Latin Roots & Affixes, Lesson 2
In this lesson you will learn the following affixes: bi-, multi-, uni-
and the roots -lateral-, -cycle-, -lingual- and –dimensional-.
PREFIXES
The prefix bi- means “two” as in the word
“bicycle” (two circles). A cycle, of course, is something that
goes in a circle from one point to another like alternating current (AC).
The prefix uni- means “one”, so a “unicycle”
looks like this:
There is only one wheel. The prefix multi-
is derived from Latin and means “many”. There is a prefix,
poly-, which also means “many”, but it is derived from the Greek language
ROOTS
We already know the meaning of the root cycle. What about the
other roots that we listed above? The root lateral
is an adjective form meaning “side”. The root lingual
is also an adjective form which means “tongue, or “language”. Notice that
there is not much difference in the spelling of the root and
the word “language”. The root dimensional is
the adjective form of “dimension”. We see this often used in
phrases like three dimensional or simply 3D.
Exercise
Instructions: Using what you know about these roots and affixes
and the context, determine the meaning of the following
bold-faced words.
- No one in the Arashi band speaks English in addition to
Japanese, so I could hardly call them bilingual😄 Interestingly, Spanish "lengua" means tongue..
- He is not only a good student, but also he is an
excellent musician and a gifted athlete. Certainly, he
is a multidimensional😄 Do you know how to multiply 2*3? talent.
- While North Korea pushed for bilateral😄 Quarterbacks are allowed to make lateral passes. talks
with the United States, the American government has insisted on the six-nation, multilateral😄 There are many sides to a polygon. format.
- The central processing unit (CPU) does not understand
human language. The CPU processes all communication
via a binary😄 How many stars does a binary star system contain?
system of “0’s” and “1’s” only.
- We cannot have any representative act unilaterally😄 With so many injuries,
they had only one player left on their side.. Rather, he must
consult first with his colleagues before making a decision.
- While each center has its own manager, all managers operate
according to uniform😄 We must conform to the rules. procedures throughout the centers.
- If you eat only food from your country, speak only
your native language, associate only with people from your
country, and never integrate into this culture, you are doomed
to return to your country a unidimensional😄 Uniquely boring? personality.
-
A linguist😄 Len studied linguistics at UCLA. conducts
research into the history of a language and attempts to describe it.
Using the roots and affixes that you have learned in this lesson, describe each image below.
Check-Up
Select the correct word
for each blank below.
1) Abdullah is a __________ individual. No one
else is quite like him.
2) Nick is not limited to academia; his
interests are ____________.
3) Khalid studies hard because he wants to be ______________.
4) Weiting laughed at Yan when he told her
that he owned the _______________.
5) The Earth does not orbit a ______________.
