Science Terms Made Easy Science Terms Made Easy A Lexicon of Scientific Words and Their Root Language Origins Joseph S. Elias GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Elias, Joseph S., 1948– Science terms made easy : a lexicon of scientific words and their root language origins / Joseph S. Elias. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–313–33896–5 (alk. paper) 1. Science—Terminology. 2. Latin language—Technical Latin. 3. English language—Etymology. I. Title. Q179.E45 2007 501'.4—dc22 2006026197 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2007 by Joseph S. Elias All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006026197 ISBN: 0–313–33896–5 First published in 2007 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For all you mean to me, this book is dedicated to my mother and father; to my brothers, Edward and Victor; and to my daughters, Elizabeth, Kate, and Samantha. Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi How to Use This Book xiii Alphabetical Entries 1 Common Prefixes 205 Common Roots 209 Common Suffixes 217 Resources 219 Preface The idea for writing this book came about as a result challenge students to think, analyze, and reason their of discussions with my pre-service science teacher way to a deeper understanding rather than resort to rote on effective ways to teach science vocabulary. Years memorization. ago, I came to realize that high school and middle This, of course, led me to more deeply examine school students viewed the complexities of scientific the terminology that I used on a regular basis in all vocabulary as a necessary burden that sometimes my science classes. I became more curious about the interfered with their pursuit of understanding impor- origins and the history of the words. If a student tant concepts. Students at these grade levels would wanted an explanation of a given word, I wanted to complain about words that were unfamiliar or unrec- be prepared to either point the student in a direction ognizable. Quite often science teachers new to the where he could find an answer or, sometimes, to sim- profession would address the vocabulary by develop- ply tell the tale myself. ing word lists and definitions or by coming up with What I discovered was that words have histories. simple word association games promoting the ability They move through cultures and times and mutate to recognize words and recall their meanings. along the way. So when you examine the list, you During my years as a teacher of human anatomy will find descriptions of many roots that will call and physiology, I developed a student assignment upon you to make the connections between the origi- called the “List of 50 Muscles.” Students were pro- nal meanings of the roots and their modern counter- vided with a list of the muscles, and their task was to parts. Sometimes making those connections is a examine the names and describe all they could about a stretch, and you’ll have to use your imagination. But given muscle simply by analyzing the name. Muscles through all of this, I found the literal meanings to be such as the pterygoideus internus, the external carpi simple, if not humble, compared with the rather radialis longus, or my favorite, the sternocleidomastoi- sophisticated uses of the root words today. deus, challenged students to go beyond the words I hope you will value the sidebars. You will proba- themselves and, in a sense, dissect the word as they bly notice that the ancient Greeks had much to do would if they were dissecting a preserved specimen. with science, mathematics, and philosophy. These Students discovered that the parts of these scientific great thinkers provided the world with its first really terms could be interchanged and still retain their grand period of scientific enlightenment. The philoso- meanings. phers of the time pondered the order of the universe. As you might imagine, for me as a young teacher, They speculated and hypothesized on all aspects of this was a breakthrough of sorts. I became as strong an order and chaos. They spoke of the things that were advocate for inquiry-type teaching approaches to sci- earthly and of things that were divine, and they used entific terminology as I was for the teaching of inquiry these models as the bases for their perception of the methods in science itself. I found a way to once again physical world. Many of the terms used in science, xPreface especially the physical sciences, have their origins As a final note, this compilation of words is by in the Greek language. no means meant to be a complete text of scientific The study of living things—anatomy, taxonomy, terminology, but it does represent a very healthy and medicine—did not really move forward until collection of the more common words used in sci- the next period of scientific enlightenment, in the ence courses in middle and high school science seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By that time, classes. I imagine that students in lower-division the great days of the Greek civilization were long college courses will also find this book to be a past and the age of exploration and investigation valuable reference. It is my sincere hope that moved more toward Western Europe. Thus, you will readers will have as much fun with this compila- notice that many of the root words associated with tion of science terminology as I had putting it all living things are of Latin rather than Greek origin. together. Acknowledgments First and foremost, I wish to acknowledge the many University. Their support, expertise, guidance, and science education students at Kutztown University patience allowed me to focus on the task at hand. for their significant contributions to my list of I would also like to thank the regional science words. Without them, the task of gathering infor- teachers who, on occasion, would e-mail or pass mation and developing the final product would have along words that caught their interest. been far more daunting of an undertaking. I would also like to acknowledge the members of the Department of Secondary Education at Kutztown How to Use This Book I have never underestimated the creativity of teach- ries of the order of the universe based on reason ers. When they were given the right tools and the rather than experimentation. Many of these theories proper amount of time, the teachers that I have known went unchallenged for over a thousand years. developed some fascinating perspectives on how to I would encourage students to become very teach science. Virtually all experienced and talented familiar with the common prefixes and suffixes. science teachers pride themselves on being able to Suffixes such as -or and -ion appear repeatedly in challenge students to think, reason, predict, hypothe- words pertaining to actions or processes. Prefixes size, and interpret data collected from observation such as a- or an- and con- or com- are very common and experimentation. This book provides another in scientific language. If students are made aware of valuable component to assist them in their efforts. how these word fragments are used, they should be Teaching scientific terminology for understand- able to recognize their relevance in terms that are ing has always been a challenge for teachers. The new to them. Teachers may also want to point out words included in this text will provide the teacher that the o’s have been deliberately removed from with a source for integrating complex terminology many of the word fragments, the reason being that into their lessons. I recommend that instructors they are generally referred to as “combining vow- design activities that call for students to critically els.” The o is used to connect many commonly used examine the words they are learning in ways that prefixes and suffixes to the root words; such, for encourage them to look deeper into their meanings instance, is the case with stern-o-mastoid. and historic origins. The sidebars provide historical This inquiry approach to language not only perspectives and a quick study of interesting people strengthens the analytical skills of students, it also and events that led to the study of science and tech- fosters a sense of independence in the learner. nology in the modern era. The reader will gain an Students quickly learn that they have the power to appreciation of how scientists, mathematicians, and examine complex words and construct new mean- philosophers of past eras were able to develop theo- ings independently of a teacher or professor. Abdomen Abiotic Latin Greek abdomen belly, venter a- without That portion of the body that lies between the -bios- life, living organisms or tissue lower thorax (chest) and the pelvis. -ic (ikos) relating to or having some characteristic of The set of nonliving environmental factors or Abdominalgia conditions that are common within a given eco- Latin/Greek logical system. abdomen- belly, venter -algia pain, sense of pain; painful; hurting Abrasion Pain in the abdomen; a belly ache. Latin abradere- to scrape off Abductor -ion state, process, or quality of Latin The process of wearing down or scraping off by ab- off, away from means of rubbing one object against another object.