FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Ancient Word Origins Trivia Quiz

Understanding the word origins may give us a better and deeper insight of the terms we use daily.

A multiple-choice quiz by thejazzkickazz. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
thejazzkickazz

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
93,051

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
4087

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which term comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon root 'cnawan'? Hint

knowledge

crawl

gnaw

cruise

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which word comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'faeder'? Hint

leader

feeler

father

fair

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which word comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon term 'monn'? Hint

moan

man

marry

love

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Which word comes to us from the Latin root 'possum'? Hint

fake

love

manifestation

power

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Which term comes from the Anglo-Saxon term 'sai'? Hint

sail

sea

sense

savor

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which of these words is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term 'sprecan'? Hint

spalt

speculate

speak

specious

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which term comes from the Latin, meaning 'I turned'? Hint

veritable

universe

virtually

tergiversate

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which term comes from the Anglo-Saxon term 'witan'? Hint

whisper

whimper

women

wisdom

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which term comes from the Anglo-term 'sawel' or 'sawl'? Hint

soul

saw

sow

soil

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Lastly, which term is derived from the Anglo-Saxon root 'ded'? Hint

diurnal

day

death

thought

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which term comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon root 'cnawan'?

Answer: knowledge

'Gignosko' is the Greek term for knowledge.

2. Which word comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'faeder'?

Answer: father

Faeder means feeder, and often is used to replace fodder or foda.

3. Which word comes to us from the Anglo-Saxon term 'monn'?

Answer: man

Mon, mann, and monn mean to think. In Latin, vir is the version of monn and in Greek it is anthropos. So Rodin's thinker really ought to have been called 'Munan'.

4. Which word comes to us from the Latin root 'possum'?

Answer: power

5. Which term comes from the Anglo-Saxon term 'sai'?

Answer: sea

'Sae' and 'sai' are the derivatives of this term. In Greek, 'okeanos' is the term we get. I suppose the Greeks were thinking bigger, since that is the derivation for 'ocean'.

6. Which of these words is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term 'sprecan'?

Answer: speak

Sprecan means to expatiate at length. It sure does sound like the German verb, sprechen. From Latin, we receive 'orare' and 'loqui', which are somewhat similar to 'speak'.

7. Which term comes from the Latin, meaning 'I turned'?

Answer: universe

Universe comes from the roots: vertere, verto and versum...and uni - one. So literally, 'I', the creators, turn into one. Or I am turning back, so hop on.

8. Which term comes from the Anglo-Saxon term 'witan'?

Answer: wisdom

Wisdom comes from wis, wit, wita or witan, all from the hypothetical Indo-European root weid. It means to see with a pellucid mind.

9. Which term comes from the Anglo-term 'sawel' or 'sawl'?

Answer: soul

Soul is also similar to 'sagu' which means a Sage or a wise one. Soul is also a term for the All-mighty God or the World Soul. Sol, or the sun also is somewhat similar to this term,

10. Lastly, which term is derived from the Anglo-Saxon root 'ded'?

Answer: death

Dien, deyen are ME and deyja Icelandic in origin. The Latin roots for this term are 'mort, mortis and mors'..and from the Greek the root is 'nekros'.

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by our editing team before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.