Learn on PengiVocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots, Level XIUnit 19 ~ Unit 22

Ch 7.3: Unit 21

In this Grade 8 lesson from Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots, Level XI, students learn the meanings and usage of vocabulary words derived from Latin and Greek roots related to water and washing, including instill, distill, ablution, alluvial, lachrymal, lachrymose, lavish, riparian, meander, fluent, and fluctuate. Students practice applying these terms through sentence-completion and fill-in-the-blank exercises that reinforce both definitions and contextual understanding. The lesson is part of Unit 21 in Chapter 7 of the textbook's eleventh-level vocabulary curriculum.

Section 1

Root: STILL — to drip

These words come from the Latin root STILLARE, meaning 'to drip'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
instill (v.)to gradually put into
distill (v.)to extract the essence of

Example Usage

  • The coach worked to instill a sense of confidence in her team before the championship game.
  • The article managed to distill the complex scientific theory into a single, understandable paragraph.

Word Spark

  • instill: Think of slowly adding drops of knowledge into a student's mind over many lessons.
  • distill: Like boiling a large pot of fruit juice down to a small amount of sweet, concentrated syrup.

Section 2

Root: LU — to wash

This group of words is derived from the Latin root LUERE, meaning 'to wash'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
ablution (n.)A cleansing, especially religious or spiritual
alluvial (adj.)Deposited by a stream

Example Usage

  • The priest performed a ritual ablution with water from the sacred spring.
  • The valley's rich alluvial soil was perfect for farming.

Word Spark

  • ablution: Like washing your hands and face with cool water, feeling refreshed and spiritually clean.
  • alluvial: Think of the rich, dark mud left on a riverbank after a flood has gone down.

Section 3

Root: LAC — tear

These words are related to the Latin root LACRIMA, meaning 'tear'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
lachrymal (adj.)Having to do with tears
lachrymose (adj.)Teary; oversentimental

Example Usage

  • An allergy attack irritated my lachrymal glands, making my eyes stream with tears.
  • He found the movie's lachrymose reunion scene to be sappy and unconvincing.

Word Spark

  • lachrymose: Think of a friend who starts crying during every single sad commercial on TV.

Section 4

Root: LAV — to wash

This word comes from the Latin root LAVERE, meaning 'to wash', often with a sense of abundance.

Key Words

WordDefinition
lavish (adj./v.)1. Luxuriously abundant; extravagant 2. to give in abundance; to heap

Example Usage

  • They celebrated their anniversary with a lavish dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town.
  • My aunt loves to lavish praise on her children for their smallest accomplishments.

Word Spark

  • lavish: Imagine a birthday party with a ten-tier cake, mountains of presents, and a pony.

Section 5

Root: RIPA — stream

This term is built on the Latin root RIPA, which means 'stream' or 'bank'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
riparian (adj.)Having to do with the banks of a body of water

Example Usage

  • The environmental agency is responsible for protecting the riparian habitat along the river.
  • They discussed riparian rights to determine who could use the water from the lake.

Word Spark

  • riparian: Think of the special zone of plants, trees, and critters living right at the edge of a river.

Section 6

Root: MEANDER — from an ancient river

This word comes from MAIANDROS, the Greek name for an ancient, winding river.

Key Words

WordDefinition
meander (v.)To wander; to move without direction

Example Usage

  • We spent the afternoon letting the path meander through the beautiful botanical gardens.
  • The conversation started to meander from topic to topic with no clear focus.

Word Spark

  • meander: Like walking slowly through a forest, just following whichever path looks most interesting at the moment.

Section 7

Root: FLU/FLUCT — to flow

These words flow from the Latin root FLUERE, meaning 'to flow'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
fluent (adj.)1. able to speak smoothly 2. smooth; graceful
fluctuate (v.)to change irregularly

Example Usage

  • After a year abroad, he was fluent in both speaking and writing Spanish.
  • The patient's body temperature began to fluctuate between high and normal.

Word Spark

  • fluent: Like watching a professional dancer move across the stage without a single clumsy step.
  • fluctuate: Think of the price of a popular video game going up and down depending on the store and the season.

Book overview

Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.

Continue this chapter

Unit 19 ~ Unit 22

  1. Lesson 1

    Ch 7.1: Unit 19

    LearnPractice
  2. Lesson 2

    Ch 7.2: Unit 20

    LearnPractice
  3. Lesson 3Current

    Ch 7.3: Unit 21

    LearnPractice
  4. Lesson 4

    Ch 7.4: Unit 22

    LearnPractice

Lesson overview

Expand to review the lesson summary and core properties.

Expand

Section 1

Root: STILL — to drip

These words come from the Latin root STILLARE, meaning 'to drip'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
instill (v.)to gradually put into
distill (v.)to extract the essence of

Example Usage

  • The coach worked to instill a sense of confidence in her team before the championship game.
  • The article managed to distill the complex scientific theory into a single, understandable paragraph.

Word Spark

  • instill: Think of slowly adding drops of knowledge into a student's mind over many lessons.
  • distill: Like boiling a large pot of fruit juice down to a small amount of sweet, concentrated syrup.

Section 2

Root: LU — to wash

This group of words is derived from the Latin root LUERE, meaning 'to wash'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
ablution (n.)A cleansing, especially religious or spiritual
alluvial (adj.)Deposited by a stream

Example Usage

  • The priest performed a ritual ablution with water from the sacred spring.
  • The valley's rich alluvial soil was perfect for farming.

Word Spark

  • ablution: Like washing your hands and face with cool water, feeling refreshed and spiritually clean.
  • alluvial: Think of the rich, dark mud left on a riverbank after a flood has gone down.

Section 3

Root: LAC — tear

These words are related to the Latin root LACRIMA, meaning 'tear'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
lachrymal (adj.)Having to do with tears
lachrymose (adj.)Teary; oversentimental

Example Usage

  • An allergy attack irritated my lachrymal glands, making my eyes stream with tears.
  • He found the movie's lachrymose reunion scene to be sappy and unconvincing.

Word Spark

  • lachrymose: Think of a friend who starts crying during every single sad commercial on TV.

Section 4

Root: LAV — to wash

This word comes from the Latin root LAVERE, meaning 'to wash', often with a sense of abundance.

Key Words

WordDefinition
lavish (adj./v.)1. Luxuriously abundant; extravagant 2. to give in abundance; to heap

Example Usage

  • They celebrated their anniversary with a lavish dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town.
  • My aunt loves to lavish praise on her children for their smallest accomplishments.

Word Spark

  • lavish: Imagine a birthday party with a ten-tier cake, mountains of presents, and a pony.

Section 5

Root: RIPA — stream

This term is built on the Latin root RIPA, which means 'stream' or 'bank'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
riparian (adj.)Having to do with the banks of a body of water

Example Usage

  • The environmental agency is responsible for protecting the riparian habitat along the river.
  • They discussed riparian rights to determine who could use the water from the lake.

Word Spark

  • riparian: Think of the special zone of plants, trees, and critters living right at the edge of a river.

Section 6

Root: MEANDER — from an ancient river

This word comes from MAIANDROS, the Greek name for an ancient, winding river.

Key Words

WordDefinition
meander (v.)To wander; to move without direction

Example Usage

  • We spent the afternoon letting the path meander through the beautiful botanical gardens.
  • The conversation started to meander from topic to topic with no clear focus.

Word Spark

  • meander: Like walking slowly through a forest, just following whichever path looks most interesting at the moment.

Section 7

Root: FLU/FLUCT — to flow

These words flow from the Latin root FLUERE, meaning 'to flow'.

Key Words

WordDefinition
fluent (adj.)1. able to speak smoothly 2. smooth; graceful
fluctuate (v.)to change irregularly

Example Usage

  • After a year abroad, he was fluent in both speaking and writing Spanish.
  • The patient's body temperature began to fluctuate between high and normal.

Word Spark

  • fluent: Like watching a professional dancer move across the stage without a single clumsy step.
  • fluctuate: Think of the price of a popular video game going up and down depending on the store and the season.

Book overview

Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.

Continue this chapter

Unit 19 ~ Unit 22

  1. Lesson 1

    Ch 7.1: Unit 19

    LearnPractice
  2. Lesson 2

    Ch 7.2: Unit 20

    LearnPractice
  3. Lesson 3Current

    Ch 7.3: Unit 21

    LearnPractice
  4. Lesson 4

    Ch 7.4: Unit 22

    LearnPractice