Greek and Latin Roots

UNIT TWO

STA, STI

From the Latin ‘stare’ and ‘stantum’

stand or stay

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’

stanchVerb; to stop the flow of

Desperate to stanch the blood seeping from the wound, the doctor decided to put a tourniquet on the patient’s arm.

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’

staunchadjective; firm and steadfast; true

Though the reverend was a staunch believer in predestination, his faith was tested by horrible events.

Synonym: strong antonym: fickle, wavering

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’

extantadjective; still in existence; not destroyed

Scientists continue to search through the remains of the museum in the hopes that they will discover some extant works of art.

Synonym: existing antonym: extinct

From the root ‘sta’ or ‘sti’

restiveadjective; resisting authority; difficult to

control

Police feared the townspeople would grow restive under the strict curfew and begin to engage in acts of civil disorder.

synonym: contrary antonym: compliant

POS

From the Latin ‘ponere’ and ‘positum’

To put or place

‘pos’ – to put or place

apropospreposition; with regard to

Apropos of Jim’s speech on nuclear energy, Dawn mentioned that a new power plant would be built in the neighboring town.

synonym: proper antonym: inappropriate

‘pos’ – to put or place

deposeverb; to remove from office or power

The Russian rule of Czar Nicholas came to an end when the Czar and other members of the royal family were deposed and murdered by rebel forces.

STAS, STAT

From the Greek ‘statos’

standing

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing

staticadjective; having no motion or changeCritics found the composer’s latest work static, boring, and lacking in emotional development.

synonym: still antonym: dynamic

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing

ecstasynoun; intense joy or delightThe ecstasy Bob felt after watching the Red

Sox win the World Series was matched only by the joy of the Yankees not winning.

synonym: joy antonym: misery

‘stas’ ‘stat’ – standing

stasisnoun; condition in which there is no changeScientists find it difficult to accurately predict

climate patterns because the environment is not in stasis, but constantly changing.

synonym: balance

ENT, ESS

From the Latin ‘esse’

to be

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be

entitynoun; an existence; a being

For tax purposes, a married couple may be considered either two people or a single entity.

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be

essencenoun; the most important ingredient; the

crucial elementAfter months of preparation, the lawyers

finally began to discuss the essence of the case.

synonym: crux

‘ent’ ‘ess’ – to be

quintessentialadjective; importantThe goalie declared that the Blackhawk’s

victory in the last second of the final game was his quintessential sports triumph.

synonym: essential antonym: unnecessary

1. A group of local citizens has drafted a petition to depose the governor on the grounds that…

2. Peter was such a staunch supporter of his local football team that…..

3. Because the manuscripts are the only extant writings from the time of the town’s founding, we can assume…

4. Nate began to grow restive when his parents…..

5. The rainforest went into stasis as a result of……..

6. Trying to stanch the number of immigrants coming into the country, the government…..

7. The fresh roses seemed the quintessential expression of love because……

8. The ecstasy that the spelling bee contestant felt was the result of…..

9. The news anchor mentioned a recent bank robbery apropos of….

10. The business group was not a legal entity because…..

11. The essence of the manufacturer’s speech against taxes on trade was….

12. Feeling that his existence had become rather static, Jay decided to…..