NEO comes from the Greek neos, meaning “new.” Neo- has become a part of many English words.

Some
are easy to understand; for example, neo-Nazi. Some are less so; you might not immediately guess that
neotropical means “from the tropics of the New World,” or that a neophyte is a “newcomer.” When
William Ramsay discovered four new gases, he named them all using Greek roots that at first glance
might sound slightly mysterious: argon (“idle”), krypton (“hidden”), xenon (“strange”)—and neon
(“new”).

neoclassic (adj) Relating to a revival or adaptation of the styles of ancient Greece and Roman, especially
in music, art, or architecture. Example: He had always admired the paintings of the French neoclassical
masters, especially Poussin and Ingres. Etymological Explanation: In the arts and architecture, a style that
has existed for a long time usually produces a reaction against it. So after the showy style of Europe's so-
called baroque era (from about 1600 to the early 1700s), the reaction came in the form of the
neoclassical movement, bringing order, restraint, and simpler and more conservative structures, whether
in plays, sonatas, sculptures, or public buildings. Its inspiration was the art of ancient Greece and Rome
—that is, of classical antiquity. Why classical? In Latin classicus meant “of the highest class,” so in English
classic and classical originally described the best ancient Greek and Latin literature, but soon came to
mean simply “of ancient Greek and Rome,” since these were already seen as the highest and best
cultures. Neoclassic generally describes artworks from the 1700s or early 1800s (by the painter David,
the composer Mozart, the sculptor Canova, etc.), but also works from the 20th century that seem to
have been inspired by the ideals of Greece and Rome.

Neolithic (adj) Of or relating to the latest period of the Stone Age, when polished stone tools were used.
Example: Around the Mediterranean, the Neolithic period was a time of trade, of stock breeding, and of
the first use of pottery. Etymological Explanation: Since lithos in Greek means “stone,” the Neolithic
period is the “new” or “late” period of the Stone Age, in contrast to the Paleolithic period (“old” or
“early” period) and the Mesolithic period (“middle” period) of the Stone Age. The use of polished stone
tools came to different parts of the world at different times, but the Neolithic Age is usually said to begin
around 9000 B.C. and to end around 3000 B.C, when the Bronze Age begins. The Neolithic is the era
when the farming of plants and animals begins, and when, as a result, humans first begin to create
permanent settlements.

neoconservative (n) A conservative who favors strongly encouraging democracy and the U.S. national
interest in world affairs, including through military means. Example: Many believed that foreign policy in
those years had fallen into the hands of the neoconservatives, and that the war in Iraq was one result.
Etymological Explanation: In the 1960s several well-known socialist intellectuals, including Norman
Podhoretz and Irving Kristol, alarmed by growing political extremism on the left, began to move in the
other direction. Soon the term neoconservative (or neocon for short) was being attached to them.
Rather than simply drifting toward the political center, Podhoretz and Kristol actually moved far to the
right, especially on the issue of maintaining a strong military stance toward the rest of the world. The
main magazine of neoconservatism became Podhoretz's Commentary; it was later joined by the Weekly
Standard, edited by Kristol's son William. Not everyone agrees on how to define these terms; still, it's
clear that today you don't have to be a former liberal in order to be a neoconservative.
neonatal (adj) Of or relating to babies in the first month after their birth. Example: The hospital's newest
addition is a neonatal intensive-care unit, and newborns in critical condition are already being sent there
from considerable distances. Etymological Explanation: Partly based on the Latin natus, “born,” neonatal
means “newly born.” Neonatal babies themselves are called neonates. Most hospitals now offer
neonatal screening, which is used to detect diseases that are treatable only if identified during the first
days of life, and specialized neonatal nursing as well. But despite spending much money on neonatal
care, the U.S. still ranks lower than some much less wealthy countries (such as the Czech Republic,
Portugal, and Cuba) in infant mortality (infant deaths).

NOV comes from the Latin word novus, meaning “new.” To renovate an old house is to “make it new
again”—that is, put it back in tip-top shape. The long-running PBS show Nova keeps its large audience up
to date on what's new in the world of science. And when the British king sent Scottish settlers to a large
island off Canada's Atlantic coast in the 17th century, he named it Nova Scotia , or “New Scotland.”

novice (n) (1) One who has no previous training or experience in a specific field or activity; beginner. (2)
A new member of a religious order who is preparing to become a nun or monk. Example: It's hard to
believe that a year ago she was a complete novice as a gardener, who couldn't identify a cornstalk.
Etymological Explanation: Among the ancient Romans, a novice (novicius) was usually a newly imported
slave, who had to be trained in his or her duties. Among Catholics and Buddhists, if you desire to become
a priest, monk, or nun, you must serve as a novice for a period of time, often a year (called your novitiate
), before being ordained or fully professing your vows. No matter what kind of novice you are—at
computers, at writing, at politics, etc.—you've got a lot to learn.

novel (adj) (1) New and not resembling something formerly known or used. (2) Original and striking,
especially in conception or style. Example: His techniques for dealing with these disturbed young people
were novel, and they caught the attention of the institute's director. Etymological Explanation: If
someone tells you that you've come up with a novel idea or a novel interpretation of something, it's
probably a compliment: not everyone is capable of original thinking. But not everything new is terribly
worthwhile; a novelty, for example, is often a cute (or maybe just silly) little object that you might put on
a display shelf in your house. It may seem surprising that the familiar noun novel is related as well. In the
14th century, Italian writers began writing collections of short tales, each of which they called a novella
because it represented a new literary form; from this word, three centuries later, the English coined the
noun novel.

innovation (n) (1) A new idea, device, or method. (2) The introduction of new ideas, devices, or
methods. Example: “Smooshing” bits of candy into ice cream while the customer watched was just one
of his innovations that later got copied by chains of ice-cream outlets. Etymological Explanation:
Innovation is a word that's almost always connected with business. In business today, it's almost a rule
that a company that doesn't innovate is destined for failure. The most important and successful
businesses were usually started by innovators. And company managers should always at least listen to
the innovative ideas of their employees.
supernova (1) The explosion of a star that causes it to become extremely bright. (2) Something that
explodes into prominence or popularity. Example: After exploding, a nova leaves a “white dwarf” which
may explode again in the future, but a supernova destroys the entire star. Etymological Explanation: A
nova, despite its name, isn't actually a “new” star, but rather one that wasn't noticed until it exploded,
when it may increase in brightness by a million times before returning to its previous state a few days
later. A supernova is far larger; a star in its supernova state may emit a billion times as much light as
previously. After a few weeks it begins to dim, until it eventually ceases to exist; it's often replaced by a
black hole. (Though remains that were shot out into space may survive; those of a great supernova seen
in A.D. 1054 are now known as the Crab Nebula.) All this may serve as a warning to those human stars
whose fame explodes too rapidly; supernovas of this kind have sometimes vanished by the following
year.

POS comes from the Latin verb ponere, meaning “to put” or “to place.” You expose film by “placing it
out” in the light. You compose a song by “putting together” a series of notes. And you oppose locating a
new prison in your town by “putting yourself against” it.

impose (v) (1) To establish or apply as a charge or penalty or in a forceful or harmful way. (2) To take
unfair advantage. Example: After seeing her latest grades, her parents imposed new rules about how
much time she had to spend on homework every night. Etymological Explanation: The Latin imposui
meant “put upon,” and that meaning carried over into English in impose. A CEO may impose a new
manager on one of the company's plants. A state may impose new taxes on luxury items or cigarettes,
and the federal government sometimes imposes trade restrictions on another country to punish it. A
polite apology might begin with “I hope I'm not imposing on you” (that is, “forcing my presence on
you”). And a self-imposed deadline is one that you decide to hold yourself to.

juxtapose (v) To place side by side. Example: You won't notice the difference between the original and
the copy unless you juxtapose them. Etymological Explanation: Since juxta means “near” in Latin, it's
easy to see how juxtapose was formed. Juxtaposing is generally done for examination or effect. Interior
designers constantly make decisions about juxtaposing objects and colors for the best effect. Juxtaposing
two video clips showing the different things that a politician said about the same subject at two different
times can be an effective means of criticizing. The juxtaposition of two similar X-rays can help medical
students distinguish between two conditions that may be hard to tell apart. And advertisements
frequently juxtapose “before” and “after” images to show a thrilling transformation.

transpose (v) (1) To change the position or order of (two things). (2) To move from one place or period to
another. Example: She rechecked the phone number and discovered that two digits had been
transposed. Etymological Explanation: Though transposing two digits can be disastrous, transposing two
letters in a word often doesn't matter too much. (You can probably read this sentence without too much
trouble.) Transposing two words or sounds—as in “Can I sew you to another sheet?”—has been a good
source of humor over the years. Doctors sometimes discover that something in the body—a nerve, an
organ, etc.—has been transposed, or moved away from its proper place. For musicians, transposing
means changing the key of a piece; if you can do this at a moment's notice, you've been well trained.
superimpose (v) To put or place one thing over something else. Example: Using transparent sheets, she
superimposes territory boundaries on an outline of Africa, showing us how these changed in the late
19th and early 20th century. Etymological Explanation: Superimposition was one of the magical effects
employed by early filmmakers. Using “mirror shots,” with semitransparent mirrors set at 45° angles to
the scene, they would superimpose shadowy images of ghosts or scenes from a character's past onto
scenes from the present. Superimposing your own ideas on something, such as a historical event, has to
be done carefully, since your ideas may change whenever you learn something new about the event.

TEN, from the Latin verb tenere, basically means “hold” or “hold on to.” A tenant is the “holder” of an
apartment, house, or land, but not necessarily the owner. A lieutenant governor may “hold the position”
( “serve in lieu”) of the governor when necessary.

tenure (n) (1) The amount of time that a person holds a job, office, or title. (2) The right to keep a job,
especially the job of teacher or professor. Example: I know two assistant professors who are so worried
about being denied tenure this year that they can't sleep. Etymological Explanation: Tenure is about
holding on to something, almost always a job or position. So you can speak of someone's 30-year tenure
as chairman, or someone's brief tenure in the sales manager's office. But tenure means something
slightly different in the academic world. In American colleges and universities, the best (or luckiest)
teachers have traditionally been granted a lifetime appointment known as tenure after about six years of
teaching. Almost nobody has as secure a job as a tenured professor, but getting tenure can be difficult,
and most of them have earned it.

tenacious (adj) Stubborn or determined in clinging to something. Example: He was known as a tenacious
reporter who would stay with a story for months, risking his health and sometimes even his life.
Etymological Explanation: Success in most fields requires a tenacious spirit and a drive to achieve.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the entertainment business. Thousands of actors and actresses
work tenaciously to build a TV or film career. But without talent or beauty, tenacity is rarely rewarded,
and only a few become stars.

tenable (adj) Capable of being held or defended; reasonable. Example: She was depressed for weeks
after her professor said that her theory wasn't tenable. Etymological Explanation: Tenable means
“holdable.” In the past it was often used in a physical sense—for example, to refer to a city that an army
was trying to “hold” militarily against an enemy force. But nowadays it's almost always used when
speaking of “held” ideas and theories. If you hold an opinion but evidence appears that completely
contradicts it, your opinion is no longer tenable. So, for example, the old ideas that cancer is infectious or
that being bled by leeches can cure your whooping cough now seem untenable.

tenet (n) A widely held principle or belief, especially one held in common by members of a group or
profession. Example: It was soon obvious that the new owners didn't share the tenets that the
company's founders had held to all those years. Etymological Explanation: A tenet is something we hold,
but not with our hands. Tenets are often ideals, but also often statements of faith. Thus, we may speak
of the tenets of Islam or Hinduism, the tenets of Western democracy, or the tenets of the scientific
method, and in each case these tenets may combine elements of both faith and ideals.
Number Words

MONO comes from the Greek monos, meaning “along” or “single.” So a monorail is a railroad that has
only one rail; a monocle is an old-fashioned eyeglass that a gentleman used to squeeze into his eye
socket; a monotonous voice seems to have only one tone; and a monopoly puts all ownership of a type
of product or service in the hands of a single company.

monogamous (adj) Being married to one person or having one mate at a time. Example: Geese, swans,
and most other birds are monogamous and mate for life. Etymological Explanation: American marriage is
by law monogamous; people are permitted to have only one spouse (husband or wife) at a time. There
are cultures with laws that permit marriage to more than one person at a time, or polygamy. Some
Islamic countries permit polygamy, as do some African tribes. In this country the Mormons were
polygamous until 1890, when they were forced to adopt monogamy by the unsympathetic federal
government.

monolithic (adj) (1) Appearing to be a huge, featureless, often rigid whole. (2) Made up of material with
no joints or seams. Example: The sheer monolithic rock face of Yosemite's El Capitan looks impossible to
climb, but its cracks and seams are enough for experienced rock climbers. Etymological Explanation: The
-lith in monolith comes from the Greek lithos, “stone,” so monolith in its original sense means a huge
stone like those at Stonehenge. What's so impressive about monoliths is that they have no separate
parts or pieces. To the lone individual, any huge institution or government bureaucracy can seem
monolithic. But the truth may be different: The former U.S.S.R. once seemed monolithic and
indestructible to the West, but in the 1990s it crumbled into a number of independent republics.

monotheism (n) The worship of a single god. Example: Christian monotheism finally triumphed in the
Roman Empire in A.D. 392, when the worship of pagan gods and goddesses was forbidden. Etymological
Explanation: The monotheism of the ancient Hebrews had to combat the polytheism (worship of many
gods) of the surrounding peoples from the earliest times. As the Bible relates, several times in their
history the Hebrews turned away from their monotheistic beliefs and accepted foreign gods, such as
those imported by King Solomon. Each time their own God would punish them for their disloyalty, and
the people of Israel would return to monotheism. Today Judaism shares its monotheism with two much
larger religions, Christianity and Islam.

UNI comes from the Latin word for “one.” A uniform is a single design worn by everyone. A united group
has one single opinion, or forms a single unit. A unitard is a one-piece combination leotard and tights,
very good for skating, skiing, dancing—or riding a one-wheeled unicycle.

unicameral (adj) Having only one lawmaking chamber. Example: In China, with its unicameral system of
government, a single group of legislators meets to make the laws. Etymological Explanation: Unicameral
means “one-chambered,” and the term almost always describes a governing body. Our federal
legislature, like those of most democracies, is bicameral, with two legislative (lawmaking) bodies—the
Senate and the House of Representatives. And except for Nebraska, all the state legislatures are also
bicameral. So why did the nation decide on a bicameral system? Partly in order to keep some power out
of the hands of ordinary voters, who the Founding Fathers didn't completely trust. For that reason, the
original Constitution states that senators are to be elected by the state legislatures; not until 1914, after
passage of a Constitutional amendment, did we first cast direct votes for our senators.

unilateral (adj) (1) Done by one person or party; one-sided. (2) Affecting one side of the body. Example:
The Japanese Constitution of 1947 includes a unilateral rejection of warfare as an option for their
country. Etymological Explanation: The world is a smaller place than it used to be, and we get
uncomfortable when a single nation adopts a policy of unilateralism —that is, acting independently with
little regard for what the rest of the world thinks. A unilateral invasion of another country, for instance,
usually looks like a grab for power and resources. But occasionally the world welcomes a unilateral
action, as when the U.S. announced unilateral nuclear-arms reductions in the early 1990s. Previously,
such reductions had only happened as part of bilateral (“two-sided”) agreements with the old Soviet
Union. Multilateral agreements, on issues such as climate change, often involve most of the world's
nations.

unison (n) (1) Perfect agreement. (2) Sameness of musical pitch. Example: Unable to read music well
enough to harmonize, the village choir sang only in unison. Etymological Explanation: This word usually
appears in the phrase “in unison,” which means “together, at the same time” or “at the same musical
pitch.” So an excited crowd responding to a speaker may shout in unison, and a group of demonstrators
may chant in unison. The old church music called Gregorian chant was written to be sung in unison, with
no harmonizing voices, and kindergarten kids always sing in unison (at least when they can all find the
same pitch). In a similar way, an aerobics class moves in unison following the instructor, and a group or
even a whole town may work in unison when everyone agrees on a common goal.

unitarian (adj) Relating or belonging to a religious group that believes that God exists only in one person
and stresses individual freedom of belief. Example: With his unitarian tendencies, he wasn't likely to get
into fights over religious beliefs. Etymological Explanation: Unitarianism, originally a sect of Christianity
believing in a single or unitary God, grew up in 18th-century England and developed in America in the
early 19th century. Though they believe in Christ's teaching, they reject the idea of the three-part Trinity
—God as father, son, and holy spirit—and thus deny that Christ was divine, so some people don't
consider them truly Christian. In this century the Unitarians joined with the Universalist Church, a
movement founded on a belief in universal salvation—that is, the saving of every soul from damnation
after death. Both have always been liberal and fairly small; today they count about half a million
members. Without a capital letter, unitarian refers simply to belief in a unitary God, or in unity within
some nonreligious system.