Caesar’s English II
Lesson XX
epithet n. (EP-ih-thet): a characterizing term
The English noun epithet
comes from the Latin epitheton,
which the Romans derived from
the Greek epithetos. An epithet
is a word or phrase that we add
to someone’s name to
characterize him; it can also be
an abusive word. The most
famous epithets are from
Homer, as when he referred to
gray-eyed Athena in The
Odyssey.
Spanish: epíteto
abject adj. (AB-ject): miserable
Spanish: abyecto
The English adjective abject comes from the
Latin abjectus, a form of the verb abicere, to cast
off. Abject means miserable, thrown-down
emotionally. In James M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, we
see “Hook in their midst as abject as if he heard
the crocodile.”
eccentric
adj. (eck-SENT-rick): unconventional
Spanish: excéntrico
The English adjective eccentric means
unconventional, deviating from society’s established
patterns. The Romans got their Latin word
eccentricus from the Greek ekkentros, out of the
center. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee wrote that
“we came to know Dill as a pocket Merlin whose head
teemed with eccentric plans.”
imperious adj. (im-PEER-ee-us): overbearing
Spanish: imperioso
The English adjective imperious comes from the
Latin imperiosus, and refers to behavior that is
commanding, domineering, overbearing—as though
the imperious person is acting like an emperor. In
Black Beauty Anna Sewell wrote that “in an imperious
voice she said, ‘York, you must put those horses’
heads higher, they are not fit to be seen.’”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsUCRcK7QYc
solicitude n. (so-LISS-ih-tood): concern
Spanish: solicitud
The English noun solicitude means concern; it
suggests the desire to protect. Its adjective form,
solicitous, comes from the Latin sollicitus. In
Profiles of Courage John Kennedy describes a
politician who pretends “extraordinary solicitude for
the people.”
Caesar’s English XX
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
epithet: a characterizing term
abject: miserable
eccentric: unconventional
imperious: overbearing
solicitude: concern
Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge
1. From George Orwell’s 1984
Thought-criminals made _____________
confessions of their crimes.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abject
eccentric
imperious
solicitous
Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge
1. From George Orwell’s 1984
Thought-criminals made _____________
confessions of their crimes.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abject
eccentric
imperious
solicitous
2. From Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s
Men
She commanded me in an ___________
whisper.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abject
eccentric
solicitous
imperious
2. From Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s
Men
She commanded me in an ___________
whisper.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abject
eccentric
solicitous
imperious
3. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the
Native
She glanced at him with furtive
____________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abjection
eccentricity
solicitude
epithet
3. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the
Native
She glanced at him with furtive
____________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
abjection
eccentricity
solicitude
epithet
The Grammar of Vocabulary:
abject, an adjective.
Some barbarians lived in abject submission to Rome.