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Originally Posted by bmo Quote: |
Originally Posted by MikeNewYork
I completely support your interest in etymology, and, in particular, its use in acquiring and understanding vocabulary. The largest group of words in modern English comes from Latin, through French and from Greek, through Latin, through French. Both Latin and Greek formed new words by adding prefixes and/or suffixes to existing root words. Therefore, as you have suggested, learning the meanings of those additives can be very helpful.
I agree with you about "defunct", except for the meaning of "de-" There are a number of meanings for "de-" other than completely or intensively. In many cases, de-" means the reverse or the opposite of. So defunct means the opposite of functional. The word destitute originally just meant "lacking" or "devoid" of. It comes from the reverse of "set" or "standing". I like your take on "debate".
"Fetter", on the other hand, has Germanic roots and has no relation to iron (Latin ferrum). It is actually related to the Indo-European root "ped" for foot.
| Thanks. Two points:
1. If de- is explained as not, then it makes more sense to me in explaining defunct, but AHD and etymoline.com both say it is intensively or completely. This is intensively discharging, performing. I think it is supposed to mean discharging one's life duties, indicating the end of life, hence dead. That doesn't make sense to me. How come different dictionaries have different explations, not in this case particularly, especially in explaining the many meanings of the prefixes of words?
Am I allowed to explain what I think it should be to others? In other words, my own explanations?
2. Fetter sounds like Mandarin's waste iron, phonetically- one of my ways for memorization.
BMO |
You are allowed to explain anything, but one's own etymology might be very wrong.
Here is the entry for de- from the AHD:
de–
pref.
Do or make the opposite of; reverse: decriminalize.
Remove or remove from: delouse; deoxygenate.
Out of: deplane; defenestration.
Reduce; degrade: declass.
Derived from: deverbative.
[Middle English de-, from Old French de- (from Latin dē-, from, off, apart, away, down, out, completely, from dē) or from Old French des-, out, off, apart, away, completely (from Latin dis-, dis-, and Latin dē-).]
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Here is the entry from Webster's:
Main Entry: de-
Function: prefix
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French de-, des-, partly from Latin de- from, down, away (from de, preposition) and partly from Latin dis-; Latin de akin to Old Irish di from, Old English tO to -- more at TO, DIS-
1 a : do the opposite of <deactivate> b : reverse of <de-emphasis>
2 a : remove (a specified thing) from <delouse> b : remove from (a specified thing) <dethrone>
3 : reduce <devalue>
4 : something derived from (a specified thing) <decompound> : derived from something (of a specified nature) <denominative>
5 : get off of (a specified thing) <detrain>
6 : having a molecule characterized by the removal of one or more atoms (of a specified element) <deoxy->