CLASSICAL ROOTS
LESSON 2: NUMBERS
ROOTS
TRI = THREE
TRES = THREE
QUARTUS = FOURTH
QUATUOR = FOUR
DECEM = TEN
CENTUM = HUNDRED
TRILOGY
• A GROUP OF THREE LITERARY OR
MUSICAL WORKS THAT HAVE A
RELATED THEME
(LOGOS <G. WORD, SPEECH)
TRISECT
• TO DIVIDE INTO THREE PARTS
(SECARE <L. TO CUT)
TRIUMVIRATE
• A GROUP OF THREE, ESPECIALLY
IN AUTHORITY
(VIR <L. MAN)
PRACTICE!
Three books of a series, three
movies of series, three musical
works of a series…
triumvirate? trisect? trilogy?
(trilogy)
PRACTICE!
If three students decided to run
the presidency of ASB together,
they could be called a…
trisect? triumvirate? trilogy?
(triumvirate)
QUADRANT
• A QUARTER OF A CIRCLE OR OF ITS
CIRCUMFERENCE
• AN EARLY MACHINE FOR
MEASURING ALTITUDES
• ANY OF THE FOUR PARTS OF AN
AREA DIVIDED BY PERPENDICULAR
LINES
QUARTET
• A MUSICAL COMPOSITION FOR
FOUR VOICES OR FOUR
INSTRUMENTS
• A SET OF FOUR, ESPECIALLY
FOUR MUSICIANS
QUATRAIN
• A STANZA OR GROUP OF FOUR
LINES OF POETRY
PRACTICE!
• ONE-FOURTH OF A CIRCLE IS
CALLED A…
quatrain? quadrant? quartet?
(quadrant)
PRACTICE!
THE FOUR CELLO PLAYERS MADE
AN AMAZING…
Quatrain? Quadrant? Quartet?
(quartet)
PRACTICE!
• WHAT WORD REFERS TO A
POEM OF FOUR LINES?
QUADRANT? QUATRAIN? QUARTET?
(QUATRAIN)
DECIMATE
• TO DESTROY A LARGE PART OF
• TO KILL ONE IN EVERY TEN
DECATHLON
• AN ATHLETIC CONTEST IN WHICH
EACH CONTESTANT TAKES PART
IN TEN EVENTS
(ATHLON <G. CONTEST)
BICENTENNIAL
• A TWO-HUNDREDTH
ANNIVERSARY
• HAPPENING ONCE EVERY 200
YEARS
(ANNUS <L. YEAR)
CENTENARY
• PERTAINING TO A 100-YEAR
PERIOD
• A CENTENNIAL
CENTIGRADE
• REFERRING TO A THERMOMETER
SCALE OF 100 DEGREES IN
WHICH WATER FREEZES AT 0
DEGREES AND BOILS AT 100
DEGREES
(GRADUS <L. STEP)
PRACTICE!
WHICH WORD REFERS TO A
THERMOMETER SCALE OF 100
DEGREES?
decimate? centenary? centigrade?
(centigrade)
PRACTICE!
AN ATHLETIC CONTEST OF 10
EVENTS IS A…
decimate? decathlon? centenary?
(decathlon)
PRACTICE!
A 100 YEAR PERIOD IS A…
centenary? bicentennial? decathlon?
(centenary)
PRACTICE!
EUROPEAN MEASLES ____________
THE NATIVE AMERICAN POPULATION.
trisected? decimated?
(decimated)
CHALLENGE!
WHICH WORD IS ASSOCIATED
WITH HAPPENING EVERY 200
YEARS?
(bicentennial)
CHALLENGE!
A GROUP OF THREE GOVERNING
PEOPLE IS CALLED…
( triumvirate)
CHALLENGE!
IN WHAT FORM ARE MOST
NURSERY RHYMES WRITTEN?
(quatrain)
CHALLENGE!
THE TERM RELATED TO
TEMPERATURE IS…
(centigrade)
CHALLENGE!
THREE BOOKS THAT MAKE UP A
SERIES ARE CALLED A …
(trilogy)
CHALLENGE!
GROUP THE VOCABULARY
WORDS INTO THE CATEGORIES
OF :
NOUNS
ADJECTIVES
VERBS
NOUNS
trilogy
triumvirate
quadrant
quartet
quatrain
decathlon
bicentennial
centenary
ADJECTIVES
bicentennial
centenary
centigrade
VERBS
decimate
trisect
CHALLENGE!
• DO YOU KNOW THE TWO
DEFINITIONS OF DECIMATE?
1. TO DESTROY A LARGE PART OF
2. TO KILL ONE IN EVERY TEN
CHALLENGE!
DO YOU KNOW THE THREE
DEFINITIONS FOR QUADRANT?
1. A quarter of a circle
2. An early machine for measuring
altitude
3. One of four parts divided by
perpendicular lines
CHALLENGE!
WHAT IS THE NOUN FORM OF
TRISECT?
(trisection)
CHALLENGE!
WHICH TWO WORDS ARE LISTED WITH
BOTH AN ADJECTIVE AND A NOUN
FORM AND ARE SPELLED THE SAME IN
BOTH FORMS?
(bicentennial and centenary)
CHALLENGE!
To punish a legion that had showed
cowardice, the Roman army
sometimes ___________soldiers on
a basis of a lottery.
(decimated)
CHALLENGE!
During the complicated heart
surgery, a ____________of four
surgeons worked for ten hours.
(quartet)
CHALLENGE!
The winner of the Olympic
__________can be considered an
all-around superb athlete.
(decathlon)
CHALLENGE!
Rescuers divided the forest into
four equal parts, or a ___________
and searched thoroughly for
survivors.
(quadrants)
CHALLENGE!
Scientists will often use a
_________scale for measuring
water’s boiling and freezing points
because it makes calculations easier.
(centigrade)
CHALLENGE!
In order to measure altitude, a
machine called a
_______________, was once used.
(quadrant)
CHALLENGE!
The freeway __________the once
united community into three
separated neighborhoods.
(trisected)
CHALLENGE!
The Second __________of Rome
was Mark Anthony, Augustus
Caesar, and Lepidus.
(Triumvirate)
CHALLENGE!
European diseases __________the
Native American population
because they had no immunity.
(decimated)
CHALLENGE!
A two hundredth anniversary is
called a ______________.
(bicentennial)
CHALLENGE!
I just finished the last of the
three books in the _________.
(trilogy)
CHALLENGE!
• Hawaii became the 50th state in
1959. When will it celebrate its
bicentennial?
(2159)
CHALLENGE!
Louisa May Alcott, a famous
author, died in 1888. When is
the centenary of her deat?
(1988)
CHALLENGE!
If an army of 100 is decimated,
how many will survive?
(90)
CHALLENGE!
The boiling point on a centigrade
scale is ____ degrees.
(100)
CHALLENGE!
Susan B Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and
Elizabeth Stanton were a
______________ of suffragists who led
the movement for women’s right to
vote.
(triumvirate)
CHALLENGE!
If you trisect a bouquet of a
dozen roses, you can give _____
people four flowers each.
(three)
CHALLENGE!
Fires and plagues
________________ the population
of 17th century London.
(decimated)