/HFWXUH 6RPH+LJK8WLOLW\*UHHNDQG/DWLQ$I¿[HV
z Two other words that grew out of this 19th-century fad are bloviate,
a verb meaning “to speak pompously,” and discombobulate, a verb
meaning “to confuse, upset, or frustrate.”8VHIXO6XI¿[HV ism and -ist
z As we’ve said, a root gives us the core meaning of a word, and a
SUH¿[PRGL¿HVRUDXJPHQWVWKLVFRUHPHDQLQJ)RUH[DPSOHWKH
lu in delugeFDUULHVWKHFHQWUDOPHDQLQJRI³ZDVK ́$QGWKHSUH¿[
dePRGL¿HVWKLVFRUHPHDQLQJE\DGGLQJWKHPHDQLQJRI³DZD\ ́
Etymologically speaking, then, a deluge washes things away.z )RUWKHLUSDUWVXI¿[HVRIWHQGHWHUPLQHWKHSDUWRIVSHHFKRIDZRUG
)RU H[DPSOH LI ZH DGG WKH VXI¿[ ize to the adjective civil, we
change the adjective to a verb:
civilize, meaning “to bring out of
DUXGHVWDWHWRHQOLJKWHQUH¿QH ́z The -ism in such words as
rationalism, empiricism, and
materialism is derived from the
*UHHN VXI¿[-ismos. Like its
Greek source, -ism is a noun-
IRUPLQJVXI¿[WKDWFDQUHIHUWRD
condition, theory, belief system,
or doctrine.z $ UHODWHG VXI¿[ LV ist, which
we see in such words as atheist,
nihilist, and solipsist7KLVVXI¿[
LV IURP WKH *UHHN VXI¿[-istes,
ZKLFKLVDQDJHQWIRUPLQJVXI¿[
It can signify “one who does or
makes,” such as a chemist. It
can also be used to indicate “one
who adheres to a certain doctrine
or belief system” in such
words as capitalist, socialist,7KHZRUGagnosticZDVFRLQHG
by the English biologist
7++X[OH\ZKRFRPELQHG
WKH*UHHNSUH¿[aZLWKWKH
Greek noun gnosisPHDQLQJ
³NQRZOHGJH ́ DQDJQRVWLFLV
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