_12 - Animal Words

• Animal Words: aquiline (1) Relating to eagles. (2) Curving like an eagle's beak. • The surviving busts of noble Romans show that many of the men had strong aquiline noses. Aquiline, from the Latin word meaning “eagle,” is most often used to describe a nose that has a broad curve and is slightly hooked, like a beak. The aquiline figure on the U.S. seal brandishes the arrows of war and the olive branch of peace. The word for eagle itself, Aquila, has been given to a constellation in the northern hemisphere.
• asinine: 愚蠢
• bovine: 牛
• canine: 犬科动物
• feline: 猫科动物
• leonine: 狮子座
• porcine: 猪
• vulpine: 狐狸

unit_12 - CULT

• CULT: comes from the Latin cultus, meaning “care.” So cultivation is care of something, such as a garden, in a way that encourages its growth. And culture is what is produced by cultivating human knowledge, skills, beliefs, manners, science, and art over many years.
• acculturation: 文化适应
• cross-cultural: 跨文化
• horticulture: 园艺
• subculture: 亚文化

unit_12 - DEM,DEMO

• DEM/DEMO: comes from the Greek word meaning “people.” “Government by the people” was invented by the ancient Greeks, so it's appropriate that they were the first to come up with a word for it: demokratia, or democracy.
• demographic: 人口统计
• endemic: 地方性的
• demagogue: 煽动者
• demotic: 通俗的

unit_12 - ICON

• ICON: comes from the Greek eikon, which led to the Latin icon, both meaning “image.” Though the icon- root hasn't produced many English words, the words that is does appear in tend to be interesting.
• icon: 图标
• iconic: 标志性的
• iconoclast: 反传统者
• iconography: 图像学

unit_12 - POPUL

• POPUL: comes from the Latin word meaning “people,” and in fact forms the basis of the word people itself. So the population is the people of an area, and popular means not only “liked by many people” but also (as in popular culture) “relating to the general public.”
• populist: 民粹主义者
• populace: 民众
• populous: 人口众多的
• vox populi: 民众之声

unit_12 - THE,THEO

• THE/THEO: comes from the Greek word meaning “god.” Theology, the study of religion, is practiced by theologians. Monotheism is the worship of a single god; Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are monotheistic religions, and all three worship the same god. Polytheistic religions such as those of ancient Greece and Rome, on the other hand, worship many gods.
• apotheosis: 神化
• atheistic: 无神论者
• pantheon: 万神殿
• theocracy: 神权政治

unit_12 - UMBR

• UMBR: comes from the Latin umbra, meaning “shadow.” Thus, the familiar umbrella, with its ending meaning “little,” casts a “little shadow” to keep off the sun or the rain.
• umber: 数字
• adumbrate: 预示
• penumbra: 半影
• umbrage: 不满

unit_12 - URB

• URB: comes from the Latin noun for “city.” Our word urban describes cities and the people who live in them. With its sub- prefix (see SUB ), a suburb is a town “near” or “under” a larger city, and suburban houses are home to suburbanites.
• urbane: 彬彬有礼
• exurban: 远郊的
• interurban: 市际
• urbanization: 城市化

unit_12 - VEST

• VEST: comes from the Latin verb vestire, “to clothe” or “to dress,” and the noun vestis, “clothing” or “garment.” Vest is the shortest English word we have from this root, and is the name of a rather small piece of clothing.
• divest: 撤资
• investiture: 授予仪式
• transvestite: 异装癖
• travesty: 嘲讽

unit_13 - Animal Words

• Animal Words: Quiz 13-1 Quiz 13-2 Quiz 13-3 Quiz 13-4 Quiz 13-5 Review Quizzes 13 CORD , from the Latin word for “heart,” turns up in several common English words. So does its Greek relative card-, which is familiar to us in words such as cardiac, “relating to the heart.”
• accord: 符合
• concord: 和睦
• cordial: 亲切
• discordant: 不和谐的
• CULP: 中华人民共和会
• culpable: 有罪的
• exculpate: 开脱
• inculpate: 归罪
• mea culpa: 认错

unit_13 - ART

• ART: comes from the Latin word for “skill.” This reminds us that, until a few centuries ago, almost no one made a strong distinction between skilled craftsmanship and what we would now call “art.” And the word art itself could also mean simply “cleverness.” The result is that this root appears in some words where we might not expect it.
• artful: 巧
• artifact: 人工制品
• artifice: 技巧
• artisan: 工匠

unit_13 - CIS

• CIS: comes from the Latin verb meaning “to cut, cut down, or slay.” An incisor is one of the big front biting teeth; beavers and woodchucks have especially large ones. A decision “cuts off” previous discussion and uncertainty.
• concise: 简洁的
• excise: 消费税
• incisive: 尖锐
• precision: 精确

unit_13 - CORD

• CORD: , from the Latin word for “heart,” turns up in several common English words. So does its Greek relative card-, which is familiar to us in words such as cardiac, “relating to the heart.”
• accord: 符合
• concord: 和睦
• cordial: 亲切
• discordant: 不和谐的

unit_13 - CULP

• CULP: comes from the Latin word for “guilt.” Its best-known appearance in English is probably in culprit, meaning someone who is guilty of a crime.
• culpable: 有罪的
• exculpate: 开脱
• inculpate: 归罪
• mea culpa: 认错

unit_13 - DICT

• DICT: comes from dicere, the Latin word meaning “to speak.” So a dictionary is a treasury of words for speaking. And a contradiction (with its prefix contra-, “against”) speaks against or denies something.
• diction: 措辞
• edict: 法令
• jurisdiction: 管辖权
• dictum: 格言

unit_13 - FORT

• FORT: comes from fortis, Latin for “strong.” The familiar noun fort, meaning a building strengthened against possible attacks, comes directly from it. And our verb comfort actually means “to give strength and hope to.”
• fortify: 强化
• fortification: 筑城
• forte: 长处
• fortitude: 刚毅

unit_13 - GNI,GNO

• GNI/GNO: comes from a Greek and Latin verb meaning “to know,” and can be found at the root of know itself. Among other words built from this root, you may recognize (“know again”) some and be ignorant of (“not know”) others. But only an ignoramus would know absolutely none of them.
• cognitive: 认知的
• agnostic: 不可知论者
• incognito: 隐姓埋名
• prognosis: 预后

unit_13 - GRAPH

• GRAPH: comes from the Greek verb graphein, “to write.” Thus, a biography is a written account of someone's life (see BIO ), a discography is a written list of recordings on disc (records or CDs), and a filmography is a list of motion pictures. But lots of uses of - graph and -graphy don't mean literally “writing” (as in autograph or paragraph), but instead something more like “recording,” as in photography, seismograph, or graph itself.
• calligraphy: 书法
• hagiography: 圣徒传记
• choreography: 编舞
• lithograph: 石版画

unit_14 - AB,ABS

• AB/ABS: comes to us from Latin, and means “from,” “away,” or “off.” Abuse is the use of something in the wrong way. To abduct is to “lead away from” or kidnap. Aberrant behavior is behavior that “wanders away from” what is acceptable. But there are so many words that include these roots that it would be absurd to try to list them all here.
• abscond: 潜逃
• abstemious: 节制的
• abstraction: 抽象
• abstruse: 奥

unit_14 - CRYPT

• CRYPT: comes from the Greek word for “hidden.” To encrypt a message is to encode it—that is, to hide its meaning in code language. When a scientific term begins with crypto-, it always means that there's something hidden about it .
• crypt: 地穴
• encrypt: 加密
• cryptic: 神秘的
• cryptography: 密码学

unit_14 - MONO

• MONO: comes from the Greek monos, meaning “along” or “single.” So a monorail is a railroad that has only one rail; a monocle is an old-fashioned eyeglass that a gentleman used to squeeze into his eye socket; a monotonous voice seems to have only one tone; and a monopoly puts all ownership of a type of product or service in the hands of a single company.
• monogamous: 一夫一妻制
• monoculture: 单一栽培
• monolithic: 整体式的
• monotheism: 一神论

unit_14 - NEO

• NEO: comes from the Greek neos, meaning “new.” Neo- has become a part of many English words. Some are easy to understand; for example, neo-Nazi. Some are less so; you might not immediately guess that neotropical means “from the tropics of the New World,” or that a neophyte is a “newcomer.” When William Ramsay discovered four new gases, he named them all using Greek roots that at first glance might sound slightly mysterious: argon (“idle”), krypton (“hidden”), xenon (“strange”)—and neon (“new”).
• neoclassic: 新古典主义
• Neolithic: 新石器时代
• neoconservative: 新保守主义
• neonatal: 新生儿

unit_14 - NOV

• NOV: comes from the Latin word novus, meaning “new.” To renovate an old house is to “make it new again”—that is, put it back in tip-top shape. The long-running PBS show Nova keeps its large audience up to date on what's new in the world of science. And when the British king sent Scottish settlers to a large island off Canada's Atlantic coast in the 17th century, he named it Nova Scotia, or “New Scotland.”
• novice: 新手
• novel: 小说
• innovation: 创新
• supernova: 超新星

unit_14 - Number Words

• Number Words: MONO comes from the Greek monos, meaning “along” or “single.” So a monorail is a railroad that has only one rail; a monocle is an old-fashioned eyeglass that a gentleman used to squeeze into his eye socket; a monotonous voice seems to have only one tone; and a monopoly puts all ownership of a type of product or service in the hands of a single company.
• monogamous: 一夫一妻制
• monoculture: 单一栽培
• monolithic: 整体式的
• monotheism: 一神论
• UNI: 大学
• unicameral: 一院制
• unilateral: 单方面
• unison: 一致
• unitarian: 一神论者

unit_14 - PED-

• PED-: comes from the Greek word for “child.” The same root also has the meaning “foot” (see PED ), but in English words it usually isn't hard to tell the two apart.
• pedagogy: 教育学
• pedant: 学究
• pediatrician: 儿科医生
• encyclopedic: 百科全书式的

unit_14 - POS

• POS: comes from the Latin verb ponere, meaning “to put” or “to place.” You expose film by “placing it out” in the light. You compose a song by “putting together” a series of notes. And you oppose locating a new prison in your town by “putting yourself against” it.
• impose: 强加
• juxtapose: 并置
• transpose: 转置
• superimpose: 叠加

unit_14 - TEN

• TEN: , from the Latin verb tenere, basically means “hold” or “hold on to.” A tenant is the “holder” of an apartment, house, or land, but not necessarily the owner. A lieutenant governor may “hold the position” ( “serve in lieu”) of the governor when necessary.
• tenure: 终身教职
• tenacious: 顽强
• tenable: 站得住脚的
• tenet: 宗旨

unit_14 - TROP

• TROP: comes from the Greek tropos, meaning “turn” or “change.” The troposphere is the level of the atmosphere where most weather changes—or “turns in the weather”—occur. And the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn are the lines of latitude where the sun is directly overhead when it reaches its northernmost and southernmost points, on about June 22 and December 22 every year —that is, the point where it seems to turn and go back the other way.
• tropism: 向性
• entropy: 熵
• heliotrope: 鸡血石
• psychotropic: 精神药物

unit_14 - UNI

• UNI: Number Words Quiz 14-1 Quiz 14-2 Quiz 14-3 Quiz 14-4 Quiz 14-5 Review Quizzes 14 CRYPT comes from the Greek word for “hidden.” To encrypt a message is to encode it—that is, to hide its meaning in code language. When a scientific term begins with crypto-, it always means that there's something hidden about it .
• crypt: 地穴
• encrypt: 加密
• cryptic: 神秘的
• cryptography: 密码学
• AB/ABS: AB/ABS
• abscond: 潜逃
• abstemious: 节制的
• abstraction: 抽象
• abstruse: 奥

unit_15 - BI,BIN

• BI/BIN: also means “two” or “double.” A bicycle has two wheels, and binoculars consist of two little telescopes. Bigamy is marriage to two people at once. And a road built through the middle of a neighborhood bisects it into two pieces.
• terminal: 终端
• indeterminate: 不定
• interminable: 没完没了的
• terminus: 终点站
• GEO: 地球轨道
• geocentric: 地心说
• geophysics: 地球物理学
• geostationary: 对地静止
• geothermal: 地热

unit_15 - DI,DUP

• DI/DUP: Greek and Latin prefixes meaning “two,” show up in both technical and nontechnical terms, with dup- sometimes shortened to du-. So a duel is a battle between two people. A duet is music for a duo, or pair of musicians. A duplicate is an exact copy, or twin. And if you have dual citizenship, you belong to two countries at once.
• dichotomy: 二分法
• dimorphic: 二态性
• duplex: 复式
• duplicity: 表里不一

unit_15 - DOC,DOCT

• DOC/DOCT: comes from the Latin docere, which means “to teach.” So, for instance, a doctor was originally a highly educated person capable of instructing others in a field—which usually wasn't medicine.
• doctrine: 教义
• docent: 讲解员
• doctrinaire: 教条主义
• indoctrinate: 灌输

unit_15 - FORM

• FORM: is the Latin root meaning “shape” or “form.” When you march in formation, you're moving in ordered patterns. And a formula is a standard form for expressing information, such as a rule written in mathematical symbols, or the “Sincerely yours” that often ends a letter.
• format: 格式
• conform: 符合
• formality: 形式
• formative: 形成性的

unit_15 - GEO

• GEO: comes from the Greek word for “Earth.” Geography is the science that deals with features of the Earth's surface. Geologists study rocks and soil to learn about the Earth's history and resources. Geometry was originally about measuring portions of the Earth's surface, probably originally in order to determine where the boundaries of Egyptians' farms lay after the annual flooding by the Nile River.
• geocentric: 地心说
• geophysics: 地球物理学
• geostationary: 对地静止
• geothermal: 地热

unit_15 - MORPH

• MORPH: comes from the Greek word for “shape.” Morph is itself an English word with a brand-new meaning, which was needed when we began to digitally alter photographic images or shapes to make them move or transform themselves in often astonishing ways.
• amorphous: 无定形
• anthropomorphic: 拟人化的
• metamorphosis: 变态
• morphology: 形态学

unit_15 - SPHER

• SPHER: comes from the Greek word for “ball.” A ball is itself a sphere, as is the ball that we call Earth. So is the atmosphere, and so are several other invisible “spheres” that encircle the Earth.
• spherical: 球形
• stratosphere: 平流层
• biosphere: 生物圈
• hemisphere: 半球

unit_15 - TERM,TERMIN

• TERM/TERMIN: comes from the Latin verb terminare, “to limit, bound, or set limits to,” and the noun terminus, “limit or boundary.” In English, those boundaries or limits tend to be final. A term goes on for a given amount of time and then ends, and to terminate a sentence or a meeting or a ballgame means to end it.
• terminal: 终端
• indeterminate: 不定
• interminable: 没完没了的
• terminus: 终点站

unit_15 - TUT,TUI

• TUT/TUI: comes from a Latin verb meaning “to look after,” and in English the root generally shows up in words that include the meaning “guide,” “guard,” or “teach”—such as tutor, the name for a private teacher who guides a student (or tutee) through a subject.
• tutorial: 教程
• tuition: 学费
• intuition: 直觉
• tutelage: 监护

unit_15 - VERT

• VERT: comes from the Latin verb vertere, meaning “to turn” or “to turn around.” Vertigo is the dizziness that makes it seem as if everything is turning around you. And an advertisement turns your attention to a product or service.
• divert: 转移
• converter: 转换器
• avert: 避免
• revert: 恢复

unit_16 - CENTR,CENTER

• CENTR/CENTER: comes from the Greek kentron and the Latin centrum, meaning “sharp point” or “center point of a circle.” A centrifuge is a spinning machine that throws things outward from the center; the apparent force that pushes them outward is called centrifugal force.
• eccentric: 偏心
• epicenter: 震中
• egocentric: 以自我为中心
• ethnocentric: 民族中心主义

unit_16 - CHRON

• CHRON: comes from the Greek word for “time.” A chronicle records the events of a particular time, which is why so many newspapers have the name Chronicle. A chronometer is a device for measuring time, usually one that's more accurate (and more expensive) than an ordinary watch or clock.
• chronic: 慢性的
• chronology: 年表
• anachronism: 不合时宜
• synchronous: 同步

unit_16 - DOM

• DOM: comes from the Latin domus, “house,” and dominus, “master,” and the two are indeed related. In the Bible, King Ahasuerus, angered by his queen's disobedience, proclaims that “every man is to be master of his own house,” and in the Roman empire no one doubted that this was how it was meant to be. A domain is the area where a person has authority or is dominant—but we no longer think of a house as the domain of a single dominant member of a family.
• dominion: 统治
• predominant: 占主导地位的
• domineering: 盛气凌人
• domination: 统治

unit_16 - HOL,HOLO

• HOL/HOLO: meaning “whole,” comes from the Greek word holos, with the same meaning. The root can be found in catholic. When capitalized, Catholic refers to the worldwide Christian church based in Rome, which was once the “whole”—that is, the only—Christian church. Without the capital letter, catholic means simply “universal” or, when describing a person, “broad in one's interests or tastes.”
• holistic: 整体的
• hologram: 全息图
• Holocene: 全新世
• holocaust: 大屠杀

unit_16 - OMNI

• OMNI: comes from the Latin word omnis, meaning “all.” So in English words, omni- can mean “in all ways,” “in all places,” or “without limits.” An omnidirectional antenna, for example, is one that receives or sends radio waves equally well in all directions. And Omni by itself has been used repeatedly as a brand name for things as different as a hotel chain and a science magazine.
• omnivore: 杂食动物
• omnipotent: 无所不能
• omnibus: 综合车
• omniscient: 无所不知

unit_16 - RETRO

• RETRO: means “back,” “backward,” or “behind” in Latin. Retro in English is generally a prefix, but has also become a word in its own right, usually used to describe old styles or fashions.
• retroactive: 追溯性的
• retrofit: 改造
• retrogress: 倒退
• retrospective: 回顾性的

unit_16 - TEMPOR

• TEMPOR: comes from the Latin tempus, meaning “time.” A temporary repair is meant to last only a short time. The tempo, or speed, of a country-and-western ballad is usually different from that of a hip-hop number. The Latin phrase Tempus fugit means “Time flies,” an observation that seems more true during summer vacation than in the dead of winter.
• temporal: 颞
• contemporary: 当代的
• extemporaneous: 即席
• temporize: 拖延

unit_16 - TOP

• TOP: comes from topos, the Greek word for “place.” A topic is a subject rather than a place; to the Greeks, the original word meant more or less “about one place or subject (rather than another)”— which just goes to show that it's not always easy to trace a word's meaning from its roots.
• topical: 话题性的
• ectopic: 异位的
• utopian: 乌托邦的
• topography: 地形

unit_16 - TRI

• TRI: Number Words Quiz 16-1 Quiz 16-2 Quiz 16-3 Quiz 16-4 Quiz 16-5 Review Quizzes 16 TOP comes from topos, the Greek word for “place.” A topic is a subject rather than a place; to the Greeks, the original word meant more or less “about one place or subject (rather than another)”— which just goes to show that it's not always easy to trace a word's meaning from its roots.
• topical: 话题性的
• ectopic: 异位的
• utopian: 乌托邦的
• topography: 地形
• CENTR/CENTER: 中心/中心
• eccentric: 偏心
• epicenter: 震中
• egocentric: 以自我为中心
• ethnocentric: 民族中心主义

unit_17 - ANIM

• ANIM: comes from the Latin anima, meaning “breath” or “soul.” So, for example, an animal is a living, breathing thing—though human animals have often argued about whether other species actually have souls.
• animated: 动画
• magnanimous: 坦荡
• animosity: 敌意
• inanimate: 无生命的

unit_17 - ANN,ENN

• ANN/ENN: comes from Latin annus, meaning “year.” An annual event occurs yearly. An anniversary is an example of an annual event, although the older you get the more frequent they seem to be.
• annuity: 年金
• superannuated: 退休
• millennium: 千年
• perennial: 多年生

unit_17 - CODI,CODE

• CODI/CODE: comes from the Latin codex, meaning “trunk of a tree” or “document written on wooden tablets.” A code can be either a set of laws or a system of symbols used to write messages. To encode a message is to write it in code. A genetic code, transmitted by genes, is a set of instructions for everything from blood type to eye color.
• codex: 法典
• codicil: 附录
• codify: 编纂
• decode: 解码

unit_17 - CORP

• CORP: comes from corpus, the Latin word for “body.” A corpse is a dead body. A corporation is also a kind of body, since it may act almost like an individual. And a corps is a “body” of soldiers.
• corporeal: 有形的
• corpulent: 肥胖的
• corporal: 下士
• incorporate: 包含

unit_17 - EV

• EV: comes from the Latin aevum, “age” or “lifetime.” Though the root occurs in only a few English words, it's related to the Greek aion, “age,” from which we get the word eon, meaning “a very long period of time.”
• coeval: 同时代的
• longevity: 长寿
• medieval: 中世纪
• primeval: 原始

unit_17 - FIG

• FIG: comes from a Latin verb meaning “to shape or mold” and a noun meaning “a form or shape.” So a figure is usually a shape. A transfiguration transforms the shape or appearance of something. And a disfiguring injury changes the appearance of part of the body for the worse.
• figurative: 比喻的
• configuration: 配置
• effigy: 肖像
• figment: 虚构的

unit_17 - QUADR,QUART

• QUADR/QUART: comes from Latin words meaning “four” or “fourth.” In English, a quart is one-fourth of a gallon, just as a quarter is one-fourth of a dollar. A quadrangle has four sides and angles but isn't necessarily square. And quadruplets are four babies born at the same time.
• quadrant: 象限
• quadrille: 四边形
• quadriplegic: 四肢瘫痪的
• quartile: 四分位数

unit_17 - SIGN

• SIGN: comes from the Latin noun signum, “mark or sign.” A signal is a kind of sign. Your signature is your own personal sign. And an architect's design marks out the pattern for a building.
• signify: 表示
• insignia: 徽章
• signatory: 签字人
• signet: 印章

unit_17 - TANG,TACT

• TANG/TACT: comes from the Latin words tangere, “to touch,” and tactus, “sense of touch.” So, for instance, to make contact is to touch or “get in touch with.”
• tact: 机智
• tactile: 触
• tangential: 切向的
• tangible: 有形

unit_17 - TETR

• TETR: Number Words Quiz 17-1 Quiz 17-2 Quiz 17-3 Quiz 17-4 Quiz 17-5 Review Quizzes 17 ANIM comes from the Latin anima, meaning “breath” or “soul.” So, for example, an animal is a living, breathing thing—though human animals have often argued about whether other species actually have souls.
• animated: 动画
• magnanimous: 坦荡
• animosity: 敌意
• inanimate: 无生命的
• FIG: 如图
• figurative: 比喻的
• configuration: 配置
• effigy: 肖像
• figment: 虚构的

unit_18 - ANTHROP

• ANTHROP: comes from the Greek word for “human being.” So an anthropomorphic god, such as Zeus or Athena, basically looks and acts like a human. And in Aesop's fables and many animated cartoons, animals are usually anthropomorphized and behave exactly like furry, four-legged human beings.
• anthropoid: 类人猿
• anthropology: 人类学
• misanthropic: 厌世的
• lycanthropy: 狼化

unit_18 - CAPIT

• CAPIT: , from the Latin word for “head,” caput, turns up in some important places. The head of a ship is its captain, and the capital of a state or country is where the “head of state” works. A capital letter stands head and shoulders above a lowercase letter, as well as at the head (beginning) of a sentence.
• capitalism: 资本主义
• capitulate: 投降
• decapitate: 杀头
• recapitulate: 概括

unit_18 - CRIT

• CRIT: comes from a Greek verb that means “to judge” or “to decide.” So a film critic judges a movie and tells us what's good or bad about it. Her critical opinion may convince us not to go, or we may overlook any negative criticism and see it anyway.
• criterion: 标准
• critique: 批判
• hypercritical: 挑眼
• hematocrit: 血细胞比容

unit_18 - DYNAM

• DYNAM: comes from the Greek dynamis, meaning “power.” A dyne is a unit used in measuring force; an instrument that measures force is called a dynamometer. And when Alfred Nobel invented a powerful explosive in 1867, he named it dynamite.
• dynamic: 动态的
• dynamo: 发电机
• aerodynamics: 空气动力学
• hydrodynamic: 流体动力学

unit_18 - GRAD

• GRAD: comes from the Latin noun gradus, “step” or “degree,” and the verb gradi, “to step, walk.” A grade is a step up or down on a scale of some kind, and a gradual change takes place in small steps.
• gradation: 层次
• degrade: 降级
• gradient: 坡度
• retrograde: 逆行

unit_18 - JUR

• JUR: comes from the Latin verb jurare, “to swear, take an oath,” and the noun jus, “right or law.” A jury, made up of jurors, makes judgments based on the law. And a personal injury was originally something done to you that a court would find unjust.
• jurisprudence: 法理
• abjure: 放弃誓言
• perjury: 伪证
• de jure: 法律上的

unit_18 - KINE

• KINE: comes from the Greek word kinesis, meaning “movement.” Kinetic energy is the energy of motion (as opposed to potential energy, the kind of energy held by a stretched elastic band). Kinetic art is art that has moving parts, such as Alexander Calder's famous mobiles. And cinema, the art of moving pictures, actually comes from the same kine- root as well.
• kinesiology: 运动机能学
• hyperkinetic: 多动症
• kinescope: 显象管
• telekinesis: 心灵遥感

unit_18 - PENT

• PENT: comes from the Greek word for “five.” The Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the world's largest office building, has five sides just like any other pentagon. And a pentatonic scale in music has only five notes, rather than the seven notes of the major or minor scale.
• pentathlon: 五项全能
• Pentateuch: 摩西五经
• pentameter: 五音步
• Pentecostal: 五旬节派

unit_18 - QUINT

• QUINT: Number Words Quiz 18-1 Quiz 18-2 Quiz 18-3 Quiz 18-4 Quiz 18-5 Review Quizzes 18 CAPIT , from the Latin word for “head,” caput, turns up in some important places. The head of a ship is its captain, and the capital of a state or country is where the “head of state” works. A capital letter stands head and shoulders above a lowercase letter, as well as at the head (beginning) of a sentence.
• capitalism: 资本主义
• capitulate: 投降
• decapitate: 杀头
• recapitulate: 概括
• ANTHROP: 人猿
• anthropoid: 类人猿
• anthropology: 人类学
• misanthropic: 厌世的
• lycanthropy: 狼化

unit_18 - REG

• REG: , from the Latin regula, meaning “rule,” has given us many English words. Something regular follows a rule of some kind, even if it's just a law of nature. A regime can be a form of rule or government. To regulate an industry means to make and enforce rules, or regulations, for it; removing such rules is called deregulation.
• regimen: 养生法
• interregnum: 空位期
• regalia: 王权
• regency: 摄政

unit_19 - BIO

• BIO: comes from the Greek word for “life,” and forms the base for many English words. Biology, for instance, is the study of living forms and life processes; the biosphere is the entire area of and above the earth where life can exist; and biotechnology is the use of living organisms to create useful products.
• bionic: 仿生的
• biopsy: 活检
• biodegradable: 可生物降解
• symbiosis: 共生

unit_19 - CENT

• CENT: from the Latin centum, means “one hundred.” A dollar is made up of a hundred cents, though other monetary systems use centavos or centimes as the smallest coin. A centipede has what appears to be a hundred feet, though the actual number varies greatly. But there really are a hundred years in a century.
• centenary: 百年的
• centigrade: 摄氏温度
• centimeter: 厘米

unit_19 - DEC

• DEC: comes from both Greek and Latin and means “ten.” So a decade lasts for ten years; the decimal system is based on ten; and a decahedron is a geometrical shape with ten sides.
• decalogue: 十诫
• decathlon: 十项全能
• decibel: 分贝
• decimate: 消灭

unit_19 - FRACT

• FRACT: comes from the Latin verb frangere, “to break or shatter.” A fraction is one of the pieces into which a whole can be broken, and a fracture is a break in a wall, a rock, or a bone.
• fractious: 暴躁的
• fractal: 分形
• infraction: 违规
• refraction: 折射

unit_19 - FUNCT

• FUNCT: comes from the Latin verb fungi, “to perform, carry out.” If your car is functional, it's able to perform its function of providing transportation. But a functional illiterate is a person who, for all practical or functional purposes, might as well not be able to read or write at all.
• functionary: 官员
• malfunction: 故障
• defunct: 不复存在的
• dysfunctional: 功能失调的

unit_19 - GEN

• GEN: , which comes from the Greek genos, meaning “birth,” has generated dozens of English words. A set of genes, for instance, gives birth to a living being. And a genealogy is a historical map of your family, showing how each generation gave birth to the next.
• genesis: 起源
• generator: 发电机
• genre: 类型
• carcinogenic: 致癌的

unit_19 - MUT

• MUT: comes from the Latin mutare, “to change.” Plenty of science- fiction movies—Godzilla, The Fly, The Incredible Shrinking Man— used to be made on the subject of weird mutations, changes in normal people or animals that usually end up causing death and destruction. What causes the unfortunate victim to mutate may be a mysterious or alien force, or perhaps invisible radiation. Though the science in these films isn't always right on target, the scare factor of an army of mutants can be hard to beat.
• commute: 通勤
• immutable: 不可变的
• permutation: 排列
• transmute: 转化

unit_19 - NEG

• NEG: and its variants nec- and ne- are prefixes of denial or refusal in Latin, and the Latin verb negare means “to say no.” To negate something is to make it ineffective, and something negative denies, contradicts, refuses, or reverses.
• negligent: 疏忽的
• abnegation: 放弃
• negligible: 微不足道
• renege: 食言

unit_19 - Number Words

• Number Words: DEC comes from both Greek and Latin and means “ten.” So a decade lasts for ten years; the decimal system is based on ten; and a decahedron is a geometrical shape with ten sides.
• decalogue: 十诫
• decathlon: 十项全能
• decibel: 分贝
• decimate: 消灭
• CENT: 中央电视台
• centenary: 百年
• centigrade: 摄氏度
• centimeter: 厘米
• centurion: 百夫长

unit_19 - PHIL

• PHIL: comes from the Greek word meaning “love.” In philosophy, it's joined with sophia, “wisdom,” so philosophy means literally “love of wisdom.” When joined with biblio-, “book,” the result is bibliophile, or “lover of books.” And Philadelphia, containing the Greek word adelphos, “brother,” was named by its Quaker founder, William Penn, as the city of “brotherly love.”
• oenophile: 嗜酒者
• philatelist: 集邮家
• Anglophile: 亲英派
• philanthropy: 慈善事业

unit_19 - TELE

• TELE: has as its basic meanings “distant” or “at a distance.” A telescope is for looking at far-off objects; a camera's telephoto lens magnifies a distant scene for a photograph; and a television lets us watch things taking place far away.
• telegenic: 上镜的
• teleological: 目的论的
• telemetry: 遥测
• telecommute: 远程办公

unit_20 - FLU

• FLU: comes from the Latin verb fluere, “to flow.” So a flume is a narrow gorge with a stream flowing through it. A fluent speaker is one from whom words flow easily. Influence originally referred to an invisible fluid that was believed to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of humans. A mysterious outbreak of disease in 15th- century Italy led Italians to blame it on the stars' influenza—and the name stuck.
• affluence: 富裕
• effluent: 废水
• confluence: 合流
• mellifluous: 柔和的

unit_20 - GREG

• GREG: comes from the Latin grex, “herd” or “flock.” Bees, starlings, cows—any creatures that like to live together in flocks or herds—are called gregarious, and the same word is used for people who enjoy companionship and are happiest when they're in the middle of a rowdy herd.
• aggregate: 总计的
• congregation: 会众
• egregious: 令人震惊的
• segregate: 分离

unit_20 - HEMI,SEMI

• HEMI/SEMI: means “half.” Hemi- comes from Greek, semi- from Latin. A hemisphere is half a sphere, and a semicircle is half a circle. (The French prefix demi-, which probably developed from Latin as well, also means “half”—as in demitasse, a little after-dinner coffee cup half the size of a regular cup.)
• nominal: 名义上的
• nomenclature: 命名法
• ignominious: 可耻
• misnomer: 误称
• PATER/PATR: 佩特/佩特
• patrician: 贵族
• patriarchy: 父权制
• expatriate: 外籍人士
• paternalistic: 家长式的

unit_20 - LEGA

• LEGA: comes from the Latin legare, meaning “to appoint” or “to send as a deputy.” The same root actually shows up in such words as legal—but how the law connects with sending deputies can get awfully complicated and probably isn't worth going into.
• legate: 使节
• legacy: 遗产
• delegation: 代表团
• relegate: 贬谪

unit_20 - MILL

• MILL: means either “a thousand” or “a thousandth.” A millennium is a thousand years, and a million is a thousand thousands. But a milligram is a thousandth of a gram, a milliliter a thousandth of a liter, and a millimeter a thousandth of a meter.
• millefleur: 千花
• millenarianism: 千禧年主义
• millipede: 千足虫
• millisecond: 毫秒

unit_20 - NOM

• NOM: comes from the Latin word for “name.” A nominee is a person “named”—or nominated—to run for or serve in office. A binomial (“two names”) is the scientific name for a species: Felis catus for the house cat, for example. A polynomial, with “many names,” is an algebra expression involving several terms: 2x + 9y – z , for instance.
• nominal: 名义上的
• nomenclature: 命名法
• ignominious: 可耻
• misnomer: 误称

unit_20 - PATER,PATR

• PATER/PATR: comes from both the Greek and the Latin word for “father.” So a patron, for example, is someone who assumes a fatherly role toward an institution or project or individual, giving moral and financial support.
• patrician: 贵族
• patriarchy: 父权制
• expatriate: 外籍人士
• paternalistic: 家长式的

unit_20 - PREHEND,PREHENS

• PREHEND/PREHENS: comes from the Latin verb prehendere, “to seize.” Most of the English words where it appears are closely related to the ones discussed below.
• prehensile: 可抓握的
• apprehend: 逮捕
• comprehend: 理解
• reprehensible: 应受谴责的

unit_20 - PURG

• PURG: comes from the Latin verb purgare, “to clean or cleanse.” Almost all the English words where it shows up are closely related to those discussed below.
• purge: 清除
• expurgate: 清除
• purgative: 泻药
• purgatory: 炼狱

unit_20 - TEMPER

• TEMPER: comes from the Latin verb temperare, “to moderate or keep within limits” or “to mix.” Most of the world's people live in the temperate zone—that is, the zone where the temperature is moderate, between the hot tropics and the icy Arctic and Antarctic Circles. It's less easy to see how we get temperature from this root; the word actually used to refer to the mixing of different basic elements in the body, and only slowly came to mean how hot or cold that body was.
• temper: 脾气
• temperance: 节制
• intemperate: 不节制的
• distemper: 犬瘟热

unit_21 - ANT,ANTI

• ANT/ANTI: is a Latin prefix meaning “against.” An anticlimax is the opposite of a climax. An antiseptic or antibiotic fights germs. An antacid attacks acid in the stomach. And an antidote works against the effects of a poison.
• antagonist: 拮抗剂
• antigen: 抗原
• antipathy: 反感
• antithesis: 对立

unit_21 - CONTRA

• CONTRA: is the Latin equivalent of anti-, and it too means essentially “against” or “contrary to.” A contrast “stands against” something else that it's compared to. And contrapuntal music, as in the music of Bach, sets one melody against another played at the same time and produces harmony (which no one is opposed to).
• contraband: 违禁品
• contraindication: 禁忌症
• contravene: 违反
• contrarian: 逆向思维

unit_21 - Greek and Latin Borrowings

• Greek and Latin Borrowings: in memoriam In memory of. • The message on the pedestal begins “In memoriam” and then lists the names of the local young men who died in World War I. Since the days of the Roman empire, the words In memoriam, followed by a name, have been found on monuments and gravestones. They may also appear in the dedication of a book or poem; Alfred Tennyson's greatest poem is his immense In Memoriam, written over a period of 17 years to mourn the death of his dear friend Arthur Hallam.
• magnum opus: 巨著
• memento mori: 死亡纪念品
• habeas corpus: 人身保护令
• rigor mortis: 尸僵
• sine qua non: 必要条件
• tabula rasa: 白板
• terra incognita: 未知领域

unit_21 - HYPER

• HYPER: is a Greek prefix that means “above or beyond,” so hyper- often means about the same thing as super-. Hyperinflation is inflation that's growing at a very high rate. To be hypercritical or hypersensitive is to be critical or sensitive beyond the normal. And if you hyperextend a knee or elbow, it means you're actually bending it backward.
• hyperactive: 过度活跃
• hyperbole: 夸张
• hypertension: 高血压
• hyperventilate: 过度换气

unit_21 - META

• META: is a prefix in English that generally means “behind” or “beyond.” In medicine, for example, the metacarpal bones are the hand bones that come right after, or beyond, the carpal or wrist bones. And metalanguage is language used to talk about language, which requires going beyond normal language.
• metadata: 元数据
• metaphorical: 隐喻的
• metaphysics: 形而上学
• metonymy: 转喻

unit_21 - PARA

• PARA: is a Greek prefix usually meaning “beside” or “closely related to.” So parallel lines run beside each other. And a Greek paragraphos was originally a line written beside the main text of a play to show where a new person begins speaking; today we just start a new paragraph on a new line.
• paraphrase: 释义
• paralegal: 律师助理
• paramedic: 护理人员
• paramilitary: 准军事化的

unit_21 - PER

• PER: is a Latin preposition that generally means “through,” “throughout,” or “thoroughly.” Thus, perforate means “to bore through,” perennial means “throughout the years,” and permanent means “remaining throughout.” And the “thoroughly” sense shows up in persuade, for “thoroughly advise,” and perverted, “thoroughly turned around.”
• percolate: 过滤
• pervade: 弥漫
• permeate: 渗透
• persevere: 坚持下去

unit_21 - PRE

• PRE: , one of the most common of all English prefixes, comes from prae, the Latin word meaning “before” or “in front of.” So a prediction forecasts what will happen before it occurs. The 5:00 TV news precedes the 6:00 news. And someone with a prejudice against a class of people has judged them before having even met them.
• preclude: 排除
• precocious: 早熟
• predispose: 倾向于
• prerequisite: 前提条件

unit_21 - SUB

• SUB: means “under.” So a subway runs under the streets, and a submarine moves under the ocean's surface. A subject is a person under the authority of another. A movie's subplot is lower in importance than the main plot. Subscribe once meant “to write one's name underneath,” so subscription was the act of signing a document or agreement.
• subconscious: 潜意识
• subjugate: 征服
• subliminal: 潜意识的
• subversion: 颠覆

unit_22 - ACER,ACR

• ACER/ACR: comes from the Latin adjective acer, meaning “sharp” or “sour.” Grapefruit and limes have an acid taste; acid can also describe a person's sense of humor (other words for it might be sharp or biting). The acidity of the soil often indicates whether it's good for growing certain crops; blueberries, for instance, love acid soil, so they're more likely to be found east of the Mississippi River, where acid soil is the rule.
• acerbic: 尖刻的
• acrid: 辛辣
• acrimony: 尖刻的
• exacerbate: 加剧

unit_22 - CLUS

• CLUS: comes from the Latin claudere, “to close.” Words based on the Latin verb often have forms in which the d becomes an s. So, for example, include, which once meant “to shut up or enclose” and now means “to contain,” has the related word inclusive, which means “including everything.”
• occlusion: 闭塞
• exclusive: 独家的
• recluse: 隐士
• seclusion: 隔离

unit_22 - Greek and Latin Borrowings

• Greek and Latin Borrowings: Quiz 22-1 Quiz 22-2 Quiz 22-3 Quiz 22-4 Quiz 22-5 Review Quizzes 22 ACER/ACR comes from the Latin adjective acer, meaning “sharp” or “sour.” Grapefruit and limes have an acid taste; acid can also describe a person's sense of humor (other words for it might be sharp or biting). The acidity of the soil often indicates whether it's good for growing certain crops; blueberries, for instance, love acid soil, so they're more likely to be found east of the Mississippi River, where acid soil is the rule.
• acerbic: 尖刻的
• acrid: 辛辣
• acrimony: 尖刻的
• exacerbate: 加剧
• STRICT: 严格的
• stricture: 狭窄
• restrictive: 限制性的
• constrict: 收缩
• vasoconstrictor: 血管收缩剂

unit_22 - PROP,PROPRI

• PROP/PROPRI: comes from the Latin word proprius, meaning “own.” A proprietor is an owner, and property is what he or she owns. And the original meaning of proper was “belonging to oneself,” so a writer around the year 1400 could say “With his own proper sword he was slain,” even if we might not say it quite the same way today.
• proprietary: 所有权
• propriety: 礼
• appropriate: 合适的
• expropriate: 征用

unit_22 - SERV

• SERV: means “to be subject to.” A servant is the person who serves you with meals and provides other necessary services. A tennis or volleyball serve puts the ball in play, much as a servant puts food on the table.
• serviceable: 可维修的
• servile: 奴性的
• servitude: 奴役
• subservient: 屈从的

unit_22 - STRICT

• STRICT: comes from the Latin verb meaning “to draw tight, bind, or tie.” So the English word strict means “tightly controlled.” And when someone begins a sentence “Strictly speaking, . . .” you know he or she is going to be talking about a word or idea in its most limited sense, “drawing tight” the meaning till it's as narrow as possible.
• stricture: 狭窄
• restrictive: 限制性的
• constrict: 收缩
• vasoconstrictor: 血管收缩剂

unit_22 - STRU,STRUCT

• STRU/STRUCT: comes from the Latin verb struere, meaning “to put together, build, arrange.” A structure is something that's been constructed,—that is, built or put together. Instructions tell how the pieces should be arranged. Something that obstructs is a barrier that's been “built” to stand in your way. And something destructive “unbuilds.”
• deconstruction: 解构
• infrastructure: 基础设施
• construe: 解释
• instrumental: 工具性的

unit_22 - TORT

• TORT: comes from a form of the Latin verb torquere, meaning “to twist, wind, or wrench.” In torture, parts of the body may be wrenched or twisted or stretched; so those “Indian sunburns” that schoolkids give by twisting in different directions on some unlucky guy's wrist stay pretty close to torture's original meaning.
• tort: 侵权行为
• extort: 勒索
• contort: 扭曲
• tortuous: 曲折

unit_22 - VIV

• VIV: comes from vivere, the Latin verb meaning “to live or be alive.” A survivor has lived through something terrible. A revival brings something back to life, whether it's an old film, interest in a long- dead novelist, or religious enthusiasm in a group, maybe in a huge tent in the countryside.
• vivacious: 活泼
• bon vivant: 美好生活
• revivify: 复兴
• vivisection: 活体解剖

unit_23 - AUT,AUTO

• AUT/AUTO: comes from the Greek word for “same” or “self.” Something automatic operates by itself, and an automobile moves by itself, without the help of a horse. An autograph is in the handwriting of the person him- or herself, and an autopsy is an inspection of a corpse by an examiner's own eyes.
• automaton: 自动机
• autoimmune: 自身免疫性
• autonomy: 自治
• autism: 自闭症

unit_23 - CLAM,CLAIM

• CLAM/CLAIM: comes from the Latin verb clamare, meaning “to shout or cry out.” To claim often means “to call for.” And an exclamation is a cry of shock, joy, or surprise.
• clamor: 叫嚣
• acclamation: 鼓掌
• declaim: 朗诵
• proclaim: 宣布

unit_23 - CRAC,CRAT

• CRAC/CRAT: comes from the Greek word meaning “power.” Attached to another root, it indicates which group holds the power. With demos, the Greek word for “people,” it forms democracy, a form of government in which the people rule. A theocracy, from the Greek theos, “god,” is government based on divine guidance. In a meritocracy, people earn power by their own merit.
• aristocrat: 贵族
• autocratic: 专制
• bureaucrat: 官僚
• plutocracy: 富豪

unit_23 - GRAT

• GRAT: comes from the Latin words gratus, meaning “pleasing, welcome, or agreeable,” and gratia, meaning “grace, agreeableness, or pleasantness.” A meal that's served graciously will be received with gratitude by grateful guests; those who show no appreciation could be called ingrates.
• gratify: 满足
• gratuity: 小费
• gratuitous: 无偿的
• ingratiate: 迎合

unit_23 - Greek and Latin Borrowings

• Greek and Latin Borrowings: Quiz 23-1 Quiz 23-2 Quiz 23-3 Quiz 23-4 Quiz 23-5 Review Quizzes 23 TEXT comes from a Latin verb that means “to weave.” So a textile is a woven or knitted cloth. The material it's made from determines its texture, the smoothness or roughness of its surface. And individual words are “woven” into sentences and paragraphs to form a text.
• textual: 文本的
• context: 语境
• hypertext: 超文本
• subtext: 潜台词
• PLAC: PLAC
• placate: 安抚
• placebo: 安慰剂
• placidity: 平静
• implacable: 不屈不挠的

unit_23 - PLAC

• PLAC: comes from the Latin placere, “to please or be agreeable to,” or placare, “to soothe or calm.” Pleasant, pleasurable, and pleasing all derive from this root, even though their spelling makes it hard to see.
• placate: 安抚
• placebo: 安慰剂
• placidity: 平静
• implacable: 不屈不挠的

unit_23 - POT

• POT: comes from the Latin adjective potens, meaning “able.” Our English word potent means “powerful” or “effective,” whether for good or bad. A potent new antibiotic might be able to deal with infections that have developed resistance to older drugs; an industrial gas might be identified as a potent contributor to climate change; and a potent drink might leave you staggering.
• potential: 潜在的
• impotent: 无能为力
• plenipotentiary: 全权代表
• potentate: 统治者

unit_23 - PUNC

• PUNC: comes from the Latin noun punctum, meaning “point.” A period is a form of punctuation that's literally a point, and a punctured tire has been pricked by a sharp point.
• punctilious: 一丝不苟的
• punctual: 准时
• compunction: 悔恨
• acupuncture: 针刺

unit_23 - TEXT

• TEXT: comes from a Latin verb that means “to weave.” So a textile is a woven or knitted cloth. The material it's made from determines its texture, the smoothness or roughness of its surface. And individual words are “woven” into sentences and paragraphs to form a text.
• textual: 文本的
• context: 语境
• hypertext: 超文本
• subtext: 潜台词

unit_24 - CRE,CRET

• CRE/CRET: comes from the Latin verb crescere, which means both “to come into being” and “to grow.” So a crescendo in music occurs when the music is growing louder, and a decrescendo when it's growing softer.
• crescent: 新月
• accretion: 吸积
• excrescence: 赘生物
• increment: 增量

unit_24 - FUS

• FUS: comes from the Latin verb fundere, “to pour out” or “to melt.” A fuse depends on melting metal to break an overloaded circuit. Nuclear fusion involves the “melting” together of light nuclei to form heavier nuclei, and fusion cuisine brings together the cooking of two or more cultures.
• transfusion: 输血
• effusive: 热情洋溢的
• profusion: 丰富
• suffuse: 弥漫

unit_24 - Greek and Latin Borrowings

• apologi： A defense, especially of one's own ideas, opinions, or actions.
• atrium: 中庭
• oligarchy: 寡头政治
• encomium: 赞美
• neurosis: 神经症
• opprobrium: 责难
• referendum: 公投
• ultimatum: 最后通牒

unit_24 - LOQU

• LOQU: comes from the Latin verb loqui, “to talk.” An eloquent preacher speaks fluently, forcefully, and expressively. And a dummy's words come out of a ventriloquist's mouth—or perhaps out of his belly (in Latin, venter).
• colloquium: 座谈会
• soliloquy: 独白
• colloquial: 口语化的
• loquacious: 贫嘴

unit_24 - MAND

• MAND: comes from mandare, Latin for “entrust” or “order.” A command is an order; a commandment is also an order, but usually one that comes from God. And a commando unit carries out orders for special military actions.
• mandate: 授权
• mandatory: 强制的
• commandeer: 征用
• remand: 归还

unit_24 - SANCT

• SANCT: , meaning “holy,” comes from the Latin word sanctus. Thus, sanctity means “holiness.” In ancient Greece, a spot could be sanctified, or “made holy,” by a group of priests who carried out a solemn ritual; these might be spots where fumes arose from a crack in the earth or where a spring of clear water flowed out of the ground, and a temple might be built there for worship of a god.
• sanction: 制裁
• sanctimonious: 道貌岸然的
• sacrosanct: 神圣不可侵犯的
• sanctuary: 避难所

unit_24 - UND

• UND: comes into English from the Latin words unda, “wave,” and undare, “to rise in waves,” “to surge or flood.” Undulations are waves or wavelike things or motions, and to undulate is to rise and fall in a wavelike way.
• undulant: 起伏的
• inundate: 淹没
• redound: 回报
• redundancy: 冗余

unit_24 - VAL

• VAL: has as its basic meaning “strength,” from the Latin verb valere, meaning “to be worthy, healthy, or strong” and “to have power or influence.” So evaluating a house involves determining how healthy it is. A valid license or credit card is one that's still in effect, and a valid proof is one that provides strong evidence.
• valor: 勇气
• equivalent: 相等的
• prevalent: 流行
• validate: 证实

unit_24 - VIR

• VIR: is Latin for “man.” A virtue is a good quality—originally, the kind of quality an ideal man possessed. And virtuous behavior is morally excellent. All in all, the Romans seem to have believed that being a man was a good thing.
• virility: 男子气概
• triumvirate: 三巨头
• virago: 泼妇
• virtuosity: 精湛技艺

unit_25 - FALL

• FALL: comes from the Latin verb fallere, “to deceive.” It's actually at the root of the word false, which we rarely use today to mean “deceptive,” though that meaning does show up in older phrases: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” for instance, or “A false-hearted lover will send you to your grave.” Fallere is even at the root of fail and fault, though you might not guess it to look at them.
• fallacy: 谬论
• fallacious: 谬误的
• fallibility: 易犯错误
• infallible: 无误的

unit_25 - Greek and Latin Borrowings

• aegis:
• charisma:
• ego:
• ethos:
• hubris:
• id:

unit_25 - HYDR

• HYDR: flows from the Greek word for “water.” The “water” root can be found in the lovely flower called the hydrangea: its seed capsules resemble ancient Greek water vessels.
• hydraulic: 液压
• dehydrate: 脱水
• hydroelectric: 水力发电
• hydroponics: 水培法

unit_25 - ONYM

• ONYM: comes from the Greek onyma, meaning “name, word.” An anonymous donor or writer is one who isn't named. A synonym is a word with the same meaning as another word (see SYN ). And homonyms (see HOM/HOMO ) are words that look and sound alike but aren't actually related, such as well (“healthy”) and well (“a deep hole with water in it”).
• antonym: 反义词
• eponymous: 同名的
• patronymic: 父名的
• pseudonym: 笔名

unit_25 - SCEND

• SCEND: comes from the Latin verb scandere, “to climb.” The staircase we ascend to our bedroom at night we will descend the next morning, since what goes up must come down.
• transcend: 超越
• condescend: 居高临下
• descendant: 后裔
• ascendancy: 优势

unit_25 - SCRIB,SCRIP

• SCRIB/SCRIP: comes from the Latin verb scribere, “to write.” Scribble is an old word meaning to write or draw carelessly. A written work that hasn't been published is a manuscript. And to describe is to picture something in words.
• conscription: 征兵
• circumscribe: 限制
• inscription: 题词
• proscribe: 禁止

unit_25 - SIMIL,SIMUL

• SIMIL/SIMUL: come from the Latin adjective similis, meaning “like, resembling, similar,” and the verb simulare, “to make like.” Two similar things resemble each other. Two simultaneous activities proceed at the same time. And a facsimile, such as you might receive from your fax machine, looks exactly the same as the original.
• simile: 明喻
• assimilate: 吸收
• simulacrum: 拟像
• simulate: 模拟

unit_25 - SOLU

• SOLU: comes from the Latin verb solvere, “to loosen, free, release,” and the root therefore may take the form solv- as well. So to solve a problem means to find its solution, as if you were freeing up a logjam. And a solvent is a chemical that dissolves or “loosens up” oil or paint.
• soluble: 可溶的
• absolution: 赦免
• dissolution: 解散
• resolute: 坚决

unit_25 - VERB

• VERB: comes from the Latin verbum, meaning “word.” A verb—or action word—appears in some form in every complete sentence. To express something verbally—or to verbalize something—is to say it or write it.
• verbose: 冗长的
• proverb: 谚语
• verbatim: 逐字
• verbiage: 废话

unit_26 - HEM,HEMO

• HEM/HEMO: comes from the Greek word for “blood” and is found at the beginning of many medical terms. By dropping the h-, the same word produced the suffix -emia, which likewise shows up in lots of “blood” words, including anemia, leukemia and hyperglycemia.
• hemorrhage: 出血
• hematology: 血液学
• hemophilia: 血友病
• hemoglobin: 血红蛋白

unit_26 - ITIS

• ITIS: Medical Words Quiz 26-1 Quiz 26-2 Quiz 26-3 Quiz 26-4 Quiz 26-5 Review Quizzes 26 MUR , from the Latin noun murus, meaning “wall,” has produced a modest number of English words.
• muralist: 壁画家
• intramural: 壁内
• extramural: 校外的
• immure: 不纯洁的
• POLIS/POLIT: 城邦/政治
• politic: 政治的
• politicize: 政治化
• acropolis: 卫城
• megalopolis: 大都市

unit_26 - KILO

• KILO: is the French version of the Greek word chilioi, meaning “thousand.” France is also where the metric system originated, in the years following the French Revolution. So in English, kilo- shows up chiefly in metric-system units. Before the computer age, the most familiar kilo- words for English-speakers were probably kilowatt, meaning “1,000 watts,” and kilowatt-hour, meaning the amount of energy equal to one kilowatt over the course of an hour.
• kilobyte: 千字节
• kilometer: 公里
• kilohertz: 千赫
• kilogram: 公斤

unit_26 - MICRO

• MICRO: , from the Greek mikros, meaning “small,” is a popular English prefix. A microscope lets the eye see microscopic objects, and libraries store the pages of old newspapers on microfilm at 1/400th of their original size. And we continue to attach micro- to lots of familiar words; most of us could figure out the meaning of microbus and microquake without ever having heard them before. Scientists often use micro- to mean “millionth”; thus, a microsecond is a millionth of a second, and a micrometer is a millionth of a meter.
• microbe: 微生物
• microbiologist: 微生物学家
• microbrew: 微酿啤酒
• microclimate: 小气候

unit_26 - MULTI

• MULTI: comes from the Latin word multus, meaning “many.” Thus, a multicultural society is one that includes people of several different countries, languages, and religions; a multimedia artwork uses two or more artistic media (dance, music, film, spoken text, etc.); and a multitude of complaints reaching your office would be a great many indeed.
• multicellular: 多细胞的
• multidisciplinary: 多学科
• multifarious: 五花八门
• multilateral: 多边

unit_26 - MUR

• MUR: , from the Latin noun murus, meaning “wall,” has produced a modest number of English words.
• muralist: 壁画家
• intramural: 壁内
• extramural: 校外的
• immure: 不纯洁的

unit_26 - NUMER

• NUMER: comes from the Latin words meaning “number” and “to count.” A numeral is the symbol that represents a number. Numerous means “many,” and innumerable means “countless.” Numerical superiority is superiority in numbers, and your numerical standing in a class is a ranking expressed as a number.
• numerology: 命理学
• alphanumeric: 字母数字
• enumerate: 枚举
• supernumerary: 多余的

unit_26 - PAR

• PAR: , from the Latin, means “equal.” Our English word par means an amount taken as an average or a standard, and especially the standard score for each hole on a golf course—which is why the phrase “par for the course” means “about as well as expected.” We compare things to see if they're equal; similar things can be called comparable—that is, “equal with.” And “on a par with” means “comparable to.”
• parity: 平价
• disparity: 差距
• nonpareil: 无比
• subpar: 欠佳

unit_26 - PHOB

• PHOB: comes from the Greek noun phobos, “fear,” and it shows up clearly in our noun phobia, meaning “unusual fear of a specific thing.” Phobias vary greatly in seriousness and also in frequency. Most of us have experienced claustrophobia at some time, but few truly suffer from fear of the number 13, a condition known as triskaidekaphobia.
• acrophobic: 恐高症的
• agoraphobia: 广场恐惧症
• xenophobe: 排外者
• arachnophobia: 蜘蛛恐惧症

unit_26 - POLIS,POLIT

• POLIS/POLIT: comes from the Greek word for “city.” The ancient Greek city-states, such as Athens, Thebes, and Sparta, operated much like separate nations, so all their politics was local, like all their public policy—and even all their police!
• politic: 政治的
• politicize: 政治化
• acropolis: 卫城
• megalopolis: 大都市

unit_27 - ARM

• ARM: comes from the Latin arma, meaning “weapons, tools.” The root is seen in such English words as arms (i.e., weapons), armed, and army. It has nothing to do with the limb that starts at your shoulder; the name for that kind of arm comes from the Latin word meaning “shoulder.”
• armada: 舰队
• armistice: 停战
• armory: 军械库
• disarming: 解除武装

unit_27 - DE

• DE: in Latin means “down, away.” So a descent is a downward slope or climb, and a decline is a downward slide (of health, income, etc.). To devalue something is to take value away from it. And you might describe a depressed friend as “down.”
• debase: 贬低
• defamation: 诽谤
• degenerative: 退化的
• dejection: 沮丧

unit_27 - IATR

• IATR: from the Greek iatros, “healer, physician,” usually hides in the middle of words, where it isn't immediately noticed. A pediatrician treats children (see PED-). A psychiatrist is a physician who treats mental problems. (A psychologist, by contrast, doesn't have a medical degree and thus can't prescribe drugs.) And a physiatrist is a doctor who practices “physical medicine and rehabilitation,” which may involve such things as testing various physical abilities, relieving pain through electric heat or massage, or training patients to exercise or to use an artificial limb.
• iatrogenic
• bariatric
• geriatric
• podiatrist

unit_27 - LATER

• LATER: comes from the Latin adjective lateralis, meaning “side.” The noun for “side” in Latin was latus, and the same word served as an adjective meaning “wide.” The relationship between the two isn't hard to spot, since something wide extends far out to its sides. So lines of latitude extend east-west around the earth, in the dimension we tend to think of as its width (unlike lines of longitude, which extend north-south, in the dimension that, for some reason, we decided to think of as its “length”).
• lateral: 侧
• bilateral: 双边
• collateral: 抵押品
• equilateral: 等边的

unit_27 - NANO

• NANO: comes from the Greek nanos, meaning “dwarf.” For a prefix meaning “small,” English got by for centuries with the Greek micro-, and later mini- came to be used widely as well. But only recently, as a result of advances in scientific knowledge and technology, has there been a need for a prefix meaning “extremely small”—a need that's been filled by nano-, which today is being attached to all kinds of words, sometimes not very seriously (nanoskirt, nano-brained, etc.).
• nanotechnology: 纳米技术
• nanosecond: 纳秒
• nanostructure: 纳米结构
• nanoparticle: 纳米颗粒

unit_27 - NUL,NULL

• NUL/NULL: comes from the Latin word nullus, “none,” which is itself a combination of ne- (“not”) and ullus (“any”). Have you ever noticed how many of our negative words start with n-? Think of no, not, never, nothing, none, no one, nowhere, and the hundreds of non- words—just about all of which go back to the same Greek root.
• null: 无效的
• nullity: 无效性
• nullify: 无效化
• annulment: 废除

unit_27 - STRAT

• STRAT: comes from the Latin word stratum, meaning “spread” or “bed.” Strata, a form of the same word, came to be used by the Romans to mean “paved road”—that is, street.
• stratum: 地层
• stratification: 分层
• substrate: 基材
• stratocumulus: 层积云

unit_27 - SUPER

• SUPER: , a Latin prefix meaning “over, higher, more than,” has become one of the most familiar prefixes in English, one of those prefixes that we use to create new words all the time: supermodel, superpowerful, superjock, supersize, supersweet—the list goes on and on. This all seems to have started in 1903 when the playwright G. B. Shaw translated the German word Übermensch, Nietzsche's famous term for the person who rises to heroic heights through discipline and creative power, in the title of his play Man and Superman. The comic-book character with the same name wouldn't make his appearance for another 30 years.
• superfluous: 多余
• insuperable: 不可逾越
• supersede: 取代
• superlative: 最高级的

unit_27 - SURG

• SURG: comes from the Latin verb surgere, meaning “to rise, spring up.” Our noun surge means “a sudden, large increase,” and the verb surge means “to move with a surge.” A storm surge occurs when violent storm winds at sea cause the water to pile up higher than normal sea level. A surge protector keeps a spike in electrical current from “frying” your computer when a lightning strike sends a sudden surge down the wires.
• upsurge: 高涨
• insurgency: 叛乱
• counterinsurgent: 反叛乱分子
• resurgent: 复兴的

unit_27 - TOM

• TOM: comes from the Greek root meaning “cut.” Thus, the Latin word anatomia, from which we get anatomy, means “dissection”— that is cutting or separating the parts of an organism for detailed examination. In a lobotomy, the nerves linking a brain lobe to the rest of the brain are removed; even though lobotomies have hardly been performed in the last 50 years, the idea can still fill us with horror.
• appendectomy: 阑尾切除术
• gastrectomy: 胃切除术
• tonsillectomy: 扁桃体切除术
• mastectomy: 乳房切除术

unit_28 - DERM

• DERM: comes from the Greek derma, meaning “skin.” For medical advice on a skin problem such as acne, we may go to a dermatologist, or skin specialist. When we get a shot, it's usually with a hypodermic, a needle that goes “under the skin” (see HYP/HYPO ). A pachyderm is a “thick-skinned” animal, which most of us just call an elephant.
• dermal: 真皮的
• epidermis: 表皮
• taxidermist: 动物标本剥制师
• dermatitis: 皮炎

unit_28 - ENDO

• ENDO: Quiz 28-1 Quiz 28-2 Quiz 28-3 Quiz 28-4 Quiz 28-5 Review Quizzes 28 MEDI comes from the Latin medius, meaning “middle.” Our word medium refers to something in a middle position. The medieval period of European history, also known as the Middle Ages, is the period between Greek and Roman antiquity and the “modern age.” But why people around 1620 began to use the term “Middle Ages,” because they regarded themselves as modern, is an interesting question.
• median: 中位数
• mediate: 调解
• intermediary: 中介
• mediocrity: 平庸
• OID: 奥德
• rhomboid: 菱形
• deltoid: 三角肌
• dendroid: 树状体
• humanoid: 人形生物

unit_28 - MEDI

• MEDI: comes from the Latin medius, meaning “middle.” Our word medium refers to something in a middle position. The medieval period of European history, also known as the Middle Ages, is the period between Greek and Roman antiquity and the “modern age.” But why people around 1620 began to use the term “Middle Ages,” because they regarded themselves as modern, is an interesting question.
• median: 中位数
• mediate: 调解
• intermediary: 中介
• mediocrity: 平庸

unit_28 - OID

• OID: comes from the Greek word for “appearance” or “form.” Since aster in ancient Greek meant “star,” the small bodies orbiting between Mars and Jupiter that looked like stars through primitive telescopes were called asteroids. A factoid is a little bit of information that looks like a fact, whether it is or not. And some people these days will attach -oid to just about anything; you can probably figure out the meaning of nutsoid, nerdoid, and freakazoid without much help.
• rhomboid: 菱形
• deltoid: 三角肌
• dendroid: 树状体
• humanoid: 人形生物

unit_28 - PRO

• PRO: , in its other broad meaning, means “before, in front of.” So, for example, to proceed means “to move out in front”; to progress means to “to move forward”; and somebody prominent stands out, as if he or she were actually standing out in front of the crowd.
• protrude: 突出
• prophylaxis: 预防
• promulgate: 颁布
• prologue: 序幕

unit_28 - RE-

• RE-: , in its other main sense, means “back” or backward.” Since doing something again means going back to it, the two senses are actually related; still, the meaning of re- in most words is pretty clearly one or the other. So a rebound comes back at you; to recall means to “call back” a memory; and to react is to “act back” at someone else's action.
• reciprocal: 互惠的
• rebut: 驳斥
• revoke: 撤销
• regress: 回归

unit_28 - RE

• RE: is a prefix which, like pro- (see PRO ), has more than one meaning. In this section, we'll focus on the meaning “again.” We use re- words with this meaning every day—redo, reheat, recheck, reread, resell, repaint, etc.—and we feel free to make up new ones as needed. But in plenty of other re- words, the meaning isn't so obvious.
• remorse: 悔恨
• reiterate: 重申
• rejuvenate: 恢复活力
• reconcile: 调和

unit_28 - SCOP

• SCOP: , which usually appears in a suffix, comes from the Greek skopein, meaning “to look at.” In English we have the simple noun scope, along with some other words it sometimes stands for: telescope, microscope, periscope, and so on. And have you ever used a stereoscope, a device your great-grandparents probably enjoyed, which lets you look through a viewer at two slightly different photographs of the same thing, one with each eye, to enjoy the illusion that you're seeing it in three dimensions?
• endoscope: 内窥镜
• arthroscopic: 关节镜
• laparoscopy: 腹腔镜检查
• oscilloscope: 示波器

unit_28 - TRANS

• TRANS: comes from Latin to indicate movement “through, across, or beyond” something. Translation carries a writer's meaning from one language to another. A television signal is sent or transmitted through the air (or a cable) to your set. When making your way through a city on public transportation, you may have to transfer from one bus or subway to another.
• transient: 瞬态
• transfiguration: 变形
• transponder: 应答器
• transcendent: 超越的

unit_29 - CIRCU,CIRCUM

• CIRCU/CIRCUM: comes from the Latin circus, meaning “circle.” So a circus is traditionally held under a round tent. A circuit can be a tour around an area or territory, or the complete path of an electric current. To circumnavigate means “to navigate around”—often around the world.
• circuitous: 迂回的
• circumference: 圆周
• circumspect: 谨慎
• circumvent: 规避

unit_29 - CO

• CO: is a Latin prefix that generally means “with, together,” and we see it daily in such words as costar, cofounder, co-owner, and coworker. But many other co- words aren't quite so easy to understand when you first encounter them.
• coalesce: 合并
• cogeneration: 热电联产
• codependency: 相互依赖
• cohesion: 凝聚

unit_29 - INTER

• INTER: comes straight from Latin. In English it has various meanings; all of them can be expressed broadly as “between,” but they're still quite distinct: “moving between” (intercity), “communicating between” (intercom), “coming between” (intercept), and so on. No wonder so many English words begin with inter-.
• intercede: 说情
• interstice: 空隙
• interdict: 禁令
• interpolate: 插

unit_29 - MINI,MINU

• MINI/MINU: come from Latin words meaning “small” and “least.” So the minimum is the least, and a minute amount is almost nothing. And mini- is all too familiar as a prefix that we've been applying to all kinds of things since the 1950s: minivan, miniskirt, mini-mart, minipark, and the rest.
• minimalism: 极简主义
• minuscule: 微小的
• minutiae: 细节
• diminutive: 小型的

unit_29 - NECRO

• NECRO: comes from the Greek nekros, meaning “dead body,” so it's not surprising that it shows up in some unappetizing places. A necrophagous insect, for instance, is one that feeds on dead bodies; when homicide investigators discover a corpse, they may use the insect evidence to figure out when the person died.
• necrosis: 坏死
• necromancer: 死灵法师
• necropolis: 大墓地
• necropsy: 尸检

unit_29 - PALEO

• PALEO: comes from the Greek palaios, meaning “ancient”—that is, “older than old.” The prefix sometimes gets attached to very recognizable words; paleobiology, for instance, deals with the biology of fossil organisms, paleogeography is the study of geography in earlier geological eras, and paleoecology is the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their environment in those eras.
• Paleolithic: 旧石器时代
• paleography: 古文字学
• paleontology: 古生物学
• Paleozoic: 古生代

unit_29 - SUR

• SUR: is actually a shortening of the Latin prefix super-, meaning “over, above” (see SUPER ), and has the same meaning. A surface is the face above or on the outside of something. A surplus is something above and beyond what is needed. And to survey a landscape is to look out over it.
• surmount: 超越
• surcharge: 附加费
• surfeit: 过量
• surreal: 超现实的

unit_29 - SYN

• SYN: is a Greek and Latin prefix meaning “together” or “at the same time.” So “in sync” (short for “in synchronization”) means “together in time.” And a synonym is a word that can be considered together with another word since it has the same meaning.
• syntax: 句法
• synthesize: 合成
• synergy: 协同作用
• syndrome: 综合症

unit_29 - Words from Mythology and History

• Adonis
• amazon
• chimera
• cornucopia
• Elysium
• epicure
• exodus
• gorgon

unit_30 - AER,AERO

• AER/AERO: comes from the Greek word for “air.” The aerospace industry manufactures vehicles that travel through the atmosphere and beyond into space. Aerodynamic designs move through the air with maximum speed. And aerophobia is the technical name for what we usually just call fear of flying.
• aerial: 天线
• aerate: 通气
• aerobic: 有氧运动
• anaerobic: 厌氧的

unit_30 - CAD

• CAD: comes from the Latin verb cadere, “to fall.” Thus, a cascade is usually a waterfall, but sometimes a flood of something else that seems to pour on top of you: a cascade of new problems, a cascade of honors, and so on.
• cadaver: 尸体
• decadent: 颓废
• cadence: 节奏
• cadenza: 华彩乐段

unit_30 - IDIO

• IDIO: comes from the Greek idios, meaning “one's own” or “private.” In Latin this root led to the word idiota, meaning “ignorant person”— that is, a person who doesn't take in knowledge from outside himself. And that led to a familiar English word that gets used too often, usually to describe people who aren't ignorant at all.
• idiom: 成语
• idiomatic: 惯用语
• idiosyncrasy: 特质
• idiopathic: 特发性的

unit_30 - LONG

• LONG: comes from Latin longus, which, as you might guess, means “long.” The English word long shows up in many compound terms such as long-suffering (“patiently enduring lasting offense or hardship”) and long-winded (“boringly long in speaking or writing”), but the long- root also sometimes shows up less obviously. To prolong something is to lengthen it, for example, and a chaise longue (not lounge!) is “a long reclining chair.”
• longitude: 经度
• elongate: 拉长
• longueur: 朗格厄尔
• oblong: 长方形

unit_30 - TECHNI,TECHNO

• TECHNI/TECHNO: comes from the Greek techne, meaning “art, craft, skill,” and shows up in dozens of English words. Some, such as technical, technology, and technique, have long been familiar. Others, such as techno-thriller, were only coined in the current computer age, which has also seen the new cut-down terms techno (for techno-pop, the electronic dance music) and tech (for technician or technology).
• technocrat: 技术官僚
• technophobe: 技术恐惧者
• technophile: 技术爱好者
• pyrotechnic: 烟火式的

unit_30 - TEN,TENU

• TEN/TENU: comes from the Latin tenuis, meaning “thin.” So to extend something is to stretch it, and lots of things get thin when they're stretched. The ten- root is even seen in pretend, which once meant to stretch something out above or in front; that something came to be a claim that you were something that you actually weren't.
• tenuous: 脆弱的
• attenuated: 减弱的
• extenuating: 情有可原的
• distended: 膨胀的

unit_30 - TOXI

• TOXI: comes from the Greek and Latin words for “poison,” something the Greeks and Romans knew a good deal about. Socrates died by taking a solution of poison hemlock, a flowering plant much like wild carrot that now also grows in the U.S. Rome's enemy Mithridates, king of Pontus, was obsessed with poisons, experimented with them on prisoners, and tried to make himself immune to them by eating tiny amounts of them daily. Nero's mother Agrippina poisoned several of her son's rivals to power—and probably did the same to her own husband, the emperor Claudius.
• toxin: 毒素
• toxicity: 毒性
• toxicology: 毒理学
• neurotoxin: 神经毒素

unit_30 - TRIB

• TRIB: comes from the Latin tribuere, meaning “to give” or “to pay.” So a group that distributes food passes it out to those in need, and when you contribute to the group you give your money or energy to it.
• tribute: 贡
• tributary: 支流
• attribute: 属性
• retribution: 报应

unit_30 - Words from Mythology and History

• halcyon
• meander
• oedipal
• ostracize
• paean
• philippic
• satyr
• zealot

unit_30 - TEN/TENU:

• TEN/TENU: comes from the Latin tenuis, meaning “thin.” So to extend something is to stretch it, and lots of things get thin when they're stretched. The ten- root is even seen in pretend, which once meant to stretch something out above or in front; that something came to be a claim that you were something that you actually weren't.
• tenuous: 脆弱的
• attenuated: 减弱的
• extenuating: 情有可原的
• distended: 膨胀的

Summary

To extract the highlights from the book, I first asked an LLM directly, but it only provided a few roots with limited examples. I then converted the book to PDF and uploaded it to an LLM agent, which offered more detail but still missed a significant amount of content. After that, I wrote a Python script to extract each unit and root with the relevant text. This turned out to be challenging due to formatting issues that made it difficult for the script to understand a meaningful structure.

After careful refinement, I was able to extract most of the content, though I still had to fix some processing errors manually. The result isn’t 100% accurate and complete, but it’s sufficiently close.

For similar tasks in the future, it’s better to set reasonable expectations for accuracy and completeness, then to leverage LLMs to simplify the overall workflow.

Written by Binwei@Suzhou