Learn on PengiVocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots, Level IXUnit 13 ~ Unit 16

Ch 4.1: Unit 13

In this Grade 6 lesson from Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots, Level IX, students explore twelve vocabulary words derived from four Latin roots: FLU (fluere, "to flow"), LEV (levis, "light"), LAPS (labi/lapsus, "slip, slide"), and CED (cedere/cessum, "to move along"). Students learn words such as affluent, superfluous, mellifluous, alleviate, levity, elapse, collapse, relapse, recede, concession, and cede by tracing each word back to its Latin prefix and root. The unit reinforces understanding through sentence-completion and fill-in-the-blank exercises that build both vocabulary recognition and contextual usage skills.

Section 1

Root: FLU — to flow

This group of words comes from the Latin root FLU, meaning 'to flow'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
affluent (adj.)Wealthy and privileged; well-to-do
superfluous (adj.)Additional to what is necessary; extra
mellifluous (adj.)Sweetly flowing or sounding

Example Usage

  • In the more affluent neighborhoods, residents often own multiple luxury vehicles and live in large homes.
  • The teacher advised me to remove the last sentence of my essay because it was superfluous and added no new information.

Word Spark

  • affluent: Think of someone who owns a private jet and goes on vacation whenever they want.
  • mellifluous: Like listening to a favorite singer whose voice is smooth, clear, and beautiful.

Section 2

Root: LEV — light

This group of words comes from the Latin root LEV, meaning 'light'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
leaven (v.)To make less heavy or serious
levity (n.)Lack of seriousness; jolly or joking manner
alleviate (v.)To make less painful or dangerous

Example Usage

  • The comedian's jokes were intended to leaven the somber mood of the crowd.
  • A cool compress can help alleviate the discomfort of a headache.

Word Spark

  • levity: Like someone telling a knock-knock joke during a very serious, quiet library study session.
  • alleviate: Think of drinking a warm cup of tea to make a sore throat feel a little better.

Section 3

Root: LAPS — slip, slide

This group of words comes from the Latin root LAPS, meaning 'to slip, slide'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
elapse (v.)To slip away; go by
collapse (n.)Complete failure and ruin
relapse (n.)A falling back into an old illness or bad habit

Example Usage

  • A full week will elapse before we get the results from the lab.
  • After quitting video games for a month, he suffered a relapse and played for six hours straight.

Word Spark

  • collapse: Picture a bridge made of toothpicks suddenly breaking and falling into a heap.
  • relapse: Like deciding to stop eating candy, but then you find a chocolate bar and can't resist.

Section 4

Root: CED — to move along, to go

This group of words comes from the Latin root CED, meaning 'to move along, to go'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
recede (v.)To move back or away from
concession (n.)Something given up or yielded
cede (v.)To surrender

Example Usage

  • We watched the shoreline seem to grow as the tide began to recede.
  • As a concession to his brother, Mark agreed to share the remote control for the TV.

Word Spark

  • recede: Think of watching someone's hairline slowly move further back on their head over the years.
  • concession: Like admitting defeat in a game of chess and letting your opponent take your king.

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Unit 13 ~ Unit 16

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Section 1

Root: FLU — to flow

This group of words comes from the Latin root FLU, meaning 'to flow'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
affluent (adj.)Wealthy and privileged; well-to-do
superfluous (adj.)Additional to what is necessary; extra
mellifluous (adj.)Sweetly flowing or sounding

Example Usage

  • In the more affluent neighborhoods, residents often own multiple luxury vehicles and live in large homes.
  • The teacher advised me to remove the last sentence of my essay because it was superfluous and added no new information.

Word Spark

  • affluent: Think of someone who owns a private jet and goes on vacation whenever they want.
  • mellifluous: Like listening to a favorite singer whose voice is smooth, clear, and beautiful.

Section 2

Root: LEV — light

This group of words comes from the Latin root LEV, meaning 'light'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
leaven (v.)To make less heavy or serious
levity (n.)Lack of seriousness; jolly or joking manner
alleviate (v.)To make less painful or dangerous

Example Usage

  • The comedian's jokes were intended to leaven the somber mood of the crowd.
  • A cool compress can help alleviate the discomfort of a headache.

Word Spark

  • levity: Like someone telling a knock-knock joke during a very serious, quiet library study session.
  • alleviate: Think of drinking a warm cup of tea to make a sore throat feel a little better.

Section 3

Root: LAPS — slip, slide

This group of words comes from the Latin root LAPS, meaning 'to slip, slide'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
elapse (v.)To slip away; go by
collapse (n.)Complete failure and ruin
relapse (n.)A falling back into an old illness or bad habit

Example Usage

  • A full week will elapse before we get the results from the lab.
  • After quitting video games for a month, he suffered a relapse and played for six hours straight.

Word Spark

  • collapse: Picture a bridge made of toothpicks suddenly breaking and falling into a heap.
  • relapse: Like deciding to stop eating candy, but then you find a chocolate bar and can't resist.

Section 4

Root: CED — to move along, to go

This group of words comes from the Latin root CED, meaning 'to move along, to go'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
recede (v.)To move back or away from
concession (n.)Something given up or yielded
cede (v.)To surrender

Example Usage

  • We watched the shoreline seem to grow as the tide began to recede.
  • As a concession to his brother, Mark agreed to share the remote control for the TV.

Word Spark

  • recede: Think of watching someone's hairline slowly move further back on their head over the years.
  • concession: Like admitting defeat in a game of chess and letting your opponent take your king.

Book overview

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Unit 13 ~ Unit 16

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    Ch 4.1: Unit 13

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  2. Lesson 2

    Ch 4.2: Unit 14

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  3. Lesson 3

    Ch 4.3: Unit 15

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  4. Lesson 4

    Ch 4.4: Unit 16

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