Countdown Numbers

1. atonement-amends for wrong-doing; expiation. The theological use of this word can be readily understood if it is interpreted to mean “being at one” with God. Taking the proper action to correct an injury or repaid a relationship.

2. bicameral-composed of two houses, chambers, or branches. It is easy to identify the prefix bi, which we find in bicentennial, biceps, and binomial. The second part, obviously related to camera tells us that photography, like the legislature, requires a chamber in which to function

3. Decalogue-the Ten Commandments. The precepts spoke by God to Israel on Mt. Sinai are the basis of Mosaic Law.

4. decimate-to destroy a great number or proportion of. The word is traceable to the cruel punishment for mutiny—selecting by lot and killing one in every ten people. The same Latin root, decem (“ten”), gives us decimals, decade, and even December ( the tenth month if u begin as the Romans did, with March).

5. dichotomy-division into two usually contradictory parts or opinions. The Greek root means something cut in two. In modern usage the word has special significance in logic ( a division into mutually exclusive groups) and in botany(a branching into two equal subdivisions)

6. double-think-the belief in two contradictory ideas at the same time. This, as well as other forms of Newspeak, was formulated by George Orwell in his novel, 1984

7. millennium-a span of a thousand years; a period of general righteousness and happiness, especially in the indefinite future

8. nihilism-total rejection of established laws and institutions; total destructiveness toward the world and oneself. The nihilist adopts the extreme position that nothing exists or can be communicated; hence, he lives in a lonely, empty world.

9. penultimate-next to last. The Latin paene (“almost”) and ultimus (“last”) combine to form this word

10. primeval-original; belonging to the first or earliest ages. It is important to differentiate between primeval and its synonyms; prime “first in numerical order” and primitive “suggesting the simplicity of original things.” Other synonyms are pristine and primordial.

11. protocol-forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of states; the first copy of a treaty or document. The Greek roots refer to the first leaf glued to the front of the manuscript and containing the notes of the contents.

12. quatrain-a stanza or poem of four lines, usually with alternate rhymes

13. quintessence-the most perfect embodiment of something; the purest or most typical instance. In ancient philosophy, the fifty and highest essence quinta essentia (“either”) was supposed to be the constituent matter of the heavenly bodies, the others being air, fire, and water.

14. tessellated-like a mosaic; checkerboard. A variety of the Latin tessera (“four”), the wor finds its most practical application in art, architecture and the building trades.

15. untrammeled-unhampered; unrestrained. The fishermen of the Middle Ages made a three-layered net (tres macula) of varying degrees of coarseness so that the fish would be entangled in one of more the meshes

Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. Negotiations to settle a strike are broken off
(atonement, dichotomy, double-think)
2. A young lady practices curtsying for hours in preparation for meeting royalty
(quatrain, tessellated, protocol)
3. A Golden Age is just around the corner
(quintessence, millennium, bicameral)
4. A baseball game’s eight inning
(penultimate, decimate, untrammeled)
5. The radicals weapons were terrorism, rioting, and subversion
(primeval, nihilism, Decalogue)
6. A chemical company has to make payments to victims of pollution
(protocol, atonement, quatrain)
7. Locusts will destroy most of the crop
(decimate, penultimate, primeval)
8. God and Moses
(bicameral, nihilism, Decalogue)
9. The model was described by many as being a symbol of pure beauty
(quintessence, double-think, tessellated)
10. A meeting of Senate and House leaders
(untrammeled, bicameral, quatrain)

II. True or False?
In the spaces provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.
____ 1 Double-think suggests a careful analysis of both sides of a problem.
____ 2. A tessellated floor and a quatrain of poetry are both related to the same number.
____ 3. The Decalogue is a play with ten speaking parts
____ 4. A prisoner being released from jail feels untrammeled.
____ 5. Dichotomy and bicameral have prefixes with the same meaning.
____ 6. As part of the German’s atonement, they had to pay reparations to the state of Israel
____ 7. The Black Plague severely decimated Europe’s population.
____ 8. Our complete agreement pointed up the remaining dichotomy between us.
____ 9.Many cities planned celebrations for the millennium.
____ 10. The real estate developer’s nihilism led him to a successful career as a builder.

III. Fill in the Blank.
Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below.
1. Observing the proper _______________, Mrs. Berman curtsied before the monarch.
2. In an act of _____________, the former criminal contributed a million dollars to the family he had swindled.
3. Scientist fear that a new virus could _______________ much of Europe’s population.
4. Abandoning his youthful adherence to ______________ Ned became a constructive thinker and responsible citizen.
5. Numerous __________________ species are being destroyed each year as mankind continues to pollute the forests and the waterways.
6. Our ______________ of opinions on euthanasia will be addressed in a debate.
7. The candidate’s hoped-for image is that he is the _______________ of honesty.
8. After dessert as the ______________course, the meal ended with coffee.
9. Some previous dictatorships have given way to constitutional ______________ legislative bodies.
10. When the entire class scored 1000% on the spelling test, my teacher exclaimed, “The _______________ has arrived!”

IV. What’s the Antonym?
Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided.
1. restrained __________________
2. modern __________________
3. final __________________
4. togetherness ___________________
5. governance ___________________
6. lack of regret ___________________
7. add to ___________________
8. blank ___________________
9. rudeness ___________________
10. dictatorial ___________________

luyenanhvan.com