39th Annual Christmas Concert

Join us Sunday, December 3rd for the Saint Ignatius High School Christmas Concert with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus at Severance Music Center

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.  

Reputation - “the estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally.”  From the Latin verb reputare meaning “reflect upon” which combines the Latin prefix re- meaning “again, repeatedly” and the Latin verb puto, putare meaning “think, believe, judge” (all information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com).

RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – computer, putative, repute, deputy, impute, dispute, possibly even amputate

SAMPLE SENTENCE - “If one acquires a bad reputation, it can take a lot of time (and good works) to change public opinion.”

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE - “Fall down 7 times, get up 8.” (Japanese proverb)