Concatenation (noun)
A series of things that are linked together.z Concatenation refers to a chain-like series of ideas or events, such
as the events that cause a person’s life to go in a certain direction
or reach a particular point. For example, consider the word in this
context sentence: “All of our lives can be seen as a concatenation of
events that has led us to where we are today.”z You can remember this word by breaking it down into two parts.
7KH ¿UVW SDUW LV WKH SUH¿[con-, which is a variant of the Latin
preposition cum, meaning “with, together.” The second part is the
Latin base, catena, which means “a chain.”Cabal (noun)
- A small group of people secretly working together.
- A secret plot.
z 7KH¿UVWPHDQLQJRIcabal is illustrated in the following context
sentence: “The fourth-grade cabal of Jimmy, Zach, and Trent had
VHFUHWO\SORWWHGWRVWDUWDIRRG¿JKWDWOXQFKEXWWKHFRQVSLUDWRUV
were ratted out by a classmate and punished by Principal
Zimmerman.” The second meaning appears in this sentence: “In
this time of political and civil unrest, the opposition party’s cabal to
overthrow the government by force just might work.”z Cabal originally comes from Kabbala, a Jewish mystical method
of interpreting scripture that became associated with the secret and
the occult. The word was popularized and given its current meaning
by a 17thFHQWXU\FDEDORI¿YH(QJOLVKPLQLVWHUVZKRVHUYHGXQGHU
King Charles II. The members of this powerful royal council were
named Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale.
By a strange coincidence, the initial letters of their names
spelled cabal.