We've said it before, and we'll say it again. Root words are a great way to learn a language! Root words help you get the feeling for (understand) a language, since you can see where certain words come from and then make meaningful connections with other words. One of the most common root words in English is the root word it.   The root word it, meaning go, is the base of many words that we use every day, such as exit, transit, and ambitious. Since the root word it means to go, all of these words have either something [...]

What do the words section, insect, and segment all have in common? All three of these words stem from the root word sect, which means to cut. Many different words come from the root word sect, and it's easy to see why, if you look at the words all together and compare them. Insect, for example, has the root word sect because it looks like insects are "cut" from three different pieces. An intersection, where two roads come together, comes from the root word sect because one road "cuts" another.   This is just part of the reason why we [...]

Have you ever heard the phrase "the ties that bind?" It's used to talk about the connections that people have that keep them together, such as how siblings (sisters and brothers) know each other so well because they have the shared experience of growing up. But thinking of the phrase "the ties that bind" is a great way to remember the root word lig.   The root word lig comes from Latin and means to tie or bind something. There are many words in English that use the root word lig, and many of them talk about relationships, responsibilities, and [...]