Recently in my linguistics class, we talked about how words are put together, for example, stoppable is formed from the root stop and the suffix -able.
Now, here’s an interesting thought: there are some words that can mean the complete opposite of itself. Weird right?
Don’t believe me? Take the word inflammable. The root is flame. Depending on if you add “in-” or “-able” first can change the final meaning of the word. If you add “in-” first, it modifies “flame” to mean “to catch fire” and then adding “-able” means “able to catch fire. Makes sense right?
BUT, if you able “-able” first, you get “able to flame (catch fire)” and then adding “in-” makes the word mean the opposite of the current definition, so the final word here now means “unable to catch fire”.
If I haven’t already made it clear by now, the English language is very strange. Breaking down words makes things make even less sense. Here’s a word that you probably thought didn’t exist, Gnostic. Yes, that is a word. Agnostic is the philosophy where followers simply do not know what they think about religion and higher powers. Since “a-” is a prefix meaning “not”, then “Gnostic” must be a completely legitimate English word.
It’s fascinating to look at words and put new ones together or dissect them into smaller, stranger words. Also in my linguistics class, my professor wanted us to breakdown the word “antidisestablishmentarianism” into all of its parts and then come up with a meaning based on the multiple prefixes and suffixes. There were many people that did not believe that this word existed and if it did, that it had a legitimate meaning.
Food for thought: Are there any words that you find fascinating after you dissect them? Or any words that you made up by putting prefixes or suffixes together? Comment down below!