Caesar’s English II

Lesson XX

epithet n. (EP-ih-thet): a characterizing term Spanish: epíteto

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.

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. epithet: a characterizing term

2. abject: miserable

3. eccentric: unconventional

4. imperious: overbearing

5. solicitude: concern

Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge

1. From George Orwell’s 1984

Thought-criminals made _____________ confessions of their crimes.

a. abject

b. eccentric

c. imperious

d. solicitous

Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge

1. From George Orwell’s 1984

Thought-criminals made _____________ confessions of their crimes.

a. abject

b. eccentric

c. imperious

d. solicitous

2. From Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men

She commanded me in an ___________ whisper.

a. abject

b. eccentric

c. solicitous

d. imperious

2. From Robert Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men

She commanded me in an ___________ whisper.

a. abject

b. eccentric

c. solicitous

d. imperious

3. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native

She glanced at him with furtive ____________.

a. abjection

b. eccentricity

c. solicitude

d. epithet

3. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native

She glanced at him with furtive ____________.

a. abjection

b. eccentricity

c. solicitude

d. epithet

The Grammar of Vocabulary: abject, an adjective.

Some barbarians lived in abject submission to Rome.