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
-
aphid
-
canid
-
orchid
-
Trifid
Last modified on05 December 2006.