ETYMOLOGICAL CLASSES OF WORDS.
10. Classes by Origin.—With respect to their origin, words are divided into two classes,—primitive words and derivative words.
11. A primitive word, or root, is one that cannot be reduced to a more simple form in the language to which it is native: as, man, good, run.
12. A derivative word is one made up of a root and one or more formative elements: as, manly, goodness, runner.
The formative elements are called prefixes and suffixes. (See §§ 16, 17.)
13. By Composition.—With respect to their composition, words are divided into two classes,—simple and compound words.
14. A simple word consists of a single significant term: as, school, master, rain, bow.
15. A compound word is one made up of two or more simple words united: as, school-master, rainbow.
In some compound words the constituent parts are joined by the hyphen as school-master; in others the parts coalesce and the compound forms a single (though not a simple) word, as rainbow.
III.—PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES.
16. A prefix is a significant syllable or word placed before and joined with a word to modify its meaning: as, unsafe = not safe; remove = move back; circumnavigate = sail around.
17. A suffix is a significant syllable or syllables placed after and joined with a word to modify its meaning: as, safely = in a safe manner; movable = that may be moved; navigation = act of sailing.
The word affix signifies either a prefix or a suffix; and the verb to affix means to join a prefix or a suffix to a root-word.
EXERCISE.
Tell whether the following words are primitive or derivative, and also whether simple or compound:—
1 grace
2 sign
3 design
4 midshipman
5 wash
6 sea
7 workman
8 love
9 lovely
10 white
11 childhood
12 kingdom
13 rub
14 music
15 musician
16 music-teacher
17 footstep
18 glad
19 redness
20 school
21 fire
22 watch-key
23 give
24 forget
25 iron
26 hardihood
27 young
28 right
29 ploughman
30 day-star
31 large
32 truthful
33 manliness
34 milkmaid
35 gentleman
36 sailor
37 steamboat
38 wooden
39 rich
40 hilly
41 coachman
42 warm
43 sign-post
44 greenish
45 friend
46 friendly
47 reform
48 whalebone
49 quiet
50 quietude
51 gardener
52 form
53 formal
54 classmate
55 trust
56 trustworthy
57 penknife
58 brightness
59 grammarian
60 unfetter
BY WILLIAM SWINTON,
Copyright, 1879,
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