Idioticon
An Idiot's Idiom


The Latin roots of English can occasionaly be detected in families of words whose common form suggests their heritage. In particular, there is a large set of words, borrowed from Latin, with one form ending in -id, such as vapid and humid. Both of these words have related forms of vapor and humor, although you might not see right away how humid is related to humor! These examples make you wonder whether we have been unneccesarily depriving ourselves of the form lucor from lucid, although we do have lucidity.

acid
acor
acrid
acror
albid
albor
alcid
alcor
algid
algor
alpid
alpor
argid
argor
arid
aror
aridity
avid
avor
avidity
bifid
bifor
calid
calor
calorie
candid
candor
clamid
clamor
clangid
clangor
colid
color
cruid
cruor
dolid
dolor
dolorous
errid
error
fervid
fervent
fervor
fetid
fetor
flaccid
flaccor
flavid
flavor
florid
floror
fluid
fluor
fluidity
fluent
fracid (overripe)
fracor
frigid
frigor
frigorous
frigidity
fulgid
fulgor
furid
furor
furious
gelid
gelor
glamid
glamor
glaucid
glaucor
glaucous
gravid
gravor
gravity
horrid
horror
humid
humidity
humor
humorous
labid
labor
laborous
languid
languor
languish
lassid
lassor
lassitude
lepid
lepor
limpid
limpor
limpidity
lipid
lipor
liquid
liquor
liquidity
livid
livor
lividity
lucid
lucidity
lucor
lurid
luror
marcid
marcor
morbid
morbor
morbidity
mucid (musty, moldy)
mucor
mucus
nidid
nidor
nitid
nitor
nocid (guilty)
nocor
innocence (guiltlessness)
nocence (guilt)
olid (stinking)
olor
pallid
pallor
pavid (timid)
pavor
impavid
placid
placate
placidity
placor
pudid
pudor
pudenda
impudent
putrid
putridity
putror
rabid
rabor
rancid
rancor
rapid
rapidity
rapor
rigid
rigidity
rigor
rigorous
rumid
rumor
roscid
roscor
sapid
sapor
savid
savor
sipid
sipor
solid
solor
solidity
splendid
splendor
squalid
squalor
stolid
stolor
stolidity
stupid
stupidity
stupor
succid
succor
sudid
sudor
tepid
tepor
terrid
terror
timid
timidity
timor
timorous
torpid
torpidity
torpor
torrid
torror
tremid
tremor
tremorous
trepid
trepor
tumid
tumor
tumescence
turbid
turbidity
turbor
turbulence
turgid
turgidity
turgor
turpid
turpitude
turpor
uvid (moist)
uvor
valid
valor (meanings seem unrelated)
vapid
vapidity
vapor
vaporous
vigid
vigor
virid
viror
viscid
viscor
viscosity
vivid
vivor

False friends, impostors, jokes and candidates include


Last modified on05 December 2006.