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a second connotation of the verb to vivisect: experimentation that
injures or kills the animal or person studied.z You may also encounter vivisection used metaphorically, as in: “His
public vivisection by the press left the commanding general with no
choice but to offer his resignation.” Here, the word refers to a harsh
examination or criticism performed with excruciating detail.False “Cutting” Roots
z Several words seem as if they might be derived from the seg/
sect root, especially given their meanings. For example, consider
segregate. Although this word contains the seg letter sequence and
seems to have something to do with separating or cutting, it’s not
related to the seg/sect root. Segregate comes from the Latin roots
se, “apart from,” and grex, “herd.”
z Similarly, secede and secession come from se, “apart,” and cedo,
“to go.” Finally, the word sect, as in a religious sect, comes from
the Latin word secta, “way, school of thought,” which is derived
from the verb sequor, “to follow.” Interestingly, the word sect is not
related to the root sect.Desuetude (noun)
A state of disuse or inactivity.z Desuetude¿WVLQWRRXUOHFWXUHWKHPHEHFDXVHWKLVVWDWHPDUNVWKH
end of something’s usefulness. Put this word to work to describe
the state of something that you can’t use or that is no longer active
owing to neglect, deterioration, or abandonment. Desuetude
can also refer to conceptual things, such as a custom that’s no
longer practiced.z You’ll often see desuetude used with its collocate, fall, to indicate
that something gradually deteriorated into a state of disuse, as in:
“fallen into desuetude.”