Basic Terminology in Etymology: The ones not
included in the matching sheet
1.Antonym:
a word opposite in meaning to another. Fast is an
antonym of slow.
2. Assimilation:
common phonological process by which one sound
becomes more like a nearby sound. This can occur
either within a word or between words. In rapid
speech, for example, "handbag" is often pronounced
[ˈhæmbæɡ].
3.Concrete words:
they describe things you experience through your
senses: smoke, mist, a shout
4. Derivative:
something that is based on another source.
5. Dialect
a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a
specific region or social group
6. Diminutive
Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form
denoting smallness
7. Suffix
something added to the end of something else.
8. Dissimilation
the act of making or becoming unlike.
Phonetics. the process by which a speech sound
becomes different from or less like a neighboring
sound, as pilgrim
[pil-grim] /ˈpɪl grɪm
purple
[pur-puh l] /ˈpɜr pəl
or disappears entirely because of a like sound in
another syllable, as in the pronunciation
[guhv-uh-ner] /ˈgʌv ə nər/ for governor.
9. Etymology
the derivation of a word.
10. Figurative Word
1.departing from a literal use of words;
metaphorical:
2. (of an artist or work of art) representing forms
that are recognizably derived from life.
11. Homonym
1. a word pronounced the same as another but
differing in meaning, whether spelled the same
way or not, as heir and air; a homophone
2. a word that is both a homophone and a
homograph, that is, exactly the same as another
in sound and spelling but different in meaning,
as chase “to pursue” and chase “to ornament
metal.”.
Dictionary and Thesaurus Packet Due March
14
12. Informal Language
Informal language is language use
characterized by
 spontaneous speech in situations that
may be described as natural or "reallife," and
 the use of a "low” dialect or language in
preference to a “high” one.
13. Metathesis
Metathesis is the re-arranging of sounds or
syllables in a word, or of words in a sentence.
Most commonly it refers to the switching of two
or more contiguous sounds, known as adjacent
metathesis.


foliage > **foilage
cavalry > **calvary
14. Modify
make partial or minor changes to (something),
typically so as to improve it such as adding and
deleting letters or changing meaning.
15. Philology
the branch of knowledge that deals with the
structure, historical development, and
relationships of a language or languages.
16. Onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated
with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle).
17. Prefix
a word, letter, or number placed before another:
18. Root-Base Word
Roots are the base elements of a word that convey the
basic meaning of the word. So if you take words that you
use every day, like the word reaction, you will notice that
the root or base word within the word "react" is the word
"act."
When simplified further, you can easily see that:



The word "act" refers to something that you do or
how you perform or behave.
The prefix of the word reaction is simply "re." The
prefix in its simplest form means back or again.
The suffix of the word reaction is simply "ion," and it
is this suffix that can turn just about any word into a
noun.
19. Suffix
a morpheme added at the end of a word to form a
derivative, e.g., -ation, -fy, -ing, -itis.
20. Slang
the jargon of a particular class, profession, etc.
21. Synonym
a word having the same or nearly the same meaning as
another in the language, as happy, joyful, elated.