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Assay, Guinea Pig, Cloying, Commodious, Proclivity, Prison, Polyp, Peccadillo, Parasol, Panegyric
To assay a task is to mentally evaluate your ability to do it. To assay can also be to chemically analyze a substance, and an assay is the act of assaying, or it is the result of a chemical assay. Example: "I stood at the base of the sheer wall, assaying my climbing ability." This word looks like essay, another verb with a similar meaning, and both are from the same root. To essay is to evaluate your ability by actually attempting something, as opposed to mentally deciding. It's a subtle difference that is not always honored in practice, and the two words may be evolving into one. In fact, some dictionaries do not show the difference. Both words come from Old French essai (test; effort), from Late Latin exagium (act of weighing). That's from the prefix ex- (out) with agere (to drive).
Guinea Pig [n. GIN-ee pig]
A guinea pig is a small, furry animal in the genus Cavia. A guinea pig can also be called a Cavy. Guinea pigs are sometimes used for scientific research. As a result, a person who is a subject of scientific experiments might also be called a guinea pig. You might think that a guinea pig is a pig from the West African country of Guinea or the island of New Guinea (near Australia). But they are not pigs. They are rodents from South America. Cavies were originally called Guiana pigs [guy-AN-uh pigs] by sailors who purchased them on the island of Dutch Guiana (now called Surinam), which is off the coast of South America. Over time, the word changed to its current form.
Cloying [adj. KLOY-ing]
If something is cloying then it is so sweet, rich, or sentimental that it is disgusting or distasteful. It's too much of a good thing. There is also the verb to cloy, which is to digust with excess. Example: "Wherever she went, Madame Bouve was accompanied by an overwhelming cloud of cloying, jasmine-scented perfume." While today's sense of cloying involves an excess of something that might be desirable in smaller amounts, its roots reveal a harsher history. To cloy was once to clog, and before that the word referred to the act of accidentally pricking the foot of a horse with a nail during the process of shoeing. Middle English acloien (to make lame) was the source, from Old French encloer (to drive a nail), ultimately from Medieval Latin inclavare (to nail in). Through the years, this word has evolved from a penetrating spike to a penetrating sweetness.
Commodious [adj. kuh-MOE-dee-us]
If something is commodious then it is comfortably spacious. Example: "The new sleeper cars feature commodious cabins with private showers and tables large enough for four to play cards." The meaning of this word has changed somewhat from Middle English, when something commodious was convenient, suitable, or handy. The word is from Latin commodus (convenient), a compound of com- (together) and modus (measure). Other words from commodus include these: commode: decorated cabinet; toilet stand; tall headdress for women.
commodity: useful article of trade or commerce
incommode: disturb, cause to be inconvenienced
Proclivity [n. proh-KLIV-uh-tee]
If you have a strong, natural inclination toward something, then you have a proclivity. The word often refers to something objectionable. Example: "Max is a good fellow, in spite of his unfortunate proclivity for excessive drink." Proclivity is from Latin pro- (towards) and clivus (slope). You might imagine someone drawn forward by their proclivity, as if they are walking down a steep slope. There is also declivity (a downward slope) and acclivity (an upward slope). We also suggest a new word: anticlivity (aversion). Near-synonyms for proclivity include leaning, inclination, penchant, propensity, predilection, and predisposition. The first four of these share with proclivity the idea of leaning toward that which attracts. Penchant and propensity come from the French word pencher (to incline). Predilection is from the Latin word diligere (to love), and predisposition is from the Latin word disponere (to arrange).
Prison [n. PRIZ-un]
A prison is a place where people are confined as punishment for misdeeds. To place a person into a prison is to imprison them, and such a person is a prisoner. A prison might also be called a jail or a penitentiary. This word has been in use since the thirteenth century. It stems from the Latin root prensio (a seizing), a contraction of prehendere (to seize, arrest, take into custody). Old French altered that root, influenced by pris (taken), resulting in the modern word prison. Today we have several other words from prehendere, including these:
apprehend: arrest, take into custody
prehensile: able to seize, grasp, or hold
comprehend: to grasp the meaning, nature, or importance; understand
reprehensible: deserving censure or rebuke; blameworthy
prize: something taken by force (seized); to remove or extract by force
Polyp [n. POL-ip]
There are two kinds of polyp. One is an animal such as a hydra or sea anemone with a cylindrical body and tentacles that surround a mouth at the top. The other kind of polyp is a growth or tumor that forms in the lining of a body cavity. Both kinds of polyp go back to Latin polypus (cuttlefish, nasal tumor), from Greek polupous. That word combines polus (many) and pous (foot), describing the "many-footed," multi-tentacled creatures of the sea, as well as the many extensions of some tumors. The Greek root polus also led to the prefix poly- which is seen in a vast array of modern "many" words, including these:
polyhistor [n. POL-ee-HIS-ter]: person with broad knowledge
polyptich [n. POL-ip-tik]: painting made of four or more panels
polymer [n. POL-uh-mer]: substance whose molecules are made by joining many smaller molecules
Peccadillo [n. PEK-uh-DIL-oh]
A peccadillo is a small transgression, a minor offense. Example: "In the flush of infatuation, we might overlook the harmless peccadilloes that later become steady irritants." In Latin, peccare was to sin, and later the Spanish pecado also carried the full force of a major transgression. But a pecadillo, a small sin, could be forgiven. In the 1500s, that word entered English with the sense of youthful foolishness, or perhaps a forgiveable error in judgment. From the same root, we also have impeccable (flawless; incapable of sin), peccable (prone to sin), peccant (sinful), and peccatophobia (fear of sinning or of having sinned).
Parasol [n. PARE-uh-sol]
When the sun is hot, you could carry a light umbrella called a parasol to create some shade. Parasols used to be much more popular than they are today. As you might expect, the -sol suffix in this word comes ultimately from Latin sol (sun). In many words, the prefix para- means beside, beyond, or similar to, and all of these meanings derived originally from the Greek root para (beside). Does a parasol put you "beyond the sun?" In this case, the prefix is from a different root. Parasol comes from Italian parasole, a compound of parare (to shield) and sole (sun), from Latin parare (to prepare) and sol (sun). The same "protection" para- also appears in parachute (protects against a fall) and in the French parapluie (umbrella).
Panegyric [n. PAN-uh-JIR-ik]
A panegyric is a lengthy, elaborate oration in praise of someone. It can also be a formal spoken or written eulogy (composition of praise, especially for someone who has died). Example: "Professor Kerwood's introduction of Dr. Jones was a panegyric lasting almost an hour." The ancient Greeks used to get together on certain days for a gathering called the paneguris (public assembly of everyone). That word is from pan- (all) and aguris (assembly; marketplace). At these events, speakers would go on at length about the wonderful achievements of great persons past and present, delivering panegurikos (something relating to a paneguris). If a panegyric gets out of control, it might become a paneulogism [n. pan-YOO-luh-jiz-um] (speech or writing of elaborate, indiscriminate praise).
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