WORD OF THE WEEK: Sooo Out of Fashion!

Today's Word of the Week is dedicated to my cousin Nicole Parkinson, who's just begun her senior year of college and already dreading the vocabulary portion of the GRE, or graduate school exam. It comes directly from a list of commonly used words in the exam. I selected it because even I am not entirely familiar with this word—at least not enough to have ever used it in a sentence.

Antediluvian (AN-ti-di-LOO-vee-an) is an adjective that literally means "before the flood." It's used to describe something old, out-dated, archaic, antique (as in, "That antediluvian car you're driving could probably qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program!"). Ante is a prefix meaning before, while diluvium (also the root word for deluge) means flood. Both root parts of this word come from the original Latin, and were adopted into the English language as early as the 1640s, according to language records. Put together, the word references that unrecorded era in human development before the Ice Age, or before the Great Flood of the Bible.

Studying prefixes is a great way to learn more, naturally, about language and to automatically enhance your vocabulary. (*Ahem* Pay attention, Nicole!) Experts recommend learning several prefixes and suffixes, rather than attempting to blythely memorize word lists and meanings prior to major tests like the GRE; then, in the event that a word that wasn't on your predetermined list shows up on the test, you're more likely to be able to intuit its meaning.

Even younger children who are struggling to learn vocab words at school can learn 2 new words per week by studying one suffix and one prefix that week, then putting them together with a word they already know. Understanding word parts can help even pupils with learning disabilities—of all ages—grow their word power.

© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009

WORD OF THE WEEK: SAT Sagacity

I have a cousin who will soon be taking the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) to enter graduate school. My aunt, her mother, recently contacted me about helping to improve my cousin's vocabulary. This week's word comes directly from the SAT (commonly formerly known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test and still taken by high schoolers before entry into undergraduate college): sagacity.

To be sagacious is to possess keen discernment and wisdom. To have sagacity is the same. The word comes from the Latin sagac, sagax or sagire, all meaning "to perceive keenly." It's akin to sagus, or prophetic. By the way, it can also be proper to conjugate sagacity as sagaciousness.

Vocabularly can be very elusive to many people. But keeping up with new words—whether weekly or even daily—can really improve anyone's ability to speak and understand. It aids IQ points, test scores, workplace and personal relationships, as well as general navigation of one's world.

In addition to this blog, there are several sources that can add words to your lexicon via regular e-mail to your in-box. Here is a small-but-helpful list you would be wise to use:

A.Word.A.Day
Dictionary.com
MyDictionary.com
YourDictionary.com
Urban Dictionary
Merriam-Webster online
Oxford English Dictionary online
The (relatively new) Bloomsbury English Dictionary


(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009