Many words in the English Language belong to a “family” of words. Each word in a word family is derived from the same root. By understanding how English words are formed, you can guess the meaning of a word if you know the meaning of its root.
Here are some examples.
Plaint – an accusation or charge; a complaint or lamentation.
Plantiff – a person who accuses another in a court of law.
Plaintive – sounding sad or mournful.
Liquid – a substance that flows freely but that is of constant volume.
Liquidate – to convert assets into cash.
Liquidator – a person who liquidates a business or company.
Liquidation – the act or process of liquidating a company.
Mine
Miner
Mineral
Mineralogy
Distinct
Distinctive
Distinctness
Distinction
Plenty
Plentiful
Plentifulness
Plenteous
Honor
Honorable
Honorary
Honorarium
Person
Personality
Personnel
Personable
Rebel
Rebelling
Rebellion
Rebellious
Grief
Grieve
Grievous
Grievance
Reflect
Reflective
Reflector
Reflection
