Words Of Latin Origin Quiz

Words Of Latin Origin Quiz takes you into a world where ordinary words hide extraordinary pasts. Take “arena” for example. In ancient Rome, arenas were not called that because of the battles fought there, but because of the sand (“harena” in Latin) spread on the ground to soak up blood during gladiator contests. The word slowly lost its literal meaning of sand and came to mean any place of contest or performance. That quiet transformation from a physical detail to a broader idea is what makes exploring Latin roots so fascinating. This quiz gives you a glimpse of how such words have travelled through time, carrying with them echoes of the culture that first shaped them.

Words Of Latin Origin

Dictate comes from dicere. Which of these is a figurative form of dictating?

Reading a letter aloud

Ordering someone to clean the room

Handwriting a poem

Signing a contract

Script comes from scribere. Which best illustrates its original sense?

Improvising a comedy sketch

Carving patterns into wood

Painting a wall mural

Writing a play for actors

What does vivera mean which is the origin word for vivid?

To live

To grow

To shine

To write

Linguistics comes from lingua. What does it mean?

Literature

Logic

Language

Learning

Lunar derives from luna. Which of these is most likely a lunar event?

Harvest moon

Solar eclipse

Aurora borealis

Meteor shower

Vocal is from vox. Which phrase best captures its meaning?

Actions speak louder than words

Silent but deadly

Lost in thought

Speak up!

Equine from equus would best describe:

A dog breeder

A cow farmer

A horse trainer

A sheep shearer

Carnivore from caro and vorare might best describe:

A parrot eating seeds

A lion on a hunt

A panda eating bamboo

A cow grazing grass

Capital from caput might best fit:

A city’s central park

A town’s outskirts

The head of a column

A mountain slope

Anniversary from annus and versus could refer to:

The first time something occurs

The 10th time an event is repeated

The halfway point of a year

The turning of the seasons

Your score is

The average score is 70%

Sample Questions from This Quiz

Dictate comes from dicere. Which of these is a figurative form of dictating?
Script comes from scribere. Which best illustrates its original sense?
What does vivera mean which is the origin word for vivid?
Linguistics comes from lingua. What does it mean?
Lunar derives from luna. Which of these is most likely a lunar event?

Try the full quiz and see how many of these you can answer!

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