Word Marathon Quiz | Etymology

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the Olympic Games, the sports that involve running, jumping and throwing belong in Track and Field. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Olympic

The Olympic Games took their name from the city of Olympia in Greece, where the Ancient Olympic Games were performed for the first time in 776 BC, in honor of Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods. The Marathon is one of the most popular races in the modern Olympics, since its introduction in the first Olympiad in Athens in 1896.

The word game is from Old High German 'gaman' (merriment), run comes from German 'rinnen' (to flow) and sport comes from French 'deport' (pleasure, enjoyment).

2. Every Friday, I walk ten blocks to my music lesson. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Music

The word music comes from the Greek word 'mousike' which means 'art of the Muses', the nine mythological Muses who were patrons of the arts. They were daughters of Zeus and Mnemosene.

Lesson comes from Latin 'legere' (to read), Friday from Old English 'Freya's day' and block comes from Middle Dutch 'bloc' meaning the trunk of a tree.

3. The teacher asked the students to find a synonym for the word 'beautiful'. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Synonym

The word synonym comes from the Greek word 'synonymous' which is a composite word of 'syn'+'onoma' which means same name. In English, the word means to have a similar meaning, to imply the same idea. An antonym is a word that has an opposite meaning.

Teacher is from Old English 't�can' (to show), word is from Old German 'wort' (speak) and beautiful is from the French 'beaute' which comes from the Latin 'bellus' (handsome, pretty).

4. The second book of the Old Testament is named 'Exodus'. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Exodus

The word came to the English language via Latin 'exodus', which came from the Greek word 'exodos' ('ex'-out and 'hodos'-way), which means going out. In the Greek language it also means a solemn procession, namely the funeral rites.

Book is from Old English 'bok' which comes from Germanic 'bokiz' (beech), from the wooden tablets the runes were curved on. Old is from Old English 'ald' (aged, antique). Testament comes from Latin 'testamentum' (last will, witness).

5. A commercial airplane flies at a height of approximately 30,000 to 36,000 feet. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Airplane

The word airplane comes from the Greek word 'aeroplano' which means wandering in the air, ('aer'-air + 'planos'-wandering). Its first recorded appearance in the English language was in 1907, although the earlier version of 'aeroplane' existed in the late 19th century.

Height is from Old English 'hiehpu' meaning highest point, heaven. Commercial is from Latin 'commercium' from 'com' (with) and 'merx' (merchandise). Approximately is from the Latin 'ad' (to) and 'proximus' (nearest). Foot (pl. feet) and the Greek word 'pous' come from the same Sanskrit root, 'pad-'.

6. I helped my daughter hang an angel from the ceiling in her room. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Angel

Angel comes from the word 'angelos', which means a messenger, a bearer of news. It came to the English language via the Latin 'angelus' and French 'angele'. In Christianity, Islam and Judaism, an angel is a supernatural being who acts as a messenger from God and an intermediary between heaven and earth.

Ceiling is a word related to the Latin word 'celare' (to hide, cover). Help is from Old English 'helpan' (to aid, support) and room comes from the Old German 'raum' (space).

7. There's an outdoor theater in the park, where we watch plays in the summer. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Theater

The Greek word 'theatron' means a place for viewing and it comes from the word 'thea' which means view. Classical theaters were in the shape of a semi-circle so an amphitheater would be a double theater from 'amphi' (both sides) + theater. The Colliseum is an amphitheater whereas the Theater of Epidaurus is a theater. The word theater with the meaning of 'a place where one can see a play' first appears in English in the 1570s.

Park is associated with the German word 'pferch' which originally meant the fence that encloses a space reserved for animals. Outdoor is a word that appeared in the early 1800s meaning open space and summer comes from Old English 'sumor' which comes from the Sanskrit 'sarma' season.

8. Sylvia's uncle is an architect and he designed their house. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Architect

The Greek word is 'archi+tekton' which means chief or master builder and came to the English language by way of the French 'architecte' which came from the Latin 'architectus' in the 1550s. Architecture was a trade before it became a fine art and a discipline.

Design comes from the Latin word 'designare' (to mark out), house comes from the German word 'haus' (shelter) and uncle is from the French word 'oncle' which comes from the Latin word 'avunculus', meaning mother's brother.

9. The subjects my niece likes are spelling, arithmetic and art. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Arithmetic

'Arithmos' means number in Greek, so Arithmetic (arithmetekhe) is 'arithmos'+'tekhe' (art), literally the 'art of counting' or the 'art of numbers.'

Subject comes from Latin 'subicere' (to make subordinate), like comes from Old English 'lician' (to please or be sufficient) which came from Proto-Germanic 'likjan' (related to 'lik' meaning body or form). Niece comes from Old French 'niece' from Latin 'neptia' which means granddaughter or any distant female relative.

10. My favorite athlete is former basketball player Michael Jordan. Which word in the preceding sentence is of Greek origin?

Answer: Athlete

The Greek word 'athletes' means contestant and comes from the noun 'athlos', which means task, and 'athlon', which means prize. For example, the 12 tasks of Heracles, in Greek are the 12 'Athloi' of Heracles. The word made its appearance in English in its Latin form 'athleta'.

Favorite is from the Latin 'favorem' (inclination, support). Basketball is an American-English word c. 1892 and player is from the Old English 'plegere' (to move rapidly).

Source: Author tiye

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Word Marathon Trivia Quiz

It's all Greek to you but in this case, not so much. Find the English words of Greek origin in the following sentences.

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