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Vocabulary builder: Roots: AC-AGON

 

Word Roots 


1. ac, acu = sharp, bitter

  • acrid: sharp or unpleasant taste or smell

  • acumen: sharpness of mind; good judgment

  • acute: severe, intense, sharp-witted

  • acerbic: sharp and forthright, especially in tone

  • acrimonious: bitter or sharp in behavior or speech

  • Note: "ac-" sometimes means "to, toward" (from the prefix "ad-" before 'c'), as in accept, accede, accentuate, acclimate


2. ag, act (also ig) = to do, to drive

  • agent: someone who acts for another

  • activate: to make active

  • react: to respond to something

  • interact: to act together

  • counteract: to act against, reduce an effect

  • agile: able to move quickly and easily

  • agitate: to stir up or disturb

  • agency: an organization that acts for others

  • agility: ability to move quickly/easily

  • navigate: to direct or move through an area

  • litigate: to carry on a lawsuit

  • castigate: to criticize or punish severely

  • exigent: requiring immediate action or attention


3. acro = top, height, tip, beginning

  • acrobat: someone who performs high or skillful feats

  • acronym: a word made from the first letters of other words

  • acrophobia: fear of heights

  • acropolis: city built on high ground

  • acromegaly: abnormal growth of body extremities


4. aer, aero = air

  • aerate: to let air reach something

  • aerial: relating to the air

  • aerospace: the industry of air and space flight

  • aerobic: requiring free oxygen (as in exercise)

  • aerosol: particles or droplets carried in air


5. agon = struggle, contest

  • agony: extreme pain or struggle

  • protagonist: main (first) character, the leading struggler in a story

  • antagonist: a person who opposes or struggles against the protagonist

  • agonize: to suffer extreme pain or struggle mentally/emotionally

  • agonistic: showing struggle or competition

  • antagonistic: hostile; actively opposing

  • antagonize: to cause someone to become hostile


Not a Root-Match (for reference):

  • hexagon, pentagon, octagon: "gon" means angle (not related to struggle)