You searched for: “from
Units related to: “from
(Latin: prefix; from, away, away from)
(Greek: from, away from, asunder, separate, separation from, derived from)
(Greek: womb, fold; vagina; from "bosom, lap, hollow")
(Latin: from, away from, off; down; wholly, entirely, utterly, complete; reverse the action of, undo; the negation or reversal of the notion expressed in the primary or root word)
(Latin: separation, apart, asunder; removal, away, from; negation, deprivation, undoing, reversal, utterly, completely; in different directions)
(Greek > Latin: that which is thrust into something; wedge, stopper; interpolation, obstruction; from "throw in" or "throw into")
(Latin: suffix from -ensis, of, belonging to, from [a place]; originating in [a city or country])
(Latin: a prefix occurring in words of Latin origin used in the senses: out, out of, from; upward; completely, entirely; to remove from, deprive of; without; former [said of previous holders of office or dignity])
(Old English: a suffix meaning, characteristic of, like, tending to; of or relating to, from; somewhat, approximately; or a verb ending)
(Greek: thin, small, fine, delicate, mild; from "peeled, husked"; used primarily in the sense of "abnormally thin, narrow, slender, or delicate")
(Latin: kiss; from "little mouth"; lip [diminutive of os-, "mouth"])
(Greek: digestion, able to digest; cook; from "to cook, boil, digest")
(Greek > Latin: bodily malformations; from "seal fins"; a sea calf)
(Greek: renal pelvis; especially of the kidney; from "tub, vat, basin, and trough")
(Greek > Latin: drum, kettledrum; stretched membrane; from "blow, impression, to beat"; a part of the ear)
(a system of sounds for each symbol)
(etymology of words or their original "true meanings"; a rich source of information regarding the earliest meanings of words as they migrated from the past into the present)
(the structure of organisms from the smallest components of cells to the biggest organs and their relationships to other organs especially of the human body)
(a world of Biblical information for everyone who wants to know more about the Bible and its contents and the world from which it became known)
(phrases or Bible quotations that are derived directly from the King Jame's version of the Bible many of which are direct quotations)
(the hundred-degree temperature interval gave us the name scale of centigrade from the Latin centum, "hundred" and gradus, "step")
(lexicomedy, linguicomedy, or a chuckleglossary consisting of definitions which are markedly different from the accepted dictionary norm)
(New diseases are always coming into existence, most change with time, and some even vanish from known existence!)
(conceptions of dreams from different cultures and during different historical periods)
(excerpts and compilations from the news about international economic activities)
(this summary of English history is continued from the Get Words home page)
(an official language of the Republic of South Africa which developed from the Dutch of the colonists who went there in the 1600's; South African Dutch)
(the language of a group of American Indian tribes that lived in the valleys of the Ottawa River and of the northern tributaries of the St. Lawrence River)
(an American Indian or an Eskimo; any of the languages of certain American Indians or Eskimos)
(words that have come into English directly or indirectly, from or through, Arabic)
(A history of the English Language)
(languages spoken by over 400 closely related groups in central, east-central, and southern Africa, belonging to the South Central subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family and including Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Zulu, Xhosa, etc.)
(many words in English come from a variety of foreign sources)
(palindromes quiz answers from Focusing on Words Newsletter #8)
(here are 14 important words with elements from Latin and Greek sources)
(understanding how English words are formed and where they come from helps everyone who finds unfamiliar words)
(fields are protected by barriers of hedges by keeping the wind from eroding (blowing away) valuable top soil)
(Historical perspectives of the Reader's Digest)
(a few words from the Reader's Digest, March, 1932)
(a few words from the Reader's Digest, July, 1940)
(a compilation of excerpts and quotes from past issues of magazines and books so they won't be lost in the present)
(Italian developed from Latin and the following words came into English from Italian; most of which were derived from Latin)
(how some terms might be interpreted by those who lack professional vocabulary knowledge in the field of medicine)
(composed of varied things or made up of many different things or kinds of things that have no necessary connection with each other; from Latin miscellaneus, from miscellus, "mixed"; and derived from miscere, "to mix")
(A few clips from Old Age Is Not for Sissies by Art Linkletter)
(based on words from The Washington Post's "Style Invitational" in which readers were given the opportunity to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and then to provide a new definition for the modified word)
(terms appearing in some "scientific" areas from about 2000 B.C. to 1799 A.D.)
(terms appearing in some "scientific" areas from about 1800 A.D. to 1899 A.D.)
(bibliographic sources of information from which words and topics have been compiled about scientific and technological topics)
(bibliographic sources of information from which words and sentences have been compiled about words and expressions English speakers should know for better understanding and communication)
(Teachers get amusing replies from children.)
(Various living organisms are organized from the smallest unit of cells to form tissues which form organs and organs work together to form organ systems)
(words exist in all sizes and degrees of difficulty from numerous languages and English continues to churn out new words from the past and the present)
(words being used in news media headlines, subheadings, and excerpts from applicable articles with certain words being listed in bold and defined separately)
(a suffix freely used to designate someone who is associated with, concerned with, or characterized by a thing or an expression; sometimes, with a jocular [humorous] or derisive [contempt or ridicule] intent; borrowed from Russian, a common personal suffix)
(many of the words used today in English are derived from Greek myths)
(an exhibition of words that appear in headlines and sub-headlines which all of us should know)
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(Many words from French are used in English)
(a collection of English words that have been used in the titles of articles from various printed media)
Word Entries at Get Words containing the term: “from
A message from someone who recently purchased a copy of Words for a Modern Age, A Cross Reference of Latin and Greek Combining Elements

John Robertson:

I received your book on 6/26/00. Congratulations on a great book. You no doubt spent a great amount of time in research. I find the book fascinating.

It’s been over 45 years since I studied Latin and Greek in college and unless one keeps it up, one tends to forget. You have rekindled my interest. Now that I’m retired, I’ll have more time. I have always been interested in the origin of words especially from Latin and Greek.

Because the schools do not teach Latin and Greek as they once did, your book would be invaluable in helping students with the English language; thereby enriching their thought process. I am so happy that we still have people in this world who regard knowledge of Latin and Greek essential to scholarly development.

To quote Seneca, Jr. from your book: “Non scholae, sed vitae discimus.” Thank you for your “illusions” and also many thanks to your wife.

Jeffrey

Note from your editor: The “illusions” referred to the dedication in Words for a Modern Age, A Cross Reference of Latin and Greek Combining Elements in which I wrote: “Dedicated to my wife, who has been my sine qua non. She has kept me in good health with her loving concern for my well being and has rarely interfered with my efforts to strive for my ‘illusions.’ ”

The Latin quotation by Seneca, Jr. means: “We don’t learn just for school, but we learn for life.”.




Speaking of books. The following came from "The Spelling Newsletter" published by Ray Laurita, Leonardo Press, PO Box 1326, Camden, ME 04843.


Can This Be True? Department

After reading the following exchange which appeared in the Metropolitan Diary, I have a feeling that our readers will be equally dismayed:

Carol Ruth Langer stopped at the information desk of a Barnes & Noble in Midtown to inquire about a copy of the Book of Job.


"How would you be spelling 'Job'?" the clerk asked.

"J -- O -- B", Ms. Langer said.

"Job books are in the career section."

Ms. Langer tried again. "Not job, Job, a book in the Bible".

"Who is the author" the clerk asked.


At that point, Ms. Langer knew it was time to leave.


As seen in the May 15, 2000, issue of the New York Times.
This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #11 (page 1)
Additional words that were found which are derived from the Greek element tribo- are explained in the following contents:

Additional words that exist that are derived from the Greek element tribo-: nanotribology, [no dictionary seems to be available that has a definition for this term.] The following definitions came from various sources on the internet.

First, on Thursday, January 21, 1999, there was the following information from Dr. Jacqueline Krim, Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina:

“Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, I coined the term nanotribology in a paper I wrote in 1991, entitled, ‘Nanotribology of a Kr [krypton] monolayer: A Quartz Crystal Microbalance Study of Atomic-Scale Friction’, J. Krim, D. Solina and R. Chiarello, PRL, 66, (1991) p. 181-184.”

“I would define nanotribology as the sub-field of tribology involving contact geometries which are well-characterized at atomic length or time scales. These tend to be on the order of nanometers and nanoseconds.”

“JK”


Secondly, on Friday, January 22, 1999, I received another clarifying definition that I had requested from a contact I found on the internet.

I asked for a simple, easy to understand definition of “nanotribology” and this is what he sent to me:

“Tribology is the science and technology of two surfaces in relative motion which encompasses friction, wear, and lubrication. Nanotribology allows the study of friction and wear processes on nanoscale.”

—Prof. Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and The Howard D. Winbigler Professor
and Director, Computer Microtribology and Contamination Laboratory,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

Now you know what nanotribology means, don’t you? If you want to know more about nanotribology, here are excerpts of other definitions; but be WARNED that if they are too confusing or of no interest to you, you may scroll down to the area where other tribo- words are presented. Don’t give up before you see the rest of the list, please.

Micro/nanotribology as a field is concerned with experimental and theoretical investigations of processes ranging from atomic and molecular scales to the microscale, occurring during adhesion, friction, wear, and thin-film lubrication at sliding surfaces.

This involves determination of the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the surfaces undergoing relative motion at length scales of the order of nanometers. Interaction between rubbing surfaces occurs at asperities [roughness of surfaces] at which the local pressure and temperatures can be very high.

These conditions can lead to formation of tribochemical films with the unusual properties necessary for efficient wear protection. The nanomechanical properties of these films are being investigated by interfacial force microscopy (IFM) which is capable of determining the elastic constants and anelastic behavior of the films in boundary layer lubrication.

Proposed nanotribology experiments for the Triboscope include studying the effect of different contact areas, scan directions and crystallographic orientations on both lubricated and unlubricated surfaces.

Tribology is the study of friction, lubrication and wear. Nanotribology is roughly defined as the study of these same phenomena down to the nN and nanometer force and length scales.

I hope I haven’t lost you in the sea of obfuscation (confusion, obscurity, or bewilderment) because there are other interesting words to learn. Here are additional examples that are derived from tribo-:

  • triboelectric, an electrical charge produced by friction between two objects; such as, rubbing silk on a glass surface.
  • triboelectricity, in physics, electrical charges produced by friction between two surfaces; static electricity.
  • Frictional electricity … was supposedly known to the ancient Greeks, particularly Thales of Miletus, who observed about 600 B.C. that when amber was rubbed, it would attract small bits of matter. The term “frictional electricity” gave way to “triboelectricity,” although since “tribo” means “to rub,” the newer term does little to change the concept.

    —A.D. Moore (as seen in The American Heritage Dictionary of Science
    by Robert K. Barnhart; Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston; 1986).

  • tribofluorescence, triboflurescent; to give off light as a result of friction.
  • tribologist, a specialist in the science of tribology.
  • tribology, tribological, the science of the mechanisms of friction, lubrication, and wear of interacting surfaces that are in relative motion.
  • triboluminescence, the quality of emitting light under friction or violent mechanical pressure.
  • triboluminescent, exhibiting triboluminescence.
  • tribophosphorescence, tribophosphorescent; to produce light by friction.
  • tribothermoluminescence, thermoluminescence [luminescence resulting from exposure to high temperature] produced in a material as a result of friction.
  • tribometer, an instrument for estimating sliding friction.
  • tribophysics, the physical properties or phenomena associated with friction.
  • tribophosphoroscope, an instrument for examining triboluminescence.
  • tribulation, originally from Greek; then through Latin, “to press; affliction”; distress, great trial, or affliction.

“The Roman tribulum was a sledge consisting of a wooden block studded with sharp pieces of flint or iron teeth. It was used to bring force and pressure against wheat in grinding out grain.

The machine suggested the way trouble grinds people down and oppresses them, tribulations becoming another word for troubles and afflictions. The word is first recorded in English in 1330.”.

—From the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins
by Robert Hendrickson; Facts On File, Inc., New York; 1997.

The Romans ground out their corn [make that grain-J.R.] with a heavy roller, mentioned in Vergil’s Georgics among agricultural instruments: the tribulum, diminutive noun, from tritere, trit —, to rub, from Greek tribein, to rub. Being ground under and pressed out made an excellent metaphor to express the trials and tribulations of the early Christians.

Dictionary of Word Origins by Joseph T. Shipley.

“To know the origin of words is to know how men think, how they have fashioned their civilization. Word history traces the path of human fellowship, the bridges from mind to mind, from nation to nation.

“Some of the words in our language can be traced to a remote past; some have histories that begin but yesterday. Many are members of large families, with intertwining legend and history. Slow change, swift new coinage of science or slang, ancient or recent borrowing from many tongues: together they give flexibility, power, and beauty to English, the richest and most widespread language of all time.”

— Joseph T. Shipley, from the Preface of his Dictionary of Word Origins.
This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #05 (page 1)
Apollo, god of the Sun, words from myths
The Sun god who brings life-giving heat and light to Earth unit.
Did they say what I think they said? Words from “great thinkers”, past and present.

  • “I’m not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the President.” —Attributed to Hillary Clinton, commenting about the release of subpoenaed documents

  • “Smoking kills, and if you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” —Attributed to Brooke Shields.

  • “We’re going to turn this team around 360 degrees.” —Attributed to Jason Kidd, upon his drafting to the Dallas Mavericks.

  • “The President has kept all of the promises he intended to keep.” —Attributed to Former Clinton aide, George Stephanopolous speaking on “Larry King Live.”

  • “China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese.” —Attributed to Former French President, Charles de Gaulle.

  • “If you let that sort of thing go on, your bread and butter will be cut right out from under your feet.” —Attributed to Former British Foreign Minister, Ernest Bevin.

  • “The streets are safe in Philadelphia. It’s only the people that make them unsafe.” —Attributed to the former Philadelphia Mayor and Police Chief, Frank Rizzo

  • “When more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results” —Attributed to former U.S. President (30th), Calvin Coolidge

  • “They’re multipurpose. Not only do they put the clips on, but they take them off.” —Attributed to a Pratt and Whitney spokesperson explaining why the company charged the U.S. Air Force almost $1,000 for an ordinary pair of pliers.

  • “To have 20-year old girls jumping up and down in front of you is more effective than Viagra.” —Andy Williams, American singer, 70, whose song “Music to Watch Girls By” has seen a recent revival on British pop charts [as seen in Time magazine’s “Verbatim”, April 5, 1999].

  • “Freedom of the press must have restrictions.” —Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia’s Deputy PM, after the judge in the sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim placed a gag order on the media [as seen in Time magazine’s “Verbatim”, May 17, 1999].

  • “Remember, they only name things after you when you’re dead or really old.” —Barbara Bush, former U.S. First Lady, as CIA headquarters was renamed after her husband George (obviously, former President of the U.S.) [as seen in Time magazine’s “Verbatim”, May 10, 1999].

  • “When you talk to the average person, they are not all victims of homicide.” —Jerry Brown, currently Mayor of Oakland, California; formerly Governor of California; and formerly a U.S. Presidential candidate. Heard (twice) on the “Paul Harvey News and Comments” radio program on ABC News, June 1 (repeated on June 2), 1999.
  • This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #07 (page 1)
    Earth, Words from the Myths
    Gaia, Earth goddess of the ancient Greeks, she was called Gaea, Terra Mater, "Earth Mother" by the Romans; third planet from the sun unit.
    Official language of the Republic of South Africa which developed from the Dutch.
    This entry is located in the following unit: English Words from Other Languages Index (page 1)
    Language of a group of American Indian tribes that lived in the valleys of the Ottawa River and of the northern tributaries of the St. Lawrence River.
    This entry is located in the following unit: English Words from Other Languages Index (page 1)
    Languages of certain American Indians or Eskimos.
    This entry is located in the following unit: English Words from Other Languages Index (page 1)
    Words that have come into English directly or indirectly, from or through Arabic.
    This entry is located in the following unit: English Words from Other Languages Index (page 1)
    Languages spoken by over 400 closely related groups in central, east-central, and southern Africa, belonging to the South Central subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family; including Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Zulu, Xhosa, etc.
    This entry is located in the following unit: English Words from Other Languages Index (page 1)
    Fall from grace (Galatians 5:4)
    This entry is located in the following unit: Bible Quotations used in modern English (page 2)
    From strength to strength (Psalms 84:7)
    This entry is located in the following unit: Bible Quotations used in modern English (page 2)
    Index of Information from Past Publications Revealed in the Present, Part 1
    Information from the Past and into the Present, Part 1; Historical perspectives of the Reader's Digest.
    Index of Information from Past Publications Revealed in the Present, Part 2
    Information from the Past and into the Present, Part 2; Excerpts of humorous and more serious topics from the Reader's Digest March, 1932.
    Index of Information from Past Publications Revealed in the Present, Part 3
    Information from the Past and into the Present, Part 3; A few words from the Reader's Digest July, 1940.
    Insect Gets Nectar from Flowers
    Hoverfly gets nectar from flowers.
    —Photographed by Wolfram Bleul, E-mail: [email protected]

    Here is a hoverfly, also called a flower fly or a syrphid fly; which is part of the insect family Syrphidae and the adults of this group are often seen hovering or nectaring on flowers because they are known to feed primarily on nectar and pollen.

    This entry is located in the following unit: Views of Nature (page 1)
    jeu (s) (noun), jeux (pl) From Old French geu-, gieu-, giu-
    1. jeu d'esprit (zhuh duh-spree) (s) (noun), jeux d'esprit (pl) A witty, and often lighthearted, comment or composition: The term jeu d'esprit is a cleverness that is used when writing literature.
    2. jeu de mots (zhuh duh moh) (s) (noun), jeux de mots (pl) The humorous use of words or phrases: A jeu de mots is an intelligence game of wits or a general term for charades, puzzles, tongue twisters, quizzes, etc.
    A play with words.
    © ALL rights are reserved.

    Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
    so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

    3. jeu de paume (zhuh duh-pohm) (noun) (not countable): Formerly a term for lawn tennis: Jeu de paume, originating in France, is a ball-and-court game, which was placed first with the hand and later with a racquet.
    4. Etymology: literally, "palm game".

    This entry is located in the following unit: Words of French origin (page 5)
    Letters from Readers

    [Editor's note: There's always at least one joker as shown by the first reader/writer].

    1. The principal reason for this discussion is to decrease one’s spelunking spills.
    2. Some of us should live by no particular moral principles; I live by the immoral Principal Corruthers.
    3. The principal character in the play is ill.
    4. His political principles are not acceptable.
    5. As a matter of principle, he refused to borrow money from anyone over three meters tall who fancied avocados.
    6. The principal invested in that project was $100, 000, 000, 000.
    7. We must install computer chips into the hypothalamusi of our youth which will instill principles of honesty and morality and the urge to vote Republican.
    —By Michael McK in Watertown

    I hope that my cooperation will be of help. I can't wait to read what this is all about . . . and to hear from you regarding how I scored.

    —Christine C.

    I know I don't have to make any comments but I have to say that this was a real eye opener. I felt as if I was back in school.

    —Susan E.

    Just wanted to add a note of thanks. I've really been enjoying your messages.

    —Veronica P.

    Dear John,

    Many thanks for your efforts. I just wanted to let you know I always look forward to your newsletters.

    —Sincerely, Leila

    It might be of interest for the purposes of your survey that I am not, in fact, a native English speaker; my mother tongue is German.

    [Ed. note: All of your answers were correct].


    —Hendrik

    I learned these differences in 5th grade! - The princiPAL of the school is our PAL - he's a number-one (principal) guy; I'll admit cheating on number 6 - I've probably spelt it wrong all my life!

    —Best,
    Diane P.

    "The principal 'pal' of the principal . . ." came in useful.

    —Joy B.

    Bravo for tackling this one. Why not try "lay" and "lie"; my students love to confuse those two, also. And believe it or not, they mix up the plurals of "this" and "that".

    —Virginia B.

    Are you trying to make a point about our country's lack of principles?

    —Shilo P-E

    Interesting examples. Using one word or the other changes the meaning of the sentences in interesting ways. But I guess "principle" can,t be used as an adjective?

    —Sharon V.

    After the quiz, I checked the dictionary on my PC, and I was in for a rude awakening. I certainly have a better understanding of the two words, because I did not realize that principal had a monetary meaning. I'll not forget the definition anytime soon.

    —best regards,
    Wayne H.
    (aka 10 degrees below a rock)

    Hi, John.

    This is a good idea. I look forward to learning the results. I suggest you test us with "affect/effect" and "stationary/stationery." Others, doubtless, would be useful, but none comes to mind. On another topic, how about a test for subject/verb agreement, like "none-is/none-are" or "data-is/data-are"?

    —Thanks for your work.
    Frank P.

    Hi John,

    I just mentally replaced "principal" with "main" and "principle" with "scruples" and made my choices based on that. I paused on #6, but I stayed with the same definitions, because you have the "main" money (principal) and the interest, which is earned from it.

    —Ann C.

    After looking at these sentences, I can easily see that many folks could be quite confused. It was a fun mental workout.

    —Carol

    Hello Mr. John Robertson,

    Thank you very much for allowing me to join your Focusing on Words Newsletter. I am Japanese. I am trying to learn English.

    —Masamichi O.
    [Ed. note: Masamichi answered ALL of them correctly.]

    Hey John, this is tougher than it first appears! Good challenge! Bestest,
    —Gordon

    [Editor: When asked what system this subscriber used to choose the right "princip-", his response was as follows]

    John,

    I don't think it qualifies as a system, but here's my thought process: I know that one of the words refers to abstract decision-making guidelines for things like morals, ethics, professional decisions, etc., and I know that that word isn't "principal" because Principal was the sign on the office door of the guy who ran my grade school, and I remember walking past that sign in the first grade and thinking "He's no pal of mine."

    The logic doesn't track, but I walk through this little personal memory each time I have to distinguish between these two words, and it seems to get me to the right answer.

    I rely on an obscure personal memory to determine that "principal" does not refer to abstract values and decision-making guidelines. If "principal" doesn't refer to them, then "principle" does.

    Hope this helps.

    —Dave

    I used the word principle anytime it was talking about one's moral belief system. Principles are beliefs or values. I used the word principal meaning the central or main thing. Also, principal means an amount of money.

    I teach 6th grade language arts and math. My boss is a principal with few principles.

    —Mark C. G.

    The oldest trick in the book. My high school principal, who is the main person in the school, is my pal. Works for nouns and works for adjectives. The only one I wasn't sure of was principle/principal meaning money in the bank. I made a good guess (or inference.)

    —jme


    This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #04 (page 1)
    Letters of interest from readers
    John,

    I mentioned this earlier but my letter apparently went into hyperorbit. The phrases involving two and tandem are not pleonasms. Tandem hitching simply requires that the hitching of a team be linear, one behind another. Any number of individuals can constitute the tandem team.

    A replacement pleonasm could be the “three-horse troika.” A troika is three horses, hitched abreast, to a conveyance.

    —-Richard

    This is in reference to my pleonasm/redundancy list at the pleonasm page.


    For the history [of discipline and punishment], I found the following on www.m-w.com:

    Discipline Etymology: Middle English, from Old French & Latin; Old French, from Latin disciplina, teaching, learning, from discipulus, pupil.

    Punish Etymology: Middle English, punisshen, from Middle French, puniss-, stem of punir, from Latin punire, from poena, penalty —

    My interpretation is that discipline is an inflexible teaching. Punishment can be a tool to achieve discipline, but reward is another tool. Moreover, crime punishment (for example) can be hardly related with discipline.

    —Giovanni

    Hello,

    I am very delighted with the newsletter. I agree that the female version of an android would be gynoid or something in that area. I have recently learned the Ancient Greek word for woman: gune, gunaikos. So in English that would transliterate into gyna-.

    I was wondering how I can get my comments to appear on the newsletter. I truly love the classic languages and anxious to participate.


    Si bene valet, valeo.
    —Michael

    Contrasting Discipline and Punishment

    Discipline is derived from the Latin word discere which means to learn. Discipline is related to the concept of moral or physical training often involving hard work and hard knocks as we say “I went to the school of hard knocks.” We learn from the mistakes we make (except for those of us with hard heads!).

    Discipline can be imposed by others or we can be self-disciplined. We learn discipline (self-control) through the lessons of life.

    Many times, when we behave in an undisciplined matter we can incur a consequence which is like a penalty or punishment.

    Penalties for our behavior can be a natural result of our actions or given to us by our authority.

    Punishment comes from two Latin words; the Latin verb punire (poenio) which means to punish or penalize and the Latin noun poenia = a penalty/punishment. It is the idea of paying for the wrong that was done. Hence the Latin idiom poenas dare, "to pay the penalty".

    Punishment is related to discipline but not synonymous.

    As language evolves, related terms are sometimes used interchangeably as are discipline and punishment. However, I believe it is best to clearly distinguish between these two terms as your text book is doing. Looking at the phrases below, which communicates more clearly?

    I am being punished. [I am experiencing a penalty] I am being disciplined. [Am I behaving in a disciplined manner or being punished?]

    He endured the discipline. [Did he endure rigorous training or a punishment?] He endured the punishment. [He endured a penalty].

    For what it's worth,

    —Lori

    Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful and educational site on the WWW. I work with a lot of people from other countries who, have asked me to help them learn the English language. This site has been extremely helpful to me.

    With all of the slang that is used, it is hard to understand, some of which I was not aware of, that I have been using (like "what's up" a man from Ethiopia said to me what is the meaning of this Laura? What do they mean what is up? The sky is up, I laughed and explained).

    Anyway, thanks for teaching me as well and others. Bless you for the effort you put forth!


    —Laura

    Gee, I really like this site. I prepare prison inmates to pass the GED exam. I really like my work and am planning on presenting a 40-minute talk with handouts about the value of improving vocabulary. This will be in March at the Missouri Department of Corrections Education Conference.

    I should have two sessions, with about thirty to forty participants each. The title of my little dittie is: "Don't Be a Brain Robber, Be a Brain Builder!" Catchie-huh?

    Now, I would like to know if I may use some of the material from this site and if you have some references or pearls of wisdom to suggest. I really would appreciate hearing them.

    By the way, in the field of literacy and emerging language skills, the area of corrections is doing a big job of stressing the importance of getting a GED. If an inmate wants a job above $7.50 a month, he has to have a diploma!

    Sometime in the next two years, an inmate will also need a GED to get a parole date! So far I have enjoyed my inmate students. They are so interesting, and surprisingly, they are open to using dictionaries and improving their vocabulary. Thanks for listening.

    —Sincerely, Nancy

    Hi John

    Thank you for the welcome; what fun to find your page. As a retired teacher of Humanities, I applaud the writer's efforts to present accurate information to her class. I'm sure she is an excellent teacher. I also admire your effort in trying to focus on Latin and Greek derivatives, and I'll be interested to see if you can pull it off.

    Having done no research on either punishment or discipline, I don't have any answers, but here are a few ideas I'll S.W.A.G.

    First, punishment and discipline are Latin derivatives but with radically different stems. The text is right to make a difference between them. The Latins and Greeks were clear thinkers and, therefore, meant exactly what they said.

    When they used "punishment," they meant a condition of causing pain or suffering; when they used "discipline," they meant instruction and/or education. Punishment and discipline may be used together. That is, one may cause pain or suffering (emotional, not necessarily physical), but that is largely ineffective without discipline.

    "Don't hit your sister with your fist, you'll break your knuckles" is more effective than "Don't hit your sister with your fist, because if you do, I"ll hit you." ;-)

    So, discipline takes punishment one step further; it provides instruction as to the way of the world. Experiments in child psychology appear to provide evidence showing that babies only two or three months old have a sense of how the physical world works. The essence of punishment is unpredictability. The two words probably became synonymous in the vernacular through sloppy thinking.

    Good luck with your project.

    —Best regards, Gayle

    Any idea who came up with this ridiculous sesquipedalian monstrosity [floccinaucinihilipilification]? I forgot the definition.

    Your newsletter is great by the way.

    Ok, is there a precise word for the act of "counting sheep" other than the inaccurate "insomnia"? If not, can we offer a neologism, a hybrid word combining sheep and sleep . . . Ewesomia? But that isn't pc, is it? Ewes it or lose it . . . . (to sheep perchance to dream?)

    I checked Nelson's Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament in which the word for "flock, sheep, goats"; is tso’n or "small cattle". "Tso’nia?" "Tso’nasomia"? I don't know, this sounds strange . . . .

    What about the "counting" part of "counting sheep"? The same Hebraic dictionary defines "count"; as saphar, meaning "to number, count, proclaim or declare".

    So counting sheep could be combined into "Saphartsonia"?

    But what about the "sleep" connection? This is rambling, perhaps you could offer a Latin-Greek variant . . . thanks.

    —John M.
    This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #03 (page 1)
    Lose/Loose, Use and Abuse; More about [sic] from the Last Newsletter

    I probably should have been more precise with my discussion about “lose” and the [sic] example of “loose”. Whenever we mean that something has been lost, we should NEVER say, “I loose the hounds” or “I loosened the hounds” OR “The quarter back loosed his grip on the football” when LOST is meant!

    The [sic] misuses are when people replace “lose” with “loose”. Again, I should have written, “... we NEVER ‘loose’ anything when ‘to lose’ is meant! They are two different verbs with different meanings and should not be confused. It’s certainly correct to say, “I let the dogs loose so they could run around (for example).” I maintain that it is unacceptable to say, “I loosed the dogs and I don’t know where they are” when “I lost the dogs .... ” is meant. Does this clarify the point?

    I do appreciate the comments from readers. If nothing else, they make me aware that I must be more precise and probably should not have sent the letter out when I was so tired. It was after 2:30 a.m. (where I am) when I submitted the letter to the web and I wanted to get it out to see if it would go out properly (over the internet, that is).

    For those who wrote, thank you. It means you’re paying attention and that’s better than being ignored. This reminds me of something I read recently about the “conspiracy of silence”. The phrase was coined by Sir Lewis Morris, a minor poet of the Victorian era. He wanted to be Poet Laureate in England but he never gained this honor. He claimed that critics were jealous of him and, as a result, damned his poetry when they bothered to mention it at all. He once complained at length to Oscar Wilde of this treatment, finally saying: “Oscar, there’s a conspiracy of silence against me. What shall I do?” Wilde replied simply: “Join it!”

    This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #02 (page 1)
    Manna from heaven (Exodus 16:15)
    This entry is located in the following unit: Bible Quotations used in modern English (page 3)
    Newly formed words from The Washington Post

    The Washington Post recently published a contest for readers in which they were asked to supply alternate meanings for various words. The following were some of the winning entries:


    • Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
    • Carcinoma (n.), a valley in California, notable for its heavy smog.
    • Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
    • Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
    • Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
    • Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightie.
    • Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
    • Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash.
    • Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
    • Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
    • Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
    • Semantics (n.), pranks conducted by young men studying for the priesthood, including such things as gluing the pages of the priest's prayer book together just before vespers.
    • Circumvent (n.), the opening in the front of boxer shorts.
    • Frisbatarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.

    The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are some recent winners:

    • Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the reader who doesn't get it.
    • Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
    • Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very high.
    • Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of obtaining sex.
    • Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously.
    • Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease.
    • Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like a serious bummer.
    • Glibido: All talk and no action.
    • Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
    • Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a refund from the IRS, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
    This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #10 (page 1)
    Reader Responses to U. S. Teachers and Cheating from Newsletter #9
    Dear John:

    I read your e-mail on the deplorable state of education in the United States.

    Having taught both high school and college, I must admit that the comments are quite accurate. I must say that I am certainly doing my best to maintain high standards both at the university and high school levels and your newsletters have been a great help in helping me achieve this.

    Best regards,
    James

    John,

    I enjoyed your latest newsletter about the problem of cheating and the watering down of the curricula in most academic areas. In my first teaching position almost forty years ago, I took a boy's History Regents paper away from him . . . along with his copious "cheat notes" and went to the Principal.

    The result? I almost lost my job for daring to ruin this young person's life. The same Principal later asked me to remark the State Regents exams and see if I couldn't upgrade some of them because "they weren't going to be reviewed at the state capital that year and who would know the difference."

    I'm happy to report I didn't, but it wasn't easy and the pressure on teachers to bend the rules has only grown worse. I don't know what the answers are, but you are right to highlight the problem.
    Best wishes,
    Ray

    Hi John:

    You have made some excellent points about education and Americans. I see this all the time. I have a Montessori Pre-school and we have "before and after-school kids" from three districts and it's amazing what they don't know and yet bring home "A's" and "B's".

    Have you ever read the Leipzig Connection? I ran across it in a thrift store and it's the story of how America's education came to be what it is now.

    Thanks for the wonderful newsletter. I don't say much about it but I do love getting it. You do a great job.

    Pam
    This entry is located in the following unit: Focusing on Words Newsletter #10 (page 1)
    Science and Technology from 1800 to 1899, Part 2
    A presentation of words about Science and Technology from the past.
    This entry is located in the following unit: Index of Scientific and Technological Topics (page 2)
    Science and Technology from the Past to 1799, Part 1
    An extensive list of Science and Technology terms from the past.
    This entry is located in the following unit: Index of Scientific and Technological Topics (page 2)