Vocabulary 4000 - Noel's ESL eBook Library

Word Analysis
Word analysis (etymology) is the process of separating a word into
its parts and then using the meanings of those parts to deduce the
meaning of the original word. Take, for example, the word
INTERMINABLE. It is made up of three parts: a prefix IN (not), a
root TERMIN (stop), and a suffix ABLE (can do). Therefore, by
word analysis, INTERMINABLE means “not able to stop.” This
is not the literal meaning of INTERMINABLE (endless), but it is
close enough. For another example, consider the word
RETROSPECT. It is made up of the prefix RETRO (back) and the
root SPECT (to look). Hence, RETROSPECT means “to look back
(in time), to contemplate.”
Word analysis is very effective in decoding the meaning of
words. However, you must be careful in its application since words
do not always have the same meaning as the sum of the meanings of
their parts. In fact, on occasion words can have the opposite
meaning of their parts. For example, by word analysis the word
AWFUL should mean “full of awe,” or awe-inspiring. But over the
years it has come to mean just the opposite—terrible. In spite of the
shortcomings, word analysis gives the correct meaning of a word (or
at least a hint of it) far more often than not and therefore is a useful
tool.
Examples:
INDEFATIGABLE
Analysis: IN (not); DE (thoroughly); FATIG (fatigue); ABLE (can do)
Meaning: cannot be fatigued, tireless
CIRCUMSPECT
Analysis: CIRCUM (around); SPECT (to look)
Meaning: to look around, that is, to be cautious
ANTIPATHY
Analysis: ANTI (against); PATH (to feel); Y (noun suffix)
Meaning: to feel strongly against something, to hate
OMNISCIENT
Analysis: OMNI (all); SCI (to know); ENT (noun suffix)
Meaning: all-knowing