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To Say Again Greek Lating Roots

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50 Latin roots that volition assist you empathize the English language

Anyone who has ever studied a stack of GRE vocabulary words or invested in a give-and-take-a-day calendar to try to expand their dictionary can attest to the fact that the English language is incredibly expansive. Information has shown that the average adult knows somewhere around forty,000 words in full, and that includes active (i.e., regularly used) and passive (i.e., familiar, but not utilized) vocabulary. Put that number up against the more than than one million total words in the English language, and it becomes clear that the pct of terms in English speakers' everyday rotation is but a small-scale fraction of the English language as a whole.

Looking at the sheer volume of the English vocabulary, one thing that helps make sense of the words is the notable patterns that emerge in lite of its etymological roots; particularly, its Latin roots. Though Latin itself has oftentimes been referred to as a dead language, it is very much alive in the 80% of English terms that are borrowed straight from the ancient language and the over lx% of English language words that have roots in Latin and Greek. In the aforementioned mode that a new reader may endeavor to sound out a give-and-take phonetically, looking at English language through the lens of Latin etymology allows us to obtain a new grasp on the language, such that we can more actively deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words.

To place central linguistic elements from Latin that announced throughout the English linguistic communication today, Stacker sorted through educational resources and online databases and compiled a listing of 50 of import Latin roots that shape the English as we know it. Read on to get a meliorate agreement of how some of the words you use regularly—and a few maybe yous've never seen earlier—all share a common foundation in Latin.

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Ann

- Meaning in English: Yearly

The Latin root "ann"—which means "yearly"—can be found in countless words that reference events and occurrences that happen on a yearly basis. For case, an anniversary commemoration marks the passing of another year of a relationship, a business, or a birthday. Then there are yearly events that are characterized as annual, such as award ceremonies (e.g., the Academy Awards), sporting events (e.grand., Super Bowl), and holidays (due east.g., Halloween).

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Aqu

- Meaning in English: Water, sea

Whether it'southward being used in reference to a color such every bit aqua, a bluish-dark-green hue, or to draw sea life, i.east., aquatic, the Latin root "aqu" is familiar in its relationship to water and big bodies of h2o. The mainstream familiarity of the Latin root was on full display in the 2006 coming-of-age motion picture "Aquamarine," where the titular character is a mermaid done ashore.

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Audi

- Meaning in English: Hearing, listening, sound

Those who adopt the convenience of listening to their books rather than reading them may recognize this Latin root from the name of Audible, Amazon's audiobook and entertainment platform. The root also makes an appearance in the English terms audience, as in a group of people gathered together to listen to or receive a functioning, and auditorium, the room in which said audience sits to listen.

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Bene

- Pregnant in English: Good

Derived from a Latin term significant "well," bene is most commonly used as a prefix in the English language. The word benign means harmless or favorable, and in pathology is used to describe a condition that is not life-threatening. A benefit is something that is considered favorable or advantageous, and the term can also be used to describe a charitable outcome. A benefactor gives help to a person or a cause. Peradventure the most famous example of a benefactor is Miss Havisham from "Swell Expectations" by Charles Dickens.

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Bi

- Significant in English language: Ii

The Latin prefix "bi" means two, as does the closely related, Greek-derived prefix "di." A bifurcation describes the deed of something splitting off into two distinct branches. In anatomy, the bicep is a muscle of the arm that runs betwixt the shoulder and the elbow, so-named because it splits off into two branches where the musculus connects at the scapula. The word bicep translates to "ii-headed muscle of the arm."

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Bibl

- Meaning in English: Book

The Latin root "bibl" may sooner remind college students of having to create bibliographies—detailed lists of the books and sources referenced in academic work—than annihilation else. However, the root'southward connection to the English linguistic communication has a far deeper history: "bibl" is also the root for the proper name of the Bible, the drove of Judeo-Christian texts and scripture.

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Cent

- Pregnant in English: Hundred

The term "cent" likely conjures upwards thoughts of money—i.east., dollars and cents—before annihilation else, simply that ties back perfectly to the Latin root from which the term comes. Ane cent is 1/100th of a dollar. Pennies aside, the Latin root also makes an appearance in terms like "century" and "centennial," which pertain to 100-year timespans and a hundredth ceremony, respectively.

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Circum

- Significant in English language: Effectually

The Latin root "circum"—pregnant "around"—appears in terms like "circumnavigate," which is the act of traveling all the style effectually something. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is remembered for successfully circumnavigating the world in the early on 16th century. This root also appears in terms like "circumvent," which describes the act of getting effectually a trouble, and "circumstance," which pairs this root with another Latin root—"opinion," meaning "stand"—to reference a state of affairs that focuses on a core cause.

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Civ

- Pregnant in English: Citizen

"Civility" is characterized by respect towards others, and "civics," which refers to the infrastructure in identify that is intended to facilitate civility, are both rooted in the Latin "civ," meaning "citizen." The root likewise makes an appearance in the name of the Honda Borough, a car that––as the brand puts it––is meant to improve the lives of citizens.

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Clar

- Meaning in English: Clear

The term "clarity"—which comes from the Latin root "clar," pregnant "clear"—is the property of being both pure and make clean, as well as being lucid and coherent. The root has seen a variety of modern uses alluding to its Latin translation, including the brand Clarisonic, a dazzler company that develops products meant to provide clearer-looking skin, and Claritin, an allergy medication that promises clarity and relief from chronic allergies.

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Cred

- Meaning in English: Believe

Credibility is the characteristic of being believable, and it's a term that comes from the Latin root "cred," pregnant "believe." While the term may announced in the instance of legal proceedings—eastward.g., a courtroom case requires apparent witnesses—it besides ties into the idea of credit and credit cards. Since credit cards work by assuasive users to acquire items before paying for them in total, they operate on a system of trust and good faith—belief, essentially—that payments will be fabricated in total at a later time.

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Dict

- Meaning in English language: Say/speak

The Latin root "dict" appears in words like dictate, meaning to read something aloud; dictation, the human action of speaking aloud with the intention of having your words recorded or transcribed; and predict, the deed of stating something that will happen earlier it actually happens. Of all the instances in which "dict" appears in the English language language, though, i of the well-nigh important may be the dictionary, which offers a comprehensive guide to all of the officially-recognized words in the English linguistic communication. Some of the most respected and trusted dictionaries in the U.Southward. include the Oxford English Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster.

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Ex

- Meaning in English: Out

The Latin root "ex" means "out," while related roots, including "exter" and "extrem," offering additional variations of the same translation. The word extreme, for example, may refer to something that falls out of a normal expected range, as was the case with weather extremities, including tape rainfall and high/low daily temperatures across the U.S. in 2019, which broke more than 120,000 records across the country.

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Fract

- Meaning in English: Break

The Latin "fract" is closely related to fellow Latin roots "frang," "fring," and "frag," all of which mean "break." A few of its familiar appearances may include borrow, as in the breaking of a legal agreement or violation of copyright, and fragment, a small piece of an detail that has been broken. The root likewise appears in the give-and-take fragile, which can exist used to describe items that are easily breakable.

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Inter

- Meaning in English: Between

The premise of the film "Interstellar" starring Matthew McConaughey is that a NASA physicist travels the universe via a wormhole in a quest to detect a new domicile for mankind. The plot––and the flick's title––reference the Latin root "inter," meaning "between," as McConaughey'south graphic symbol essentially travels between catholic stars. This root besides appears in terms like international, which may refer to travel or political relations betwixt nations, and interpersonal, which may refer to communication happening between unlike people (every bit opposed to intrapersonal, which uses the Latin root meaning "within").

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Jur

- Meaning in English: Law

Legal systems are intended to deed every bit a source of order and justice in club, and information technology turns out that a lot of the legal terminology that we're familiar with today stems from the Latin "jur"—too equally the related roots "jus" and "judic"—significant "law." This includes the word jury, every bit in the torso of citizens meant to come to a verdict in legal cases; judicial, as in something pertaining to the court or judge; and justice, as in fairness.

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Lax

- Pregnant in English: Non tense

At that place are a number of ways that someone may choose to relax—yoga, unwinding with a good volume, taking a bath, etc. Regardless of the method, the practise of relaxation just comes down to letting go of stress and releasing tension. The root origin of the term—the Latin "lax," meaning "non tense"—is echoed in this way. The root besides appears in the word laxative, which describes an amanuensis used to salvage constipation past reducing tension in the bowels.

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Liber

- Meaning in English: Free

Liberty—which is defined as freedom from oppression in regards to i's belief systems and way of life—is a key tenet on which commonwealth is built. As for the Latin word "liber," this is a cardinal root from which the term "freedom" stems. Further examples of "liber" in mainstream English linguistic communication include the words liberate and liberation.

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Lumin

- Meaning in English: Light

This Latin root meaning "calorie-free" appears in a number of mutual English words including luminous, which means that something is bright and shining. Even so, the Latin root has seen several linguistic iterations that go beyond these everyday terms too, including make names such as Luminary, a podcast streaming platform that may be considered to be bringing new and creative ideas "to light," and fictional terms such as "lumos maxima," the incantation used in the "Harry Potter" universe to generate a bright flash of light.

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Magn

- Meaning in English: Big, peachy

The Latin root "magn," meaning "big" or "corking," tin be used either in reference to something physically big in size or something that big in its presence, such that information technology'south striking. In regular use today, the root appears in words like magnificent, which simply refers to something that's amazing or awe-inspiring, and magnitude, which is used to characterize the large size or impact of something (eastward.m., a 3.ii magnitude earthquake).

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Mal

- Significant in English language: Bad

"Mal" is a Latin root significant "bad," and appears in such English language terms as malicious, which is defined equally having the intention to crusade harm, as well as malevolent, which combines this root with another Latin root "volent," which means "wishing." Mal is defined as wishing evil or sick will upon another. Perhaps one of the near mutual pop civilization affiliations with the root is "Maleficent," the Disney moving picture starring Angelina Jolie as the villainous fairy known for cursing Sleeping Dazzler.

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Migr

- Meaning in English language: Wander

This Latin root is perhaps nigh prevalent in its connection to current events. Namely, "migr"—meaning "wander"—appears in the terms immigration and migrant, both of which have get majorly familiar in the collective consciousness equally a result of such issues as the European migrant crisis equally well as the U.S. border crisis and questions surrounding the country's clearing policies.

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Multi

- Meaning in English: Many

There are a multitude of examples in the English of the Latin root "multi," meaning "many," in use (with multitude beingness 1 of them). The root is perhaps most notable for its function in arithmetic, as it occurs in multiplication, which is a mathematical process for growing a number in size and count. The root also appears in the title of the 1996 comedy "Multiplicity," which stars Michael Keaton as a homo who clones himself numerous times to manage the demands of his day-to-day life.

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Neg

- Pregnant in English language: Say no

The Latin root "neg" appears in English words that are defined by a lack of positive or affirmative response. For example, the give-and-take negate ways that something is being nullified or shut down, or, it'due south being "said no to," substantially. Negativity, a quality ofttimes associated with pessimism and naysaying, is some other example of the root in action.

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Non

- Meaning in English: Not

When something is described as nonsensical, information technology means that it doesn't make sense. When something or someone is characterized as noncommittal, it means that they won't commit. These words—along with others that include "non" as a prefix—pull from the Latin root's definition meaning "not." It's important to go on in mind that the line between "non" and "united nations" tin get a little troublesome when navigating common vocabulary. For example, while unprofessional refers to beliefs that isn't professional, nonprofessional refers to lines of piece of work that don't require professional training.

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Nov

- Significant in English language: New

The allure of novels comes from their imaginative stories that can accept readers away from the ordinary and mundane. A novel concept or innovative idea is characterized past offering something fresh and new, which all ties back to the Latin root "november."

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Ov

- Meaning in English: Egg

While in that location are some English language words get-go with "ov" that don't necktie dorsum to this Latin root such every bit "oven," which really comes from Germanic origins, there are others that reference the root's original definition: "egg." Examples include oval, as in the egg-like shape, and ovary, as in the female reproductive organ that produces eggs.

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Pre

- Meaning in English: Earlier

"Pre" is a Latin-derived prefix that clarifies chronological society by signifying that something came earlier something else. For case, predict means that you talk almost something happening before it actually happens. The give-and-take preliminary is another example and means that something occurs prior to something else in preparation for the main upshot. Of form, "pre" likewise occurs in the word prefix itself, which by definition is a grammatical add-on to the beginning of a give-and-take—i.e., it comes "earlier" the original discussion—that changes its pregnant.

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Prim

- Pregnant in English: First

In addition to words that reflect this root's origins in its virtually literal sense such as main, primordial, and primitive, there are also words derived from this Latin root that more loosely ways best-in-class, or top-tier. One such example is the word prime, most usually used in reference to Amazon Prime, the membership service that provides expedited shipping and a catalog of member-merely streaming content for Amazon customers.

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Proxim

- Meaning in English: Nearness

When one makes an approximation of something, they're making an educated approximate near the count, measurement, or quantity of something based on information that allows them to come close—though maybe non exact—to the correct value. This give-and-take, along with others like proximity or proximal, comes from the Latin root "proxim," pregnant nearness.

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Ques

- Pregnant in English language: Seek

A Latin root that means "to seek" or "to look for," "ques" appears in a number of words that English speakers use on a daily basis. Too the very literal quest, which basically refers to a long search for something, in that location are likewise the terms question and request, both of which attempt to elicit some kind of response, information, or activity.

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Re

- Pregnant in English: Again, astern

This Latin root is one that could refer to something happening over and over again, as is the case with such words as repeat or recur. It may too, notwithstanding, exist used to reference something that moves backward by being withdrawn, as is the case with the words renege and revert.

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Retro

- Pregnant in English language: Backward, backside

Retro has been a standalone give-and-take since the mid-1970s when it started getting used in reference to fashion nostalgia. Before that, though, the discussion existed in the Latin vocabulary as a prefix meaning "backward" or "backside." Of all the words that include the prefix—e.thou., retrogress, retroactive, retrospective—one of the nearly familiar present may be retrograde, as in Mercury Retrograde (when Mercury appears to be moving backward in its orbit).

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San

- Meaning in English: Healthy

This Latin root appears throughout the English linguistic communication in a few dissimilar means. For starters, information technology has a very literal and applied awarding in words like sanitize and germ-free, which just refer to the eradication of bacteria so equally to make something healthier and safer. Even so, the same root besides occurs in the term sanity—and the contrary, insanity—which refers to mental wellness.

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Sci

- Pregnant in English language: Know

The Latin root "sci" (pregnant "know") has a few different roles in English. For i, information technology can refer to the actual act of knowing things, as is the example with terms like omniscience (pregnant all-knowing), conscience (knowing correct from wrong), and prescience (knowing things before they happen). Beyond that, "sci" also ties into the accumulation of knowledge, as information technology is a primal root in the term science and is thus connected to all scientific branches (formal, natural, and social sciences).

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Scrib

- Pregnant in English: Write

While a young child's doodles on a piece of newspaper might exist dismissed as nothing but a little scribble, it turns out that scribble has some roots in the Latin linguistic communication. The root "scrib" actually means "write," and appears in such terms as transcribe, the deed of copying down words from a recording or dictation, and describe, the act of writing downwardly (or saying) what something looks, feels, tastes, sounds, or smells like.

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Semi

- Pregnant in English: Half

The Latin root "semi" (meaning "half") is central to a lot of the traditions that we consider to be commonplace. For example, at that place'due south the idea of a semi-last, where 2 sports teams confront off in a match direct before the final and only one—such as half of the two teams—moves on to the concluding. A lot of brands, most notably, Victoria's Secret, are likewise known for having semi-almanac sales: ane at the commencement of the year in January and one around the one-half-way marking in June.

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Senti

- Meaning in English: Feel

The Latin root "senti," which is likewise close to the root "sens," means "feel"—which is axiomatic when looking at the English terms that take stemmed from the original root. The root is at the heart of our sensory arrangement, which allows the states to feel and experience things through our different senses. The archetype book "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen interestingly juxtaposes two words that stalk from this same Latin root in its title; here, sense is the ability to act with sound judgment and without existence overly emotional, while sensibility refers to the ability to human action from the heart or with feelings every bit a guide.

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Soci

- Meaning in English language: Grouping

In the most basic sense, the Latin root "soci" appears in the term society, which is very literally a group of people who coexist in some chapters, whether they're continued by a mutual government, neighborhood, or even just common interests (e.g., the National Audubon Society). This Latin root is besides at the core of 1 of the biggest trends to have shaped modern civilisation: social media and the rise of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.

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Sol

- Pregnant in English language: Alone

While social networks bring people together—even if merely virtually—togetherness isn't ever the name of the game. "Sol," the Latin root for "solitary," is also a big player in the English language, and is used in words that refer to loneliness or lack of connexion. For instance, solitude and isolation are 2 words that pull from the root, equally is the name for Solitaire, the computer card game meant to exist played solo.

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Sub

- Pregnant in English: Under

When The Beatles released "Yellow Submarine," they may non have realized that they were incorporating some Latin-based lyrics in their hit song. "Sub" is the Latin root significant "under," and across showing upwardly in the proper noun of the underwater warship, the root also occurs in terms like submerge, which is the act of putting something underwater. The New York City subway system also employs the Latin root for the name of its network of secret trains and tracks.

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Surg

- Meaning in English language: Rise

Not to exist confused with the root for surgery, which comes from the Greek words meaning "hand work," the Latin "surg" means "rise." For case, there'south been a "resurgence": This combines the Latin root "re" with "surg". Anyone who has attempted to call an Uber during rush 60 minutes or an "farthermost" (if we're using Latin) rainstorm is also likely familiar with the phenomenon of surge pricing, where rates increase as a result of heightened demand.

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Tempor

- Meaning in English: Time

Musicians understand that tempo is the speed of a song'southward underlying shell, and thus that the tempo helps determine the timing of a slice of music. For those less musically-inclined, however, this Latin root may feel more than familiar in words like temporary, significant something that only lasts for a given period of time, and gimmicky, pregnant that something is of the current time.

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Exam

- Meaning in English language: Witness

Though the term "test" is a give-and-take on its own, the Latin root "test" is unrelated to the term meaning examination. Instead, the Latin here means "witness," as in testimony, where someone shares their business relationship of what they saw in a courtroom trial. Legal proceedings bated, the root also appears in the discussion testament, which reflects a reliable account of something, such that it tin can be used every bit evidence to make a point.

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Trans

- Meaning in English: Across

English language terms that include the root "trans" are mostly referring to something that has traversed a physical or imaginary border in some way. For example, the commencement trans-Atlantic flight was completed in 1919 by Charles Lindbergh when he spent 34 hours traveling from New York to Paris. A mutual use of the root is also in reference to transgender individuals, whose gender identity does not align with their birth sexual practice.

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Vac

- Meaning in English language: Empty

The Latin root "vac" appears in several highly-used English language words, including what may be a collective favorite: "vacation." Unlike certain terms that have a more literal necktie to this root's definition––e.m., "vacancy" means at that place are empty rooms in a space, "vacate" ways emptying out a space, etc.––"vacation" is more than of a loose derivative of the root, alluding to an empty schedule.

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Vag

- Meaning in English: Wander

Of the Latin roots on this list, "vag" is one of the more unique in that it has a few different derivative words that reflect the term in unique ways. For instance, while vagabond is a pretty literal extension of the Latin root, one of the other common derivative words—vague—reflects the significant of the Latin root in a less directly fashion (i.e., it alludes to ideological "wandering" from the master topic).

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Ver

- Meaning in English: True

"Ver" is one of the more than common Latin roots to appear in the English language. There are some terms that include the root—verdict and veracity—that may be less oft utilized in everyday jargon, only that's hardly the example with i of the nigh popular words that stems from this root: very. Whenever something is described as very soft, for case, the intention of the speaker is to communicate that something is "truly" soft.

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Vid

- Meaning in English: Run into, visual

While videotapes might take become obsolete, this Latin root, meaning "meet," is still kept alive in plenty of other key terms in the English language language. One of the biggest, of course, is video, and though people's sources of video entertainment have changed over the years, their analogousness for it certainly has information technology. According to recent data, people lookout an average of 16 hours of online video per calendar week.

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Uni

- Meaning in English: I

This root, significant "one," is incredibly prevalent throughout the English. It appears in a wide range of words, including unicorn (a one-horned mythical horse), unity (one entity), uniform (i outfit), unicycle (one-wheeled bike), and unibrow (one countenance).

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