Word Web Vocabulary

“People only see what they are prepared to see.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is just one of many statements made by well-known writers and educators that I include in every teacher’s manual. I hope that each will offer you some inspiration and insight into your own teaching methods, as well as the principles behind education and the learning of new words.

Let’s examine this one by Ralph W. Emerson. I relied on his thought when I decided to include architectural features in Word Web Vocabulary lessons. I firmly believe that we look at a building but do not discern its parts, and we will not unless we learn the language of buildings. If we have never heard of dentils or pilasters, we will probably look time and again at a building — we will look at it but we will not actually see it — and never notice these details, for without names, these parts remain obscure.*

Thoreau explained this phenomenon by saying, "Many an object is not seen, though it falls within the range of our visual ray, because it does not come within the range of our intellectual ray, i.e. we are not looking for it. So, in the largest sense, we find only the world we look for."

Of course, this basic truth goes further afield than architectural terminology, which is why I include the names of products, automobiles and sports teams in many lessons. Furthermore, I believe the principle goes beyond what we see to include what we hear.

For example, take the category of products. How many of us consciously pondered on Bisquick^®? No doubt all of us quickly realized its name means “making biscuits quickly.” But what about “biscuit.” Did you know that its first meaning was “twice (bi-) cut”? Originally that’s what biscuits were: baked once, cut, then baked again and therefore hard, not soft, as we think of today’s biscuits. Biscotti has the same meaning in Italian, as does Zweibach^®, supposedly German for twice baked, except that two in German is zwie. Once you (and your students) have got this, then Triscuit^® is a breeze!

Now try Unisom^®. Ever stop to think about its meaning? “One + an abbreviation of somnolence (sleep).” Magnavox^®? “Large voice.” Listerine^®? A germ-killing product named for Joseph Lister, who was the first to realize that infections were caused by “microbes in the air.” Can you get to the root of “Rhinocort” ^®? It’s “nose” + “cortisone,” a treatment for a nasal condition.

Ombrelle^® and Solumbra^® are among my favorites. Both are based on the root word “umbr-,” meaning “shadow” and probably make you think of “umbrella.” Ombrelle is a sunscreen, while Solumbra is a line of clothing that protects its wearers from the sun. Others I favor for the etymology are Acidophilous^® and Cetaphil^®. Both utilize the root “phile,” meaning “lover of or loving;” the former means acid loving but what about Cetaphil? Answer will appear in my next Ellie’s Word, along with some vehicle and sports team names.

Here are the last products — at least for now. Hydrience^®. Can you identify and define the root here? ( Hydr: water). Pyrex^® is another clever name in my opinion. Since “pyre” means “fire,” the ability of Pyrex to withstand direct heat from gas or electric stoves is so very appropriate. Finally, there’s Lava^® Soap. If you thought it meant rough, like lava from a volcano, you’d be wrong. The lava comes from the root word “lave,” meaning “to wash.”

Perhaps now you can see how students will enjoy these names — and remember them without rote memorization. I know I do!

That’s my word for this time. Ellie

Word Web Vocabulary — recommended on Heidi Hayes-Jacobs’s website — moving vocabulary from the edge of Language Arts to its center

*Excerpted from my article; “The Art of Seeing,”
entire article available at http://www.seepub.com