Unit Four Vocabulary

via fer port

VIA: L. via “road, way”

VIA

viaduct – n. A bridge that carries a road or railroad over a valley L. via + ductum, “leading” = road leading

VIA

impervious – adj. Unable to be affected L. in, “not,” + per, “through,” + via = no way through syn. : invulnerable

VIA

deviate – v. To depart, esp. from a path or plan L. de, “off, away from,” + via = off the path syn. : stray

VIA

obviate – v. To make unnecessary; to avoid L. ob, “in the way of,” + via syn. : prevent

FER: L. ferre “to carry, to bring”

FER

defer – v. To put aside until later L. de, “off, away,” + ferre = put off syn. : postpone

FER

deference – n. Act or practice of yielding to another’s authority L. de, “off, away from,” + ferre = to put off (as an opinion)

FER

confer – v. To discuss something with someone else; consult L. con, “together,” + ferre = to carry together syn. : negotiate

FER

inference – n. A conclusion not directly provided by evidence, but able to be drawn from the facts at hand L. in, “in,” + ferre = to bring in

FER

proffer – v. To present or offer L. pro, “forward,” + ferre = to bring forward

FER

proliferate – v. To increase greatly in number, multiply L. proles, “offspring,” + ferre = to bring forth offspring syn. : reproduce

PORT: L. portare, portatum “to carry, to bring”

PORT

comportment – n. Manner in which one acts or behaves L. com, “with,” + portare = carry (oneself) with syn. : demeanor

PORT

purported – adj. Claimed as true, but probably false L. pro, “forward,” + portare = brought forth syn. : alleged

Allusions

Kafkaesque

Pavlov’s Dog/Pavlovian

Kafkaesque

Franz Kafka was a Czech, German-speaking writer whose works often dealt with surreal, anxiety producing situations. For example, in The Metamorphosis, the main character awakens to find that he has been transformed into a giant cockroach.

So, “Kafkaesque” refers to . . .

. . . a situation or experience that is bizarre, surreal, or anxiety-producing.

At the amusement park, we walked across a stationary platform surrounded by circular, rotating walls that produced the Kafkaesque sensation that we were falling. It was easier to walk when my eyes were closed!

Pavlov’s Dog/Pavlovian

Ivan Pavlov was a Russian scientist best known for his research on conditioned response. In his experiments, Pavlov rang a bell when presenting food to dogs. Seeing the food when Pavlov rang the bell conditioned the dogs to automatically salivate when they heard the bell.

So, “Pavlov’s dog” refers to . . .

. . . someone who automatically or instinctively responds to or obeys a signal. The adjective “Pavlovian” refers to such an automatic, unthinking response.

The students, like Pavlov’s dogs, began gathering their things to leave the room when the bell rang by accident.