Has anyone ever told you that you have fortitude? Do you put a lot of effort into the things that you do? Then you might be interested to know about the root word fort, or strong.

We love root words here at Bespeaking because they’re a great way to learn and remember new words! Root words like Ject, Err, Cult, Se give you terrific (great) insight into how words work and how they are related. Find out how the root word fort strengthens these words, with some help from our friends at Merriam Webster.

Fortitude

(noun) mental strength and courage that allows someone to face danger, pain, etc.

For example:

  1. Her fortitude helped her get through the death of a loved one.
  2. Remember that guy who got his arm trapped while he was hiking? He showed a lot of fortitude!

Effort

(n) a serious attempt to do something

For example:

  1. I put in a lot of effort to get that promotion.
  2. Good effort, everyone! All of our hard work really paid off!

Comfort

(n) a state or situation in which you are relaxed and do not have any physically unpleasant feelings caused by pain, heat, cold, etc.

For example:

  1. We designed our apartment for as much comfort as possible.
  2. In which situations do you feel really comfortable?

Fortify

(verb) to strengthen a place by building military defenses; to make something stronger

For example:

  1. In medieval times, people used to fortify cities by building walls around them.
  2. She drank some really strong tea to try to fortify herself before her big speech.

Fortification

(n) a structure that is built to protect (keep safe) a place

For example:

  1. Have you seen the old fortifications that surround the city?
  2. The soldiers built a fortification to help protect the area.

Reinforce

(v) to strengthen something by adding more material for support; to encourage or give support to someone

For example:

  1. More soldiers were sent to reinforce the troops.
  2. Can you put some more stitches (loops of thread) here to reinforce the seam?

Fortress

(n) a place that is protected against attack

For example:

  1. Look at that old fortress up on the hill!
  2. Want to go explore the fortress?

What words do you know that talk about strength? Do you know any other words with the root word fort? Share your strong English skills with us in the comments below!

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Check out these other popular blogs: TV English Vocabulary, Banking English Vocabulary, English Comma: Basic Rules, or these Commonly Confused Words used in English!

Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, and wonders if you have the fortitude to practice English every day?

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