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#18 log → word, study

Quick Summary

Log-word The Greek root word log means ‘word,’ and its variant suffix -logy means ‘study (of).’ Some common English words that use this root include biology, mythology, catalog, and prologue. Biology, of course, is the ‘study’ of life, whereas a prologue constitutes the ‘words’ spoken to introduce a poem or novel.

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Ingredient Memlet: neologism
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neo- → new
log → word
-ism → distinctive trait, usually of language

A neologism is a “new word.”

Ingredient Memlet: tautology
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auto- → self, same
-logy → study

When one “studies” a tautology, one sees that it says the “same” thing twice, hence it is a “study in sameness.” Consider: the phrase “a solitary person who lives alone” is a tautology because it says the “same” thing twice.

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The Greek root word log means ‘word,’ and its variant suffix -logy means ‘study (of).’

The captains on Star Trek, whether Kirk or Picard or Janeway, are constantly entering data or ‘words’ into their captain’s log, telling about their journeys through space. A catalog is similar in idea, for it contains a thorough listing of ‘words’ which describe items for sale.

A dialogue consists of the ‘words’ spoken between two people. A monologue, on the other hand, is those ‘words’ spoken by one person alone, usually as part of a play or stand-up comedy routine.

Many literature students have read Chaucer’s “General Prologue,” which are those ‘words’ spoken before the main poem begins. An epilogue, on the other hand, contains those ‘words’ written after a novel or play has ended, giving a little more information as to the future lives of the characters.

Let’s tackle two harder words. A logophile is someone who loves ‘words.’ Someone who is afflicted with logorrhea, on the other hand, loves to hear himself speaking ‘words’ and just won’t shut up!

Now on to a few of the many English words which end in -logy, ‘study (of).’ Biology is the ‘study’ of life. In turn, zoology is the ‘study’ of animals. Etymology is the study of the origin of words. And genealogy is the ‘study’ of your origins, that is, the people to whom you are related. I could go on forever with the thousands of words that use the suffix -logy—humans love to ‘study’ things!

Now would be the logical time to stop! Wait! There was another one! I’ll leave you with that epilogue to end our discussion of the ‘study’ of the ‘word’ log! Log out!

  1. log: book of ‘words’
  2. catalog: listing of ‘words’
  3. dialogue: ‘words’ between people
  4. monologue: ‘words’ of one person
  5. prologue: ‘word’ beforehand
  6. epilogue: after’word’
  7. logophile: ‘word’ lover
  8. logorrhea: ‘word’ diarrhea
  9. biology: ‘study’ of life
  10. zoology: ‘study’ of animals
  11. etymology: ‘study’ of the origin of words
  12. genealogy: ‘study’ of one’s family history