Building English Vocabulary With Etymology Introduction

Book excerpt: Etymology is the study of word origins and development. It provides one of the easiest and most effective ways to build vocabulary, because knowledge of some common roots and prefixes makes possible the figuring out of new word meanings. English is compounded of several languages, primarily Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) and Latin. Historically, the Angles and Saxon tribes occupied Britain after expelling the Celts to Ireland. Beginning in the first century BCE, Julius Caesar's legions conquered and occupied Britain, and Roman troops remained until the fifth century. Their Latin influence persists notably in the names of English cities ending in "-caster" or "-chester," from the Latin "castra" meaning "encampment." This series of books focuses then on etymology from Latin and Greek. The texts are designed to aid in learning the definitions of specific, deconstructed words.