TERM/TERMIN comes from the Latin verb terminare, “to limit, bound, or set limits to,” and the

noun
terminus, “limit or boundary.” In English, those boundaries or limits tend to be final. A term goes on for a
given amount of time and then ends, and to terminate a sentence or a meeting or a ballgame means to
end it.

terminal (adj) (1) Forming or relating to an end or limit. (2) Fatal. Example: She knows she's in the late
stages of a terminal illness, and has already drawn up a will

indeterminate (adj) Not precisely determined; vague.

interminable (adj) Having or seeming to have no end; tiresomely drawn out.

Tiresome :annoying and making you lose patience

Draw out sth : to cause something to last longer than is usual or necessary

Draw out sb : to encourage or persuade someone to express his or her thoughts and feelings:

terminus (n) (1) The end of a travel route (such as a rail or bus line), or the station at the end of a route.
(2) An extreme point; tip.

GEO comes from the Greek word for “Earth.” Geography is the science that deals with features of the
Earth's surface. Geologists study rocks and soil to learn about the Earth's history and resources.
Geometry was originally about measuring portions of the Earth's surface, probably originally in order to
determine where the boundaries of Egyptians' farms lay after the annual flooding by the Nile River.

geocentric (adj) Having or relating to the Earth as the center.

Example: He claims that, if you aren't a scientist, your consciousness is mostly geocentric for your entire
life.

geophysics (n) The science that deals with the physical processes and phenomena occurring especially in
the Earth and in its vicinity.

geothermal (adj) Of, relating to, or using the natural heat produced inside the Earth. Example:
Geothermal power plants convert underground water or steam to electricity.

SPHER comes from the Greek word for “ball.” A ball is itself a sphere, as is the ball that we call Earth. So
is the atmosphere, and so are several other invisible “spheres” that encircle the Earth.

spherical (adj) Relating to a sphere; shaped like a sphere or one of its segments. Example: The girls
agreed that the spacecraft had been deep blue and perfectly spherical, and that its alien passengers had
resembled large praying mantises.
stratosphere (n) (1) The part of the earth's atmosphere that extends from about seven to about 30 miles
above the surface. (2) A very high or the highest region. Example: In the celebrity stratosphere she now
occupied, a fee of 12 million dollars per film was a reasonable rate.

biosphere (n) (1) The part of the world in which life can exist. (2) Living things and their environment.
Example: The moon has no biosphere, so an artificial one would have to be constructed for any long-
term stay

hemisphere (n) Half a sphere, especially half the global sphere as divided by the equator or a meridian.
Example: A sailor who crosses the equator from the northern to the southern hemisphere for the first
time is traditionally given a special initiation.

VERT comes from the Latin verb vertere, meaning “to turn” or “to turn around.” Vertigo is the dizziness
that makes it seem as if everything is turning around you. And an advertisement turns your attention to
a product or service.

divert (v) (1) To turn from one purpose or course to another. (2) To give pleasure to by distracting from
burdens or distress. Example: The farmers had successfully diverted some of the river's water to irrigate
their crops during the drought.

converter (n) A device that changes something (such as radio signals, radio frequencies, or data) from
one form to another. Example: She was so indifferent to television that she hadn't even bought a
converter, and her old TV sat there useless until she finally lugged it down to the recycling center

avert (v) (1) To turn (your eyes or gaze) away or aside. (2) To avoid or prevent. Example: General
Camacho's announcement of lower food prices averted an immediate worker's revolt.

revert (v) (1) To go back or return (to an earlier state, condition, situation, etc.). (2) To be given back to (a
former owner). Example: Control of the Panama Canal Zone, first acquired by the U.S. in 1903, reverted
to the local government in 1999.

MORPH comes from the Greek word for “shape.” Morph is itself an English word with a brand-new
meaning, which was needed when we began to digitally alter photographic images or shapes to make
them move or transform themselves in often astonishing ways. amorphous (adj) Without a definite
shape or form; shapeless. Example: Picking up an amorphous lump of clay, she molded it swiftly into a
rough human shape.

anthropomorphic (adj) (1) Having or described as having human form or traits. (2) Seeing human traits in
nonhuman things.

Example: The old, diseased tree had always been like a companion to her, though she didn't really
approve of such anthropomorphic feelings.
metamorphosis (n) (1) A physical change, especially one supernaturally caused. (2) A developmental
change in an animal that occurs after birth or hatching.

Example: Day by day the class watched the gradual metamorphosis of the tadpoles into frogs.

morphology (n) (1) The study of the structure and form of plants and animals. (2) The study of word
formation. Example: The morphology of the mouthparts of the different mayfly species turns out to be
closely related to what they feed on and their methods of eating.

FORM is the Latin root meaning “shape” or “form.” When you march in formation, you're moving in
ordered patterns. And a formula is a standard form for expressing information, such as a rule written in
mathematical symbols, or the “Sincerely yours” that often ends a letter. format (n) (1) The shape, size,
and general makeup of something. (2) A general plan, arrangement, or choice of material. Example: The
new thesaurus would be published in three formats: as a hardcover book, a large paperback, and a CD-
ROM.

conform (v) (1) To be similar or identical; to be in agreement or harmony. (2) To follow ordinary
standards or customs. Example: My family was too odd to really conform to the little town's ideas about
proper behavior, but it didn't seem to bother our neighbors too much

formality (n) (1) An established custom or way of behaving that is required or standard. (2) The following
of conventional rules. Example: The bride and groom wanted a small, intimate wedding without all the
usual formalities.

formative (adj) (1) Giving or able to give form or shape; constructive. (2) Having to do with important
growth or development. Example: She lived in Venezuela during her formative years and grew up
speaking both Spanish and English.

DOC/DOCT comes from the Latin docere, which means “to teach.” So, for instance, a doctor was
originally a highly educated person capable of instructing others in a field—which usually wasn't
medicine. doctrine (n) (1) Something that is taught. (2) An official principle, opinion, or belief. Example:
According to the 19th-century doctrine of “papal infallibility,” a pope's official statements on matters of
faith and morals must be regarded as the absolute truth.

doctrinaire (n) Tending to apply principles or theories without regard for practical difficulties or
individual circumstance. Example: She had never taken a doctrinaire approach to teaching, since
education theories didn't always match the reality of instructing 25 lively students.

indoctrinate (v) (1) To teach, especially basics or fundamentals. (2) To fill someone with a particular
opinion or point of view. Example: In the Army's basic training, sergeants have 11 weeks to indoctrinate
their new recruits with army attitudes and discipline.

UT/TUI comes from a Latin verb meaning “to look after,” and in English the root generally shows up in
words that include the meaning “guide,” “guard,” or “teach”—such as tutor, the name for a private
teacher who guides a student (or tutee ) through a subject. tutorial (n) (1) A class for one student or a
small group of students. (2) An instructional program that gives information about a specific subject.
Example: He'd been taking tutorials with the same graduate student for two years, and learning far more
than he'd ever learned in his large classes.

tuition (n) (1) The act of teaching; instruction. (2) The cost of or payment for instruction. Example: As she
happily flipped through her college catalogs, her parents sat quietly but uneasily calculating the total
tuition costs.

intuition (n) (1) The power of knowing something immediately without mental effort; quick insight. (2)
Something known in this way. Example: She scoffed at the notion of “women's intuition,” special powers
of insight and understanding in personal relations that women are supposed to have.

DI/DUP, Greek and Latin prefixes meaning “two,” show up in both technical and nontechnical terms, with
dup- sometimes shortened to du-. So a duel is a battle between two people. A duet is music for a duo, or
pair of musicians. A duplicate is an exact copy, or twin. And if you have dual citizenship, you belong to
two countries at once. dichotomy (n) (1) A division into two often contradictory groups. (2) Something
with qualities that seem to contradict each other. Example: Already in her first job, she noticed a
dichotomy between the theories she'd been taught in college and the realities of professional life.

duplex (adj) (1) Having two principal elements; double. (2) Allowing electronic communication in two
directions at the same time. Example: The upper floor of their splendid duplex apartment had a
panoramic view of Paradise Park.

duplicity (n) Deception by pretending to feel and act one way while acting in another. Example: By the
time Jackie's duplicity in the whole matter had come to light, she had left town, leaving no forwarding
address.

BI/BIN also means “two” or “double.” A bicycle has two wheels, and binoculars consist of two little
telescopes. Bigamy is marriage to two people at once. And a road built through the middle of a
neighborhood bisects it into two pieces. bipartisan (adj) Involving members of two political parties.
Example: The president named a bipartisan commission of three Republicans and three Democrats to
look into the issue.

binary (adj) (1) Consisting of two things or parts; double. (2) Involving a choice between two alternatives.
Example: The Milky Way contains numerous binary stars, each consisting of two stars orbiting each
other.

biennial (adj) (1) Occurring every two years. (2) Continuing or lasting over two years. Example: The great
biennial show of new art in Venice usually either puzzles or angers the critics

bipolar (adj) Having two opposed forces or views; having two poles or opposed points of attraction.
Example: Our bipolar Earth spins on an axis that extends between the North and South Poles.
tutelage (n) Instruction or guidance of an individual; guardianship. Example: Under the old man's expert
tutelage, they had learned to carve and paint beautiful and realistic duck decoys.