James Baquet

    Mark is chatting with his classmate Ming in the common room of their dorm.

    Ming: Hi, Mark. Can you help me with some vocabulary?

    Mark: Sure.

    Ming: My professor gave us paired words that share common Latin or Greek roots. It’s a little confusing.

    Mark: Like what?

    Ming: Like “astronomy” and “astrology.”

    Mark: So the common root is the Greek “astro.”

    Ming: Yes, meaning “star.” But I’m not sure how the words differ.

    Mark: Do you know what “-logy” means?

    Ming: “The study of” something, right?

    Mark: Right. It comes from the idea of arranging things in order, but when we find it on the end of a science-y word, it means some science or body of knowledge.

    Ming: Okay, so “astrology” is study of the stars. But doesn’t “astronomy” mean the same thing?

    Mark: Here is where roots don’t help completely. You’re right: “astronomy” is the modern word for study of the stars.

    Ming: And astrology?

    Mark: That’s a more ancient body of knowledge. It’s the study of the stars in order to find out how they influence our lives.

    Ming: That’s just a superstition!

    Mark: It is — now. But in the old days, it was a pretty serious study.

    Ming: So what does “-onomy” mean?

    Mark: It’s based on a word that means “laws.”

    Ming: So maybe “astronomy” sounds a little more exact than “astrology?”

    Mark: Maybe. Anyway, today, one is the study of space, and the other is a superstitious belief system.

    Ming: Got it. The next pair is “biology” and “biography.” I know “bio” means “life,” so biology is the study of living things.

    Mark: Good! Do you know what “graphy” means here?

    Ming: Umm... “writing?”

    Mark: That’s right. So a biography is a written account of a person’s life.

    Ming: Got it! And “auto” means “self,” so an autobiography is an account of someone’s life written by that person.

    Mark: Perfect! What’s next?

    Ming: “Economy” and “ecology.” Is that like “astronomy” and “astrology?”

    Mark: Well, a little. Do you know what “eco” means?

    Ming: My professor said it means “house.” I kind of don’t get it.

    Mark: He’s right. So “economy” is the “laws of the house,” or, better, “the management of a house.”

    Ming: But doesn’t it mean something about finances now?

    Mark: Yes. But historically it referred to household finances. The same with “ecology.” Originally it was “the ordering or study of a house,” but now it’s about the relationships in a system that includes living things, and the way we behave toward the environment.