Lesson 12: Fire and Water

Let's start with words that all share a sense of movement and flow, stemming from the Latin root fluere, meaning 'to flow.'

Key Words

📝Example Usage:

• The festival's success was due to a confluence of perfect weather, great music, and a happy crowd.
• The local government is monitoring the effluent from the factory to ensure it doesn't harm the river's ecosystem.
• The fashion industry is in a constant state of flux, with new trends emerging every season.

🧠Memory Trick:

• The constant flux of tourists created a confluence at the city square, where the unpleasant effluent from a nearby pipe reminded everyone of the city's aging infrastructure.

These next two words come from the Greek root hudor, which means 'water.' They deal with the presence or study of water.

Key Words

📝Example Usage:

• It's important to drink plenty of water when you exercise so you don't dehydrate.
• An expert in hydrology can predict how new construction might affect the local water table and risk of flooding.

🧠Memory Trick:

• A student of hydrology knows better than to get dehydrated while studying desert riverbeds.

Get ready to set sail with these words related to the sea (mar in Latin) and ships (naus in Greek), covering everything from sea birds to the structure of a church!

Key Words

📝Example Usage:

• The greedy developer, a real cormorant, tried to buy up all the beachfront property.
• The chef let the salmon sit in a citrus marinade for an hour before grilling.
• The rocking of the boat and the strong smell of fish were enough to nauseate even the most experienced sailor.

🧠Memory Trick:

• The greedy cormorant of a tourist felt nauseated by the fish marinade while sitting in the nave of the seaside chapel.

This pair of words is built on the Latin root pons, meaning 'bridge.' In ancient Rome, the high priest's duties included overseeing the bridges, linking this root to authority.

Key Words

📝Example Usage:

• The newly elected pontiff delivered his first address to a massive crowd.
• My grandfather loves to pontificate about how things were better in his day, even if no one asked for his opinion.

🧠Memory Trick:

• From the high bridge of his authority, the pontiff began to pontificate on matters of global importance.

Our final group of words comes from the Latin root unda, meaning 'wave.' These words describe wave-like motions, overflowing, and things that are simply too much.

Key Words

📝Example Usage:

• We watched the fields of wheat undulate in the summer breeze.
• Your hard work and dedication will surely redound to your benefit when it's time for promotions.
• The email was full of redundant phrases like 'completely finished' and 'past history.'
• After the celebrity's announcement, her office was inundated with calls from the press.

🧠Memory Trick:

• The speaker's boring and redundant speech, which he hoped would redound to his credit, instead caused a wave of sleepiness to undulate through the crowd and inundate them with boredom.