Saint Ignatius High School

Etymology Word of the Week

Director of Admissions Pat O'Rourke '90, a self-proclaimed "word nerd," brings you his Etymology Word of the Week. Every other week he presents an online Etymology lesson just for fun!

Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd."  Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast. Here, then, is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.  

Documentary - "a nonfictional motion picture intended to document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education, or maintaining a historical record.”  From the Latin word documentum meaning “example, proof, lesson” which is from the Latin verb doceo, docui meaning “to teach, show.”  (All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com).

RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – doctor, docent, docile (easily taught), document, doctrine

SAMPLE SENTENCE - “Some people think that the documentary film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is even better than the legendary movie whose production it examines, Apocalypse Now.”

FINISH THE PHRASE: Variety is…



















...the spice of life.