The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

Words to Learn 185Prefixes and Name WordsPart 2Part 2 of this chapter first presents two prefixes that come from charactersin Greek mythology. Then several words taken directly from namesare introduced.pan- (all)The prefix pan- is the Greek word for “all.” It appears intwo names from Greek mythology. Pan was the god ofwoods, fields, and shepherds. He had the lower body of agoat and the upper body of a man. He got his namebecause, as Homer wrote, “he delighted all.” Pandora(pan-, all, do – ron, gifts) was the first woman. The godsgave her a box that she was told not to open, and sent herto Earth. Curious, she disobeyed, and out flew all theworld’s troubles. Only Hope remained inside the box.(Like Eve in the Bible, Pandora was a woman blamed forcausing all the world’s problems.) The prefix pan- is usedin such words as pan-American, which refers to all of theAmericas: North, South, and Central.Copyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.psych-; psycho- (mind; soul)The Greek word psyche originally meant “breath” and referredto the soul or the spirit of a person. This is personified inGreek mythology as Psyche, a beautiful mortal who was lovedby Eros (or Cupid), the god of love. Eros visited Psyche everynight but told her never to look at him. One night, overcomeby curiosity, Psyche held a lamp up to Eros as he slept. A dropof oil dripped on his shoulder, waking him, and he fled. AsPsyche searched frantically for Eros, she performed manydifficult tasks to win the favor of the gods. To reward her, theymade her immortal and allowed her to marry Eros. Psyche,with her beauty and dedication, symbolizes the soul. Herimmortality shows how the human soul finally goes toheaven. In modern words, psych- usually means “mind” ratherthan “soul.” Psychobiology is the study of the biology of themind. In some words, psych functions as a root. Perhaps youhave taken a class in psychology, the study of the mind.