[3] Word Dissection

Let us take an example. Observe the following portions of words and some of their common usages. You will probably find them familiar.

Graph,meaning «write» or «draw». Thus we can write with sound (phonograph), or with light (photograph), or with stone (lithograph). The substance in a pencil with which we make a mark is graphite.

Bio,meaning «life». Thus we can have the study of life (biology), the chemistry of life (biochemistry), and the physics of life (biophysics). We can add to the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere, the world of life, or the biosphere.

Auto,meaning «self». Thus a car which moves by itself is an automobile (self-moving), and a plant, which can manufacture its own food is autotrophic (self-nutritive). A biochemical reaction which produces substances that act as catalysts to the reaction which produces them is said to, be auto-catalytic.

Now, with these three word portions(graph-, bio-, andauto-),we are able to put together words of greater length which are still quite descriptive. For example, if you sign your name in a school yearbook, it is an autograph. If you read a life story of a famous person, you are readingabiography.If the person has written his own life story, iT is an autobiography.

Similar situations occur in biological terminology. Many word roots and stems are used time and time again, and familiarity with their meanings can be of great help in determining the meaning of a new word.

For example, the prefix a-means «without». Thus an organism which reproduces asexually does so without sexual means; the order of insects containing the fleas ends in-aptera,signifying an absence of wings. The frog is an anuran, since it has no tail, and the lamprey is in the class agnatha, since it has no jaws. A rare amphibian without feet and limbs is placed in the order apoda.

As another example, the word portion gen-means «to give rise to», or «the origin of». Thus, the reproductive organs are called the genital organs.The basic unit of inheritanceis the gene, and the study of heredity, genetics. Biochemicalsubstanceswhich give rise by a chemical change to other substances in the body are often identified with this tag. Thus, the substance in the liver called glycogen undergoes я chemical change to become the sugar glucose. The prefixglyco-means «sweet» and is used to refer to sugar. In a similar way, fibrinogen becomes the pro­tein fibrin and trypsinogen becomes the protein trypsin.

The complexity of biological terminology becomes most apparent, probably, in the field oftaxonomy. This important branch of biology deals with the naming and classification of living organisms. Yet here again, descriptive terminology is used whenever possible, particularly in the larger groupings.

In order to demonstrate this point, cover with your hand the right-hand column below. This column gives the common name of the organism to which the genus and species names in the left-hand column apply. See how many of the organisms you can identify from your previous experience with all or a portion of the words.

Nicotiana tabaccum tobacco plant

Canis familiaris dog

Felis domestica housecat

Lillium rubrum red lily

Quercus alba white oak

It is quite likely that you did not guess the last one correctly. The word quercusis from Latin, and means «oak».Albais also Latin, and means «white». This points out well the great help that a study of foreign languages can be to a scientific career.Latin is an excellent choice,since so many English words are of Latin origin.

There is considerable evidence to indicate that the ability to recognize certain word parts willbecome of even greater importance in the years to come.

International commissions are presently trying to standardize scientific nomenclaturein all areas.

Their influence in biochemistry is quite evident. Most sugars may be recognized by their ending of -ose (glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, etc.). Proteins generally end with-in(hemoglobin, albumin, globulin, insulin, etc.). Most enzymes can be recognized by their endings of-ase(lactase, sucrase, enterokiase, amylase, etc.).

In closing, we might look at the moral of the conversationbetween Alice and Humpty Dumpty as recorded in Lewis Carroll's «Through the Looking-Glass». Humpty Dumpty had just defined the word «glory» for Alice as meaning, «there's anice knock-down argument for you!»

«But glory doesn't mean a nice knock-down argument,» Alice objected.

«When I use a word,» Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, «it means what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.»

«The question is,» said Alice, «whether you can make words mean too many different things.

«The question is,» said Humpty Dumpty, «which is to be the master - that's all!»