Ignorance, Ignominy, and Other ig- Words

Ignorance, Ignominy, and Other ig- Words Ignorance, Ignominy, and Other ig- Words Ignorance, Ignominy, and Other ig- Words By Maeve Maddox In the words ignominy, ignoble, and words related to ignore, the prefix ig- means not. Words Related to Lack of Knowledge Ignorance and its related forms come from the Latin verb ignorare, â€Å"not to know.† ignore Initially the English verb ignore meant â€Å"to be ignorant of.† Like â€Å"J’ignore† in modern French, â€Å"I ignore† meant simply, â€Å"I don’t know.† In modern English ignore means â€Å"to refuse to take notice (of).† Ex. â€Å"I always smile and say ‘Hello,’ but she ignores me.† ignorance and ignorant Both these words relate to the fact or condition of not knowing something. As everyone is born ignorant, no shame should attach to the mere fact of being ignorant. However, the words have acquired negative connotations and both are often used to insult, hurt, or condemn. For example, when Emilia discovers Desdemona’s dead body, ignorant is one of the terms of abuse she hurls at Othello: Emilia: Thou has not half that power to do me harm As I have to be hurt. O gull! O dolt! As ignorant as dirt! thou hast done a deed– I care not for thy sword; I’ll make thee known, Though I lost twenty lives. –Othello, ii, 192-195. ignoramus Ignoramus [IG-nuh-RAY-mus] was an earlier generation’s favorite word for an ignorant person. For example, â€Å"That ignoramus doesn’t know the difference between imply and infer.† In fact, ignoramus is plural in origin. It’s the second person plural of the Latin verb ignorare: ignoramus, â€Å"we do not know.† It was a legal term: ignoramus: The endorsement formerly made by a Grand Jury upon a bill or indictment presented to them, when they considered the evidence for the prosecution insufficient to warrant the case going to a petty jury. I think the word dummy has probably replaced ignoramus in modern usage. Words Related to Lack of Reputation The etymology of both ignominy and ignoble can be traced to the Latin word for name. ignominy Etymologically, ignominy [IG-nuh-MIN-ee] is the state of not having a name. Roman culture, like many others, attached great importance to the sanctity of the family name. Name and reputation were synonymous. Although he puts the words in the mouth of that toad Iago, Shakespeare expresses the importance of reputation in this speech from Othello: Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; tis something, nothing; Twas mine, tis his, and has been slave to thousands: But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed. –Othello, III, iii, 156-161 A disgraced name is a name lost. The meaning of ignominy, therefore, is â€Å"dishonor, disgrace, shame, infamy.† The adjective is ignominious [IG-nuh-MIN-ee-us] ignoble Like ignominy, ignoble has connections with reputation–or lack of it. The word noble goes back to Latin nÃ… scere, â€Å"to know.† The best-known people were members of the ruling classes. Their families had the wealth to buy the horses, weapons, and armor that enabled them to make a name for themselves. Being â€Å"known† conferred status. The word for being known became a class marker. Noble began as a word that referred to a social and economic class, but gradually acquired additional meanings. Initially, ignoble meant â€Å"not noble,† that is, not born to the noble social class. Because the privileged class saw itself as superior in every way, noble came to mean â€Å"characterized by moral superiority,† and ignoble came to mean â€Å"morally flawed†: A rake is a composition of all the lowest, most ignoble, degrading, and shameful vices; they all conspire to disgrace his character, and to ruin his fortune. –Philip Dormer Stanhope 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773) 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:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Comma Before But10 Types of Hyphenation Errors

Important Quotes From Anne Franks Diary

Important Quotes From Anne Frank's Diary When Anne Frank turned 13 on June 12, 1942, she received a red-and-white checkered diary as a birthday present. For the next two years, Anne wrote in her diary, chronicling her move into the Secret Annex, her troubles with her mother, and her blossoming love for Peter (a boy also hiding in the annex). Her writing is extraordinary for many reasons. Certainly, it is one of the very few diaries salvaged from a young girl in hiding, but it also a very honest and revealing account of a young girl coming of age despite her surrounding circumstances. Ultimately, Anne Frank and her family were discovered by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps. Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945 of typhus. Insightful Quotes From Anne Frank's Diary Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because Ive never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. (June 20, 1942)Ive learned one thing: you only really get to know a person after a fight. Only then can you judge their true character! (September 28, 1942)Sometimes I think God is trying to test me, both now and in the future. Ill have to become a good person on my own, without anyone to serve as a model or advise me, but itll make me stronger in the end. (October 30, 1943)I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that Im free, and yet I cant let it show. Just imagine what would happen if all eight of us were to feel sorry for ourselves or walk around with the discontent clearly visible on our faces. Where would that get us? (December 24, 1943)Mother has said that she sees us more as frie nds than as daughters. Thats all very nice, of course, except that a friend cant take the place of a mother. I need my mother to set a good example and be a person I can respect, but in most matters, shes an example of what not to do. (January 6, 1944) Peter added, The Jews have been and always will be the chosen people! I answered, Just this once, I hope theyll be chosen for something good! (February 16, 1944)Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your own heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there, as long as you live, to make you happy again. (February 23, 1944)I want friends, not admirers. People who respect me for my character and my deeds, not my flattering smile. The circle around me would be much smaller, but what does that matter, as long as theyre sincere? (March 7, 1944)Have my parents forgotten that they were young once? Apparently, they have. At any rate, they laugh at us when were serious, and theyre serious when were joking. (March 24, 1944)Im honest and tell people right to their faces what I think, even when its not very flattering. I want to be honest; I think it gets you further and also makes you feel better about yourself. (March 25, 1944)I dont want to live in vain like most peop le. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those Ive never met. I want to go on living even after my death! (April 5, 1944) Ive asked myself again and again whether it wouldnt have been better if we hadnt gone into hiding; if we were dead now and didnt have to go through this misery, especially so that the others could be spared the burden. But we all shrink from this thought. We still love life, we havent yet forgotten the voice of nature, and we keep hoping, hoping for . . . everything. (May 26, 1944)To be honest, I cant imagine how anyone could say Im weak and then stay that way. If you know that about yourself, why not fight it, why not develop your character? (July 6, 1944)We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but . . . we have to earn it. And thats something you cant achieve by taking the easy way out. Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy. Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction. (July 6, 1944)Its a wonder I havent abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still belie ve, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. (July 15, 1944)