Word Roots
2 roots • 8 wordsCOSM
Root Meaning:
COSM comes from the Greek word for “order.” Since the Greeks believed the universe was an orderly place, words in this group usually relate to the universe. So cosmonaut was the word for a space traveler from the former Soviet Union. (The roots of our own word, astronaut, suggest “star traveler” instead.) Oddly enough, cosmetics comes from the same root, since putting things in order is similar to decorating something—such as your face.
Etymology:
Latin
4 words derived from this root
Words from this root:
cosmos
/ˈkɒzmɒs/
Definition:
(1) The universe, especially when it is viewed as orderly and systematic. (2) Any orderly system that is complete in itself.
Example:
The astronomer, the biologist, and the philosopher all try in their own ways to make sense of the cosmos.
Explanation:
*Cosmos* often simply means “universe.” But the word is generally used to suggest an orderly or harmonious universe, as it was originally used by Pythagoras in the 6th century B.C. Thus, a religious mystic may help put us in touch with the cosmos, and so may a physicist. The same is often true of the adjective *cosmic*: Cosmic rays (really particles rather than rays) bombard us from outer space, but cosmic questions come from human attempts to find order in the universe.
cosmology
/kɒzˈmɒlədʒi/
Definition:
(1) A theory that describes the nature of the universe. (2) A branch of astronomy that deals with the origin and structure of the universe.
Example:
New Age teachers propose a cosmology quite unlike the traditional Jewish, Christian, or Islamic ways of viewing the universe.
Explanation:
Most religions and cultures include some kind of cosmology to explain the nature of the universe. In modern astronomy, the leading cosmology is still the Big Bang theory, which claims that the universe began with a huge explosion that sent matter and energy spreading out in all directions. One reason why fans watch *Star Trek* is for the various cosmologies depicted in the show, including different conceptions of space, time, and the meaning of life.
microcosm
/ˈmaɪkrəkɒzəm/
Definition:
Something (such as a place or an event) that is seen as a small version of something much larger.
Example:
The large hippie communes of the 1960s and '70s were microcosms of socialist systems, with most of socialism's advantages and disadvantages.
Explanation:
A troubled urban school can look like a microcosm of America's educational system. A company's problems may be so typical that they can represent an entire small country's economic woes “in microcosm.” *Microcosm,* and especially its synonym *microcosmos,* are also sometimes used when talking about the microscopic world. The documentary film *Microcosmos* is devoted to the remarkable insect life in an ordinary meadow on a single summer's day.
cosmopolitan
/ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/
Definition:
(1) Having international sophistication and experience. (2) Made up of persons, elements, or influences from many different parts of the world.
Example:
New York, like most cosmopolitan cities, offers a wonderful array of restaurants featuring foods from around the world.
Explanation:
Since *cosmopolitan* includes the root *polit-,* from the Greek word for “citizen”, someone who is cosmopolitan is a “citizen of the world.” She may be able to read the morning paper in Rio de Janeiro, attend a lecture in Madrid, and assist at a refugee camp in Uganda with equal ease—and maybe all in the same week. And a city or a country that is cosmopolitan has aspects and elements that come from various countries.
SCI
Root Meaning:
SCI comes from the Latin verb scire, “to know” or “to understand.” The root appears in such common words as science, which originally meant simply “knowledge,” and conscience, meaning “moral knowledge.” And to be conscious is to be in a state where you are able to know or understand.
Etymology:
Latin
4 words derived from this root
Words from this root:
conscientious
/ˌkɒnʃiˈɛnʃəs/
Definition:
(1) Governed by morality; scrupulous. (2) Resulting from painstaking or exact attention.
Example:
New employees should be especially conscientious about turning in all their assignments on time.
Explanation:
*Conscience* and its adjective *conscientious* both come from a Latin verb meaning “to be aware of guilt.” *Conscientious* indicates extreme care, either in observing moral laws or in performing assigned duties. A conscientious person is someone with a strong moral sense, who has feelings of guilt when he or she violates it. A conscientious worker has a sense of duty that forces him or her to do a careful job. A conscientious report shows painstaking work on the part of the writer. And a *conscientious objector* is someone who, for reasons of conscience, refuses to fight in an army.
nescience
/ˈnɛʃəns/
Definition:
Lack of knowledge or awareness: ignorance.
Example:
About once every class period, my political-science professor would angrily denounce the nescience of the American public.
Explanation:
This word, which means literally “non-knowledge,” is only used by intellectuals, and the same is true of its adjective, *nescient*. We all have heard the remarkable facts: 40% of us believe that humans and dinosaurs lived on earth at the same time; 49% believe that the President can ignore the Constitution; 60% can't name the three branches of government; 75% can't find Israel on a map; and so on. Is it any wonder we Americans are sometimes called nescient?
prescient
/ˈpriːʃənt/
Definition:
Having or showing advance knowledge of what is going to happen.
Example:
For years she had read the *Wall Street Journal* every morning, looking for prescient warnings about crashes, crises, and catastrophes on the horizon.
Explanation:
Being truly prescient would require supernatural powers. But well-informed people may have such good judgment as to appear prescient, and *prescient* is often used to mean “having good foresight.” Some newspaper columnists may seem prescient in their predictions, but we can't help suspecting that any apparent *prescience* is usually the result of leaks from people with inside knowledge.
unconscionable
/ʌnˈkɒnʃənəbəl/
Definition:
(1) Not guided by any moral sense; unscrupulous. (2) Shockingly excessive, unreasonable, or unfair.
Example:
When the facts about how the cigarette industry had lied about its practices for decades finally came out, most Americans found the behavior unconscionable.
Explanation:
Something that can't be done in good *conscience* is unconscionable, and such acts can range from betraying a confidence to mass murder. For a five- syllable word, *unconscionable* is actually quite common. This is partly because it isn't always used very seriously; so, for example, a critic is free to call a fat new book “an unconscionable waste of trees.” In law, an unconscionable contract is one that, even though it was signed by both parties, is so ridiculous that a judge will just throw it out.