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Etymology and the voyages of words

Izzy Smale, London

 

We use many words that have Greek origins, for example: amoral, asymmetric, barometer, chronology, demagogue, dermatology, gynecologist, horoscope, mania, mystic, orthodox, philosophy, photography, polygon, psychology, telegram and telephone. In this puzzle, I assume that you know the meanings of these words.

  • Agoraphobia — an abnormal fear of open or public places.

  • Anagram — a word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain.

  • Alexander — defender of men.

  • Amphibian — an animal capable of living both on land and in water.

  • Anthropology — the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

  • Antipathy — a strong feeling of aversion or repugnance.

  • Antonym — a word having a meaning opposite to that of another word.

  • Bibliophile — a lover of books or a collector of books.

  • Dyslexia — a learning disability characterized by problems in reading, spelling, writing, speaking or listening.

  • Fibromyalgia — muscle pain.

  • Hippodrome — an arena for equestrian shows.

  • Misogyny — hatred of women.

  • Otorhinolaryngology — the medical specialty concerned with diseases of the ear, nose and throat.

  • Pedophilia — the act or fantasy on the part of an adult of engaging in sexual activity with a child or children.

  • Polygamy — the condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time.

  • Polyglot — a person having a speaking, reading, or writing knowledge of several languages.

  • Tachycardia — a rapid heart rate.

  • Telepathy — communication through means other than the senses, as by the exercise of an occult power.

  • Toxicology — the study of the nature, effects, and detection of poisons and the treatment of poisoning.

Using the information about the meanings of the words above which derive from greek words, try

  • Barology

  • Bibliophobia

  • Cardialgia

  • Dromomania

  • Gynophilia

  • Hippophobia

  • Logophobia

  • Misandry

  • Misanthropy

  • Misogamy

  • Monandry

  • Monoglottism

  • Mystagogue

  • Pedagogue

  • Philanthropism

Here are some other words. You do not have enough information in this text to derive their definitions, but you might be able to use your erudition to guess the meaning.

  • Antinomy

  • Apatheist

  • Axiology

  • Dactyloscopy

  • Enneagon

  • Oology

  • Paraskevidekatriaphobia

  • Philadelphia

  • Phytology

  • Triskaidekaphobia


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