Words beginning with homo-

Words beginning with homo- Words beginning with homo- Words beginning with homo- By Maeve Maddox Although Latin is no longer part of the general curriculum, it persists in so many mottos and expressions that everyone probably knows a few words. One commonly known Latin word is homo (man). Many Bible translations quote Pilates comment about Jesus in Latin: Ecce Homo! (Behold the Man). And of course, anyone who has ever had a basic science course has learned the name of the modern human species: Homo sapiens (Man the Wise). The first time I heard the word homosexual and learned its meaning, I assumed that the prefix homo meant man since the word refers to a relationship between men. Only later did I learn the difference between Latin homo (man) and a Greek homo (>homos same). NOTE: Man in Greek is anthropos. The word homosexual entered English via a translation of Krafft-Ebings Psychopathia Sexualis. The second part of the word, sexual, is from a Late Latin word. Mixing Latin and Greek elements in this way annoyed another student of human sexuality: Homosexual is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it. H. Havelock Ellis, Studies in Psychology, 1897 Here are some other homo words you may come across in your reading. homoerotic [hÃ… mÃ… -Ä ­-rÃ… tÄ ­k] 1 Of or concerning homosexual love and desire. 2.Tending to arouse such desire. homoeroticism hÃ… mÃ… -Ä ­-rÃ… tÄ ­-sÄ ­zÉ™m] A homoerotic quality or theme. homogamous [hÃ… -mÃ… gÉ™-mÉ™s) 1.Having one kind of flower on the same plant. 2.Having stamens and pistils that mature simultaneously. homogamy (hə†²mg ·Ã‰â„¢Ã‚ ·mÄ“) (biology) Inbreeding due to isolation. (botany) Condition of having all flowers alike. homograph [hÃ… mÉ™-grÄÆ'f, hÃ… mÉ™-] Homographs are words with different pronunciation, meanings and origins but the same spelling. They are not to be confused with homonyms or homophones. homogeneous [hÃ… mÉ™-jÄ“nÄ“-É™s, -jÄ“nyÉ™s] 1.Of the same or similar nature or kind: â€Å"a tight-knit, homogeneous society† (James Fallows). 2.Uniform in structure or composition throughout. 3.Mathematics. Consisting of terms of the same degree or elements of the same dimension. homogenise/homogenize (hÉ™-mÃ… jÉ™-nÄ «z, hÃ… ] 1.To reduce to particles and disperse throughout a fluid. 2.To make uniform in consistency, especially to render [milk] uniform in consistency by emulsifying the fat content. homonym [hÃ… mÉ™-nÄ ­m, hÃ… mÉ™-] The same name or word used to denote different things. homophile [hÃ… mÉ™-fÄ «l] coined 1960 to describe homosexuals in sociological and cultural terms as opposed to sexual behavior only. 1.Gay or lesbian. 2.Actively concerned with the rights of gay men or lesbians. homophobia [hÃ… mÉ™-fÃ… bÄ“-É™] coined 1969 to describe reactions to efforts of homosexuals to gain mainstream representation. 1.Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men. 2. Behavior based on such a feeling. (related words homophobe, homophobic) homophone [hÃ… mÉ™-fÃ… n, hÃ… mÉ™-] One of two or more words, such as night and knight, that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling. homoplasy [hÃ… mÉ™-plÄ sÄ“, -plÄÆ'sÄ“, hÃ… mÉ™-] n. Correspondence between parts or organs arising from evolutionary convergence.†¨ homoplastic [hÃ… mÉ™-plÄÆ'stÄ ­k, hÃ… mÉ™-] 1.Of, relating to, or exhibiting homoplasy. 2.Of, relating to, or derived from a different individual of the same species: a homoplastic graft. Sharon on homographs Daniel on homographs, homonyms, and homophones †¨ Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Greek Words You Should KnowWriting the CenturyAffect vs. Effect

9 Types of Functional Variation

9 Types of Functional Variation 9 Types of Functional Variation 9 Types of Functional Variation By Mark Nichol Usually, we easily identify a word’s part of speech, but a given word’s grammatical category can shift, or one form of the word can differ in meaning from another, in a process called functional variation. For example, note the change in meaning of fly in the following sentences: â€Å"He caught a fly† (noun), â€Å"He caught a fly ball† (adjective), â€Å"He will fly there tonight† (verb), and â€Å"He caught the ball on the fly† (part of an adverbial phrase). These and other types of functional variation are described below: 1. Nouns as Adjectives Nouns are frequently employed to modify other nouns (for example, in â€Å"light fixture,† â€Å"grape jam,† and â€Å"railroad track†). However, problems include ambiguous usage, such as in the phrase â€Å"box set,† which can mean â€Å"a set in a box† (and is therefore better rendered â€Å"boxed set†) or â€Å"a set of boxes,† and adjective stacking, or employing an excessive series of nouns as adjectives. 2. Adjectives as Nouns The reverse can take place, as when a phrase such as â€Å"a hypothetical situation† is truncated to the adjective turned noun hypothetical or when a person or a group is identified, for example, as in â€Å"the homeless.† 3. Nouns as Verbs This type of transformation is ubiquitous in the business world and in other jargon-friendly environments, where terms for things such as impact, mainstream, and text become action words. 4. Verbs as Nouns Present participles such as laughing are employed as nouns: In â€Å"Who was laughing?† laughing is a verb; however, it’s a noun in â€Å"Did you hear that laughing?† (although it would be better to use the noun laughter). 5. Verbs as Adjectives Participles also serve as adjectives. To use the previous example, laughing can also modify a noun, as in â€Å"See that laughing girl?† (although one could also write, â€Å"See that girl laughing?†). 6. Adjectives as Verbs Such shifts are so rare that the only ones that occur to me are terms I occasionally use in these posts: lowercase and uppercase, as in â€Å"Lowercase job titles after a name,† in which lowercase refers to an action involving job titles, rather than describing a type of treatment of a job title. 7. Prepositions as Adverbs When one refers, for example, to â€Å"calling up reserves† or â€Å"casting off from the dock,† one is using idiomatic phrasal verbs to describe how calling or casting occurs, though some phrasal verbs are merely figurative; â€Å"calling up,† for example, involves no upward movement, while â€Å"casting off† literally results in one no longer being on the dock. 8. Conjunctions as Prepositions In rare cases, a conjunction can serve as a preposition, as when but, which usually functions as a conjunction, as in â€Å"I was there, but I didn’t see you,† is employed as a synonym for except, as in â€Å"Everyone but you has agreed.† 9. Various Parts of Speech as Interjections Most parts of speech can serve as an interruptive or exclamatory term, including nouns (â€Å"Dude!†), pronouns (â€Å"Me!), verbs (â€Å"See?†), adjectives (â€Å"Wonderful!†), and adverbs (â€Å"Slowly!†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?15 Great Word Games10 Tips for Clean, Clear Writing