VCR B Lesson 1

Per

“through”

PERCUSSION

RELATION TO ROOT: to strike through; per(through) cuss(to strike)

SYNONYM: a hit, a stroke

ANTONYM: NA

DEFINITION: striking something; type of instrument

PART OF SPEECH: adjective and noun

SENTENCES: (N)The familiar percussion of wood on leather let us know that
baseball practice had begun. (Adj.) Small children use kitchen pots and pans as
percussion instruments.

CONNOTATION: neutral

Perennial

RELATION TO ROOT: last through many years; per(through) ennial(year)

SYNONYM: regular, perpetual

ANTONYM: transitory

DEFINITION: lasting for an indefinitely long time; continuously, regularly

PART OF SPEECH: adjective

SENTENCES: Mother Goose rhymes have remained perennial favorites with
children. AND Perennial shrubs like lilacs and roses satisfy gardeners not only
because they smell good, but because they grow for many years.

CONNOTATION: NEUTRAL

Permeate

RELATION TO ROOT: to go through spaces; per(through) meate(to go/pass)

SYNONYM: spread, soak

ANTONYM: remove, contain

DEFINITION: to penetrate through spaces; to spread throughout

PART OF SPEECH: verb

SENTENCE: Pollution from automobiles and smoke stakes permeates the air in
many cities, causing health problems for people and contributing to the deterioration
of the environment.

CONNOTATION: neutral

Persevere

RELATION TO ROOT: to keep going throughout; per(through) serverus(severe,
serious)

SYNONYM: spread, soak

ANTONYM: quit, give up

DEFINITION: To hold fast to a task or purpose despite handicaps or obstacles

PART OF SPEECH: verb

SENTENCE: Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in the United States,

CONNOTATION: positive

fero, ferre, tuli, latum

“To bring”
“To bear”
“To carry”

Defer

RELATION TO ROOT: de(away) fero(to carry)

SYNONYM: delay

ANTONYM: to carry out

DEFINITION: to postpone; to delay

PART OF SPEECH: verb

SENTENCE: Schools and colleges sometimes defer admission, accepting students
later in the year.

CONNOTATION: neutral (as opposed to to “procrastinate” which is negative)

Dilatory

RELATION TO ROOT: dis(apart) latum(bring)

SYNONYM: delaying, postponing

ANTONYM: punctual, speedy

DEFINITION: tending to delay or postpone

PART OF SPEECH: adjective

SENTENCE: In one of Aesop’s fables, the dilatory hare loses the race to the
persevering tortoise.

CONNOTATION: negative

Elation

RELATION TO ROOT: e(from or out of) latum(to bear)

SYNONYM: excitement, happiness, pride

ANTONYM: sadness, melancholy

DEFINITION: excited feelings of pride, triumph or happiness

PART OF SPEECH: noun

SENTENCE: Many Americans felt elation when two Apollo astronauts took their first
steps on the moon in 1969.

CONNOTATION: positive

Infer

RELATION TO ROOT: in(in)ferre(to bear, to bring)

SYNONYM: guess, conclude, hypothesize

ANTONYM: know

DEFINITION: to use available evidence to form a conclusion; to guess

PART OF SPEECH: verb

SENTENCE: The jury inferred from the testimony that the defendant was guilty.

CONNOTATION: neutral

Tendo, tendere, tetendi,

tensum

“To stretch”

Contend

RELATION TO ROOT: con(with)

SYNONYM: argue, assert

ANTONYM: agree, surrender/ defer

DEFINITION: to engage in a quarrel, a struggle or rivalry; to assert; to put forward in
argument

PART OF SPEECH: verb

SENTENCE: The doctor contended that all children should be vaccinated against
polio. AND Cyclists on the Tour de France contend not only with each other, but also
with dehydration and fatigue.

CONNOTATION: neutral (as opposed to “fight” which is negative)

Intent

RELATION TO ROOT: in(in)

SYNONYM: purpose, focus, goal

ANTONYM: N/A

DEFINITION: (adj.) set on; (noun) goal

PART OF SPEECH: adjective and noun

SENTENCE: (noun) The intent of Christopher Columbus was to find a new sea route
to Asia from Europe; instead, he found a new continent. (adj.) Girls who were intent
upon joining Little League teams won the right to do so in a 1974 court decree.

CONNOTATION: neutral