Vocabulary Q1

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Definiton

the explanation or description of what a thing is, or what a word/phrase means/has meant.
Etymology

Origin and analysis of a word as shown by breaking it down into its constituent historical elements. "the study of the true/real meaning of a word"
Affix

collective term for prefixes, suffixes, and infixes.
Root/Base

the central element of a word which is left after the removal of all affixes.
Prefix

one or more letters or syllables placed at the beginning of a word to modify it meaning.
Assimilation

process by which adjacent sounds (usually consonants) acquire similar/identical characteristics.
Euphony

tendency toward greater ease of pronunciation resulting in combinative changes, largely due to speed and economy of utterance.
Vowel Gradation

a change in the internal vowel of a base, often went he base is prefixed.
Acronym

an abbreviation that spells a word or pronounceable unit.
Back Formation

the creation of simpler forms from more complex forms, usually by the removal of an affix.
Apheresis
The elimination of the first letter or syllable of a word.
- -aphesis (loss of the first syllable of a word)
- -syncope (loss of syllabel in the middle of a word)
- -Apocope (loss of a syllable at the end of a word)
Cognate

a word having the same linguistic derivation as another; from the same original word/root
Derivative

process of forming a new word from an existing word.
Doublets

a Latin base has entered English twice; once from Latin and once from French