Hi everyone and Welcome to Vocabulary TV.
This is our 32nd video lesson on Roots Prefixes
and Suffixes in English Vocabulary.
In this episode, we are going to cover two
of the most common roots in English namely
carn which means ‘flesh’ and vor meaning
‘to eat’.
We shall discuss various words in English
derived from these.
For a start, lets discuss one word that’s
a very effective mnemonic for this roots.
The word is Carnivore.
Well, since carn means flesh and vor means
to eat, the word literally means flesh eating.
And the word carnivore indeed is used to refer
to those animals who eat flesh or meat of
other animals, that is to say carnivore means
an animal that feeds on other animals.
Like in this picture, you can see a lion , which
is a carnivorous animal, is pouncing on a
zebra.
Carrying forward the root vor which means
‘to eat’:
We have the word herbivorous which describes
someone who eats plants or herbs.
The word piscivorous, now since pisces means
fish, piscivorous describes someone which
eats fish as its prime food.
The word ‘graminivorous’ which describes
animals that eat grass.
And the word frugivorous, which describes
those animals that eat fruits.
But the most common words out of these are
of course carnivorous and herbivorous.
And then there are those animals which eat
plants as well as meat.
Such animals are called omnivorous.
The prefix omni means all so omnivorus literally
means ‘all eating’.
Omnivorous animals feed on a variety of food
of both plant and animal origin.
And the idea of ‘all eating’ can be extended
to those who are indiscriminate in taking
in or using whatever is available.
For instance, People who read extensively,
and would read up just about anything that
they can lay their hands on, can be described
as omnivorous readers.
Then we have the word devour which is a very
common word in English.
The word literally means to swallow down,
and hence the most common meaning of devour
is: to eat (food or prey) hungrily or quickly.
Like you can see Jerry, here, is devouring
cheese slices.
Again it can be used in other contexts, Such
as when you read something quickly and eagerly.
For example, She spent her idle time devouring
the classics.
And the third meaning of devour is: to be
totally absorbed by a powerful feeling.
For instance, He was devoured by the guilt
feeling of not being able to save his younger
brother.
But perhaps the most popular and important
word based on the root is Voracious.
Made up of the root ‘vorac’ meaning ‘to
eat’; and the suffix ' ious' meaning ‘characterized
by or full of’ the word literally describes
someone who is known for his eating habits,
in simple words: one who eats a lot.
A voracious person wants or devours great
quantities of food.
For instance, let’s suppose you have a very
voracious neighbour.
It will be quite a normal and understandable
tendency that you might hide away all your
food items whenever he or she comes visiting.
Other contexts, where I have seen this word
being used regularly, is when one engages
in an activity with great eagerness or enthusiasm.
Like one may be a ‘voracious reader, which
implies that he or she reads a lot.
The related nouns are Voracity AND voraciousness
Voracity is one of two English words that
mean "the quality or state of being voracious."
The other is "voraciousness," which was once
considered to be archaic or obsolete but has
made a comeback.
Let us move back to our other root- Carn which
means flesh.
A pinkish flower which is almost the colour
of one’s skin or complexion is called ‘carnation’.
Infact, the word carnation is also the name
of a rosy-pink colour.
And a semi-precious stone which is dull red
and flesh coloured is called carnelian.
Then we have the word Carnal.
Literally, the word carnal means relating
to the needs of the flesh or body.
Carnal is typically used in phrases such as
‘carnal pleasures’ or ‘carnal pursuits’
and describes the physical needs and activities.
Carnal is used in the context of crude bodily
pleasures and appetites and is often used
to denote worldly needs as opposed to spiritual
concerns.
An example sentence for its usage will be:
The preacher warned that those interested
only in carnal pursuits cannot endear themselves
to God, and would not see the heaven.
Next word is carnival.
Carnival in popular Etymology means “ O
flesh, farewell”, and the word refers to
a festival held before Lent that includes
music and dancing and use of masks.
As to why ‘Carnival’, which literally
means to put away the meat, the word originally
signified the approaching fast, as meat was
prohibited during Lent.
Now-a-days we commonly used this word for
any form of entertainment such as a travelling
circus or even for an event where many people
gather to celebrate something.
Then we have carrion, which is again a common
word in English derived from carn, that refers
to the the decaying flesh of dead animals.
Like you can see an eagle feeding on carrion
in this snapshot.
One word that is not so common and yet is
based on carn is the word: Crone.
Seems, this word has travelled all the way
from latin to French to Dutch to English and
the contemporary meaning of crone is : an
ugly old woman.
Don’t confuse it with croon which means
to hum or sing in a low and sentimental voice.
One sentence highlighting the difference in
both the words is: The crone approached the
beautiful princess, who was crooning to herself
in a soft voice, and offered her the poisoned
apple.
Carnage is yet another popular word based
on carn.
Literally, carnage is when you have flesh
and bodies all around and refers to the killing
of a large number of people, as happens in
a situation like a war.
Many people are of the opinion that in a war,
neither side actually wins, and this point
gets emphasized only when one sees the heart-wrenching
images of the carnage and devastation all
around.
Closer to the end of this video, there is
the word incarnate.
Incarnate literally means ‘into flesh’.
We use this word when we want to suggest that
someone (especially a deity or a spirit) has
acquired a human body and form.
The related noun is incarnation.
Typical phrases that get tossed around are
‘devil incarnate’.
A villain in a particular movie might seem
to you as if he is the ‘Devil incarnate’
or the devil in real flesh.
And the opposite will be God incarnate.
For instance, In Hindu mythology, Lord Rama
was believed to be the incarnation of Lord
Vishnu on earth.
And thinking of what happens when something
gets a body or form: it becomes more obvious
or more comprehensible.
So by extension, when something like an idea
or concept or quality is represented in a
clear and obvious way, i.e. to say it gets
a concrete form, we can use this word incarnate.
An example will be this sentence: Our scriptures
and religious texts incarnate almost all important
human values.
In the 3rd meaning, incarnate can be used
for a person who is the living embodiment
of (a quality).
Like we can say that Mother Teresa incarnated
altruism and compassion for fellow human beings.
Our last word is re-incarnation, which is
an easy one.
Since re means again, in simple words reincarnation
means to be born into a body again or rebirth.
Many people believe in reincarnation (which
is the concept that all forms of life and
species have souls) which is the entity that
never dies and reincarnates.
A new version of something from the past like
perhaps a fashion trend can also be described
as re-incarnation.
I guess I will not be wrong in saying that
the ‘flared pants’ which are so popular
in today’s fashion are a reincarnation of
yesteryears’ bell bottoms.
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