It is estimated that approximately 60% of
English ‘comes from Latin’; it’s a nice advertising jingle – but not strictly
accurate. I am not nit-picking when I say that most of the Latin vocabulary in
English went on long journeys over centuries and much of it was changed in Old
/ Middle French before it was imported to England after the Norman Conquest of
1066. Spellings were modified and endings were lost. Moreover, meanings altered
albeit still related to the Latin originals. A Latin word that may have
multiple meanings frequently narrows to a single, very specific and often
abstract idea.
While grasping the true meaning of a Latin word by relating it
to a derivative is by no means a fool-proof process, the derivatives can still help.
Explain the origins of the following English derivatives:
aural test
capital city
Noah’s ark was 300 cubits long; how was a cubit
measured?
dental hygiene
a three digit number
dorsal fin
facial recognition
manual labour
nasal spray
oral examination
pectoral muscles
pedestrian crossing
genuflect
What is the job of an oculist?
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