Difference between revisions of "Greek numerical prefixes for groups"

Latest revision as of 12:51, 12 May 2008

As well as supplying the prefixes in many English words for units of measurement and for geometrical figures, the Greek and Latin words for the numbers play a part - again often by supplying the prefix - in many other types of English word, in particular, in words for groups consisting of a certain number of objects or persons. (See Greek and Latin words for numbers, Prefixes in units of measurement, and Prefixes in words for geometrical figures.) For example, a group of six musicians is a sextet - sex is the Latin word for 'six'; a child who is one of four children born to the same mother at the same time is a quadruplet (often abbreviated to quad) - 'quadr-' comes from quattuor, the Latin word for 'four'; and a line of verse consisting of five metrical feet is a pentameter - pente is the Greek word for 'five'.

Here is a small selection of such words which make use of the Greek words for the numbers.:

• Rule by one, two, three, etc., individuals

Everyone knows the word monarchy, which means, literally, rule by a single individual: arche is the Greek for 'rule or sovereignty', and monos is the Greek word for 'alone or single'. Words for rule by a larger number of individuals are formed in the same way, using as prefixes the Greek words for the numbers. So rule by two individuals is a diarchy (or dyarchy), and rule by three, four, five, or six individuals is, respectively, a triarchy, tetrarchy, pentarchy, or hexarchy.

• Lines of verse

A line of verse with two metrical feet is a dimeter. A line of verse with three, four, five, or six metrical feet is, respectively, a trimeter, tetrameter, pentameter, or hexameter. The stem '-meter' comes from the Greek metron, which means 'measure'.

• Poems of two, three, etc., lines

A poem, or verse of a poem, composed of two lines is a distich. (A unit of two lines in a poem is also, and more commonly, referred to as a couplet.) Analogously, a poem, or verse, of three, four, five, or six lines is, respectively, a tristich, tetrastich, pentastich, or hexastich. The stem '-stich' comes from the Greek stichos, which means 'a row or file (e.g., of soldiers) or a line of verse'.

• Athletic contests

The pentathlon is an athletic contest in which the athletes must compete in five different events. But there is also a triathlon - a contest in which athletes must compete in three different events - and a heptathlon - a contest in which they must compete in seven different events. The stem '-athlon' comes from the Greek athlos, which means 'contest'.

For a small selection of similar words which make use of the Latin words for the Numbers see Latin numerical prefixes for groups.