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Words of the Week
Brain Teasers

Words of the Week

Herman Melville once wrote, "a fool thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things." Never were there truer words - especially when it comes to preparing for the SAT. Real mastery of vocabulary comes not from just mouthing words, but from understanding them, using them - and knowing when not to use them.

Each day, devote yourself to learning a new word - one you normally wouldn't use in conversation. Here are some suggestions:

March 11, 2010

Root: PEL, PULS(E) – drive, push, beat

This week's root is from the Latin word pellere, meaning "to drive" and a related form of that root, pulsare, meaning "to beat, strike, or push." Interestingly, the word push itself is derived from this root; push is based on the Old French word poulser, meaning "to beat or push," which itself is based on the Latin pulsare.

Another word based on this root that you may have heard is rappel, which means "to descend a cliff or other steep surface using a rope." This word is French in origin and is analogous to the English word repeal (more on repeal below). It literally means "to push back or recall," and presumably was applied to this technique due to the fact that climbers would use it to "push back" to the place where they started.

Words
impel (v.) [im-, "against, into" + pel, "drive"] – to drive or move forward; to incite
When I saw the sign at the bookstore advertising 50% off most books, I was impelled to go in.
Noun form: impulse – the influence of a feeling or mental state; a sudden, involuntary desire to act
Adjective form: impulsive – swayed by emotions or involuntary impulses

propel (v.) [pro-, "forward" + pel, "drive"] – to drive or move forward; to urge onward
The small wooden car was propelled by compressed air shot out of a canister.
Noun form: propulsion – a force that propels; the act or process of propelling
Adjective form: propulsive – driving something forward

pulsate (v.) [puls, "drive" + -ate] – to expand and contract rhythmically; to beat or throb; to vibrate
The surgeon watched with satisfaction as the transplanted heart began to pulsate.
Noun form: pulsation – the act or process of pulsating

repeal (v.) [re-, "back" + pe(a)l, "drive"] – to revoke, formally withdraw from, or annul
The community leader led the campaign to repeal the discriminatory voting laws.

repel (v.) [re-, "back" + pel, "drive"] – to drive or force back; to resist effectively; to keep out; to cause distaste
The castle's defenders managed to repel the invaders after a long and fierce battle.
Noun form: repellence – the act or state of being repelled
Adjective form: repellent – causing distaste; driving back; serving to drive something away; resistant to

repulse (v.) [ex-, "out" + pel, "drive"] – repel; to cause extreme distaste, dislike, or disgust
Laura was repulsed by the rotten cherries and the maggots that were crawling over them.
Noun form: repulsion – the act, state, or feeling of being repulsed; repellence
Adjective form: repulsive – extremely disgusting or distasteful; repellent

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Brain Teasers

Brain Teaser of the Week

Typo Negative: (written and contributed by: Jacob Peterson)

While typing an email to a friend of mine, I made a seemingly minor typo involving the first letter of a 10-letter word. The typo involved only one character, and the key that I hit was right next to the correct key (on a standard QWERTY keyboard). Unfortunately, my spell checker did not catch the error, for the result of the typo was also a word. Even worse, the incorrect word was an antonym of the word that I had meant to type, and made my email seem negative in tone when in fact I had meant it to be positive.

Can you guess what word I meant to type and what word I actually did type?

Check out previous Brain Teasers »

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