Synonyms: Prefixes - ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning

The word “infuse” is derived from the obvious prefix “in-”, which here means just that—“in”—and the base “-fuse,” which is derived from the Latin for “to pour.” Someone “infuses” one thing with another when the latter is added to the former. More strictly speaking, the word implies that one thing fills another, as when someone’s thought is said to be “infused with their pains and agonies.” Still, the word can also mean “to add or instill into.” The former is the meaning implied by the options provided in the answers, as “fill” is the only acceptable answer among them.

You likely know the word “procrastinate” as an insult or as a panicked word when you have put off your work and find a deadline quickly approaching. The word literally means “to put off until tomorrow.” The prefix “pro-” means “forward or toward,” and the “-cras-” portion of the word comes from the Latin for tomorrow. Note that this is not the same as the “crass” that means “unrefined or rude.” One can fairly say that “to procrastinate” is “to delay.”

The word “refuge” is derived from the prefix “re-”, here implying the sense of “back” and the base “-fuge.” The “-fuge” base is related to English words like “fugitive” and “refugee.” It is derived from the Latin for “to flee.” “Refuge” thus means “to flee back(ward).” A place that is a refuge is one to which someone flees for protection. For example, one could say, “The child fled to its mother’s arms as a refuge from its fear.” Of course, the word could be used to refer to a building, location, or anything else of that sort.

The word relinquish is composed of the prefix “re-”, which here merely strengthens the sense of the base, and a base meaning “to leave or abandon.” The latter is related to words like “derelict,” “dereliction,” and “reliquary.” To “relinquish” something is to give it up freely. The word “renounce” means “to announce the abandonment of something.”

The word “resuscitate” is derived from Latin roots meaning “to raise up again.” It is from this that we get the general sense of “resuscitate” as meaning “to bring back to life from a near death situation.” The word “revive” best signifies this, as it means “to bring back to life.” The “-vive” in “revive” is related to other words for life such as “vivify” and “survive.”

The word “atheist” means “one who does not believe in the existence of any god. The “a-” prefix here is privative, making the word to mean the opposite of the base “theist.”

The base itself means “one believing in God.” It is found in other words like “theology” (the study of God or gods) and “pantheism” (the belief that the world and God are identical). Likewise, the “th” becomes “d” in some contexts like “deity” and “deism.” Among the options given, the best is “nonbeliever.” Do not be tricked by the other options that are at most accidentally related to the word “atheist.”

The “-tend” found in the word “distend” is related to the same root found in “extend.” It generally means to stretch or (more broadly) to reach. When one “extends” his or her arm, he or she reaches or stretches it out toward something. When something becomes “distended,” it becomes stretched in the sense of being swollen—as in “a distended stomach” because of disease or gaseous buildup.

The word “edict” comes from the prefix “e-” meaning “out or out of” and “-dict,” which means “to say or speak.” The latter is found in many words like “diction,” “dictate,” “dictionary,” and “benediction” (as well as many, many others). “Edict” thus literally means “something spoken out.” The sense of this “out” is that the thing is proclaimed, particularly by one in authority. For this reason, the option “proclamation” is the best option among those provided.

Surprisingly, the word “oblation” is related to the word “translate.” When someone translates expressions from one language to another, he or she “carries them across” from one language to the other. The “-late” portion of “translate” contains this literal notion of “carrying.” The “ob-” prefix in “oblation” means “to” or “toward.” Literally considered, the word “oblation” means “carried toward.” Its direct English meaning is “an offering,” generally implying that this offering is religious in nature. It is an “offering” in the sense of “carrying” the item to the deity in question. Actually, the word “offering” is from the exact same irregular Latin roots as “oblation.”

The “-merge” portion of this word is related to similar forms found in English words like “emerge” and “immersion.” It is derived from the Latin for “to dip.” The prefix “sub-” means “beneath” or “under,” as is used in the word “submarine” (meaning “beneath water”). When someone “submerges” something else, he or she “dips it under water.” Plunge is the best option among those given.

The “-merge” portion of this word is related to similar forms found in English words like “submerge” and “immersion.” It is derived from the Latin for “to dip.” The prefix “e-” is a form of “ex-”, meaning “out of” as used in the word “exit”—“to go out of.” When someone or something “emerges” it “comes out of being dipped.” A better definition is “coming into view or becoming apparent.” When something “materializes,” it comes to exist actually. Often, this is used to describe something appearing as well.

The word “connotation” comes from Latin roots literally meaning, “To note with.” “Con-” is a prefix meaning “with” and is found in various forms in words like “connect” and “conjugal” as well as “community” and many others. When an expression or word “connotes” something it implies something beyond its literal meaning. For instance, one could say, “The word ‘enlightened’ often is used to connote the sense of being beyond superstitions and perhaps even non-religious.”

The word “exhume” literally means to take out of the earth. The “-hume” portion of the word is the same as that which is found in “humility.” It comes from the Latin for ground or dirt. “Humility” is a disposition that makes one feel “lowly.” When combined with the prefix “ex-”, this root word makes the expression out of the earth.

While “superficial” often is used to describe someone who is “not deep” or perhaps “trivial” in his or her interests, the word literally means “being on the upper most face.” The word “surface” is actually closely related to the word. The prefix “super-” means “above,” and “-ficial” comes from relatives of “face or surface.” Therefore, someone who is “superficial” is “on the surface” (that is, not going any deeper than the uppermost layer). The word “superficial” can be used as an adjective that merely means “surface” or “surface-level” as in “superficial wounds,” which would mean “surface wounds” or “surface-level wounds.”

The word “transition” is taken from two familiar components, though you might not see the second component at first sight. The prefix “trans-” means across. When someone “translates” something, he or she “carries” it from one language to another. Likewise, “transferring” is the sending or carrying of something “across from one person or place to another.” The “-ition” is related to the small “-it” in “exit.” It means to go, and “exit” means to go out. A “transition” is a going across from one place, quality, etc. to another. Better stated, it means a change from one thing to another. "Alteration" is thus the answer choice closest in meaning to "transition."

The word “predict” is very familiar, but let us be careful not to associate it with incorrect meanings (such as “announce” or even “invoke”).

The word is clearly composed of two parts—“pre-” and “-dict.” The former means before (in the temporal sense). The latter means to speak or say. It is related to many English words like “diction,” “dictation,” “valedictorian,” and “edict.”

To "predict" something is to state that something will happen in the future, often as the consequence of something else. To make a pop cultural reference, think of how many people “predict the outcome of the football game.” This means that they try to declare who will be the winner—before the competition even takes place. The word “foretell” merely comes from different roots—clearly meaning to tell before.

Often, one speaks of a “eulogy” being delivered at a funeral, but such speeches are not necessarily limited to those occasions. The word is comprise of the prefix “eu-” and “-logy.” The former means “good.” It is found in the word “euphony,” meaning “good sounding.” The “-logy” portion of “eulogy” means “words” as found in the English word “logic.” For these reasons, “eulogy” generally means a speech given in praise of someone. A panegyric is likewise such a positive speech.

Although the word “pretentious” is related to the word “pretend,” do not be fooled. “Pretend” literally means to stretch forward in the sense of taking or claiming something. The “-tend” means stretch, as is found in “extend.” The “pre-” does not mean before in a temporal sense but instead in the physical sense—e.g. “he stood before the magistrate.” When someone is pretentious, he or she claims to be something that he or she is not, often doing so with much fanfare to draw attention. The word “ostentatious” means much the same, itself being derived from Latin roots meaning to stretch out to show.

The word “gel” and “gelatin” both are derived from a similar base as “congeal.” They all share the general sense of “freezing” or (more broadly) “hardening” from a liquid state. When something “congeals” it “gels together.” (The “con-” prefix means “with,” as you likely know.) In general it means to “to solidify” or “to coagulate” (like blood that thickens and clots). The word “congeal” can be used to describe a group coming together as well, as in, “The parts of the project congealed into a working whole.”