Hippo Words

Hippo Words Hippo Words Hippo Words By Maeve Maddox A reader writes: My office mates call me a hippocrite. When I found this misspelling on a chat site, I started wondering if there might be a connection between hypocrite and the hippo words n English. The prefix hypo is from Greek and means under. In most English words its pronounced with a long i as in hypodermic. The pronunciation of hypocrite is an exception. hypodermic: hypo + derma (skin) a needle that goes under the skin. hypothermic: hypo + therme (heat) body temperature under normal. hypoglycemia: hypo + glykis (sweet) + haima (blood) sugar in the blood under normal hypotenuse: hypo + teinein (to stretch the right angle stretches under Things start getting complicated with the under connection when we get to hypochondria and hypocrisy. In Late Latin hypochondria meant the abdomen, hypo+chondros cartilage of the breastbone. In the 17th century hypochondria came to mean depression or melancholy illness without cause. This usage reflected an ancient belief that melancholy originated in the hypchondria. Then, in the 19th century, hypochondria acquired its present meaning of any illness without a specific cause. hypocrisy: the crisy part of this word derives from a Greek word that meant to sift, to differentiate. The sense of sift evolved from to separate gradually to to answer and then to answer a fellow actor on the stage. From there it came to mean acting on the stage. Everyone knows that acting is pretending. Hypocrisy is pretending to be one kind of person when in fact youre another kind. A hypocrite is a pretender. The prefix hippo is from the Greek word for horse. hippopotamus: hippo + potamus, river river horse hippodrome: hippo + dromos, course a place to race horses The word hippogriff combines hippo with griffin. A griffin is a fabulous animal typically having head, forepart, and wings like those of an eagle but with visible usually erect ears, forelegs like the legs of an eagle, and body, hind legs, and tail like those of a lion. A hippogriff is a griffin with the hindquarters of a horse. Some other Hippos Augustine of Hippo: early Christian Father. He was bishop of Hippo in Algeria. The city there now is called Annaba. Hippocrates: the father of medicine, author of the Hippocratic Oath for doctors. picture of a griffin picture of a hippogriff text of the ancient Hippocratic Oath Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives15 Types of DocumentsA Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases