Friday, July 17, 2015

Vocabulary - Bad Words

In the Vocab workshop last week I was talking about the root word "cac" which means bad. As usual I set about troubling people by asking for words that originate from "cac" and one of the words that was suggested was cactus. This is not the first time that cactus has been suggested in response to the this root word. Cactus, however, does not originate from 'cac'. It actually originates from the Greek Kaktos which means cardoon (a kind of an artichoke, cultivated for its edible leafstalks and roots)

But then I thought this is a perfect root word to look at. So here are a few "Bad words" ... I am sure you will enjoy them .... :-)

Cacodoxy
Erroneous doctrine; heresy; heterodoxy.
Etymology: cac(o) + doxa = bad + opinion

Cacography
Bad handwriting; poor penmanship.
Incorrect spelling.
Etymology: cac(o) + graphos = bad + (something) drawn or written, one who draws or writes

Cacoëthes
An irresistible urge; mania.
Etymology: cac(o) + ethos = bad + character
In other words: of bad character

Cacology
Defectively produced speech; socially unacceptable diction.
Etymology: cac(o) + -logy = bad + word, speech

Caconym
A name, esp. a taxonomic name, that is considered linguistically undesirable.
Etymology: cac(o) + -onym = bad + name


Task:
Create a list of 8-10 words with 'cac' as the root word.