Word Origins: Math and Science
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you will focus on the following objective:
Vocabulary: Understanding word origins.
Vocabulary: Understanding word origins.
Word Origins: Math and Science
Many English math and science terms come from the Latin language, as do many of the word parts at the left.
The word squadron is related to the Latin word quadrum, meaning “square.”
“Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing . . . Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message.”
—Franklin Delano Roosevelt, from “War Message to Congress”
Several math and science terms come from this root: quadrangle, quadrant, quadruped, and quadratic, for example. You have probably figured out that quadru- or quadr- means “four.”
Examples
You can figure out what many math and science terms mean if you know some common word parts and their definitions, such as those below.
| astro- astr- |
star; celestial body; outer space |
| hydro- hydr- |
water; liquid |
| poly- | more than one; many; much |
| penta- | five |
| -cephalus | a head |
| -gon | a figure having a specified kind or number of angles |
| -nomy | a body of knowledge about a specific field |
| -sphere | a celestial body, such as a planet or star |
Word Origins: Math and Science Quiz
Answer the following questions by combining two word parts from the list above. Consult a dictionary to check your answers. Write the answers on a piece of paper.
- What is the word for an abnormal increase of fluid in the skull?
- What is the word for the scientific study of heavenly bodies in outer space?
- What is the word for a closed plane figure bounded by straight lines?
- What is the word for water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere?
- What is the word for a five-sided polygon?
Answer Key
- hydrocephalus
- astronomy
- polygon
- hydrosphere
- pentagon