Word Roots: D

• deluge
• This may be the worst deluge in living memory. 
• demean:
• 1) cause a severe loss in the dignity of and respect for (someone or something). do something that is beneath one’s dignity. 
• I have demeaned the profession. 
• 2) conduct oneself in a particular way.
• No man demeaned himself so honorable. 
• deprive = de + priv = thoroughly + without, individual = when somebody deprives you of something, they keep it away from you so that you have none of it. 
• deprivation
• definite, definitive
• desolate = de + sol + ate = thoroughly + alone = A desolate area is unused, empty of life, and deserted, and lonely.
• denote = de + note
• devoid = thoroughly + void = entirely lacking or free from.
• Lisa kept her voice devoid of emotion. 
• derelict = de + re + lict = thoroughly + again + left behind, abandoned, forsaken =  1) in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect. 2)  (of a person) shamefully negligent in not having done what one should have done.
• The cities were derelict and dying. 
• deny = thoroughly  + not
• denigrate = deni + grate = deni + pleasing, welcome = criticize unfairly; disparage.
• There is a tendency to denigrate the poor. 
• decrepit = de + crep + it = thoroughly + burst, crack = worn and broken down by hard use.
• centuries-old buildings, now decrepit and black with soot.
• decrepitude = thoroughly + crep + itude = the state of being decrepit.
• denude = de + nude
• decry = thoroughly + cry = publicly denounce.
• They decried human rights abuses. 
• demure: a young woman is demure, – shy, quiet, and always behaves modestly. 
• demur = de + mur = thoroughly + delay, stay behind = If you demur, you delay in doing or mildly object to something because you really don’t want to do it. 
• Normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred. 
• desiccate: remove the moisture from (something); cause to become completely dry.
• Both the older growth and the new vegetation were desiccated by months of relentless sun. 
• delusive = de + lus + ive = thoroughly + play, trick = something that is delusive deceives you by giving a false belief about yourself or the situation you are in. 
• the delusive light of Venice
• demonstrate = de + monstrat = thoroughly + showed, pointed out
• demonstrative
• deport
• deportment

• defat, decaf, delay, debark, deface, deport, defile, deform, desert (de+sent), dessert
• defer = de + fer = off, from + carry, bring, bear
  • put off (an action or event) to a later time; postpone.
  • submit humbly to (a person or a person’s wishes or qualities).: 
  • He deferred to Tim’s superior knowledge. 
• deference
• He addressed her with the deference due to age. 
• deficit
• delimit
• delineate = de + line + ate = to outline 
• 1. to outline
• 2. to describe something precisely. The psychology teacher spent most of the first class delineating the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
• denounce = de + nounc + e = off, from + report, messenger, message + e = criticize publicly
• denouncement
• despondent = de + spond + ent = de + pledge, promise + ent = If you are despondent, you are extremely unhappy because you are in an unpleasant situation that you do no think will improve.
• desultory = de + sult + ory = off + jump/forward = lacking of a plan, a purpose, or enthusiasm
• A few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion.
• the desultory conversation faded. 
• a desultory passenger appeared. 
• devolve = de + volv (roll) + e = delegate = to roll down / opposite of evolve
• measures to devolve power to the provinces
• his duties devolved on a comrade. 
• The empire devolved into separate warring states
• ownership of the property will be devolved on to the survivor. 
• defoliate = de + foliate
• descend = de + s + cent = de + s + sing
• condescend = patronize
• take care not to condescend to your readers
• She actually condescended to send me a Christmas card. 
• indefatigable = in + de + fatigable
• He is one of those indefatigable researchers who won’t take no as an answer. 
• debunk = de + bunk

• expose the falseness or hollowness of (a myth, idea, or belief).

  “the magazine that debunks claims of the paranormal”

  reduce the inflated reputation of (someone), especially by ridicule.

  “comedy takes delight in debunking heroes”

•  
• deprecate = de + pre + c + ate
• What I deprecate is persistent indulgence.
  • express a disapproval of
  • superseded
• detritus = de + trit + us = off + rubbed / worn away
• despise
• despicable
• decipher = de + cip + er
• desecrate = de + secrate
• More than 300 graves were desecrated. 
• defenestrate
• decadent
• denouement

• dissolution = dis + solut (loosened) + ion
• dissolve = dis + solv (loosen) + e 
• antediluvian = ante + di + luv (wash, bathe) 
• divulge = di + vulg (make common, publish) + e 
• distend = di + stend 
• Air is introduced into the stomach to distend it. 
• diminish
• diminution

An apple drops off the apple tree. That is, the apple is apart or moves away from the apple tree. 

• diverse
• diversion
• divergent
• digress = di(away) + gress (step) / ingress, egress, transgress, regress, progress, aggressive, congress
• dilate = di (apart ) + lat (wide) + e
• dilatory: slow
• dilapidated = di + lapidate
• disperse
• dispersal
• dilute
• directive
• digest

• diagonal, diagnosis, diameter, diaper
• diagram = dia + gram = ascross + line
• diaphanous = dia + phan + ous = through + show
• diorama, panorama
• Phyllis made a diorama of the solar system for the science fair and won first place. 
• diadem
• diachronic
• diapason: a loud, rich burst of harmony
• Pressing down all the keys on the organ, Charlie created a diapason. 

• dismiss = dis + miss = away + send
• distance = dis + sta = apart + stand
• disparate = dis + par = not + par = not + equal
• discern = dis + cern = sift apart
• discursive = dis + cur = away + attention
• 1. students often write dull, secondhand, and discursive prose.
• 2. the short story is concentrated, whereas the novel is discursive. 
• 3. the attempt to transform the utterances from one discursive context to another. 
• disingenuous = dis + ingenuous
• disseminate: spread out
• disburse
• indiscreet = in + dis + cret = in + dis + sift 
• disaffected
• disinter = dig up
• disparage
• dissemble = dis + emble = conceal one’s true motives, feelings, or beliefs
• an honest, sincere person with no need to dissemble. 
• dismantle = dis + mantle (cloak) 
• disassemble

• different = dif + fer = apart + carry
• differentiate
• indifferent
• diffident vs confident (fid – trust, faith)
• difficult
• diffuse 
• diffraction

decor (cover of behavior): decorum, decorous, indecorous

dress: arrange

address, redress, dressy, dresser, overdressed, underdressed, undress, hairdresser, headdress, dressmaker

dens: thick

dense, condense, 

dom: house

domicile, domesticity, dome, domestic, domesticate,

-dom: state of being sth. 

wisdom, freedom, boredom, stardom, martyrdom

domin: master 门外汉，内行

dominion, dominate, dominance, predominant, domineer

dors (背，背书）dorsum, dorsal, dorsad, endorse, dossier

dur: hard, harsh

Durex; Duracell, Durant, 

obdurate = ob (strengthen) + dur + ate (v.)

indurate: in (strengthen, enter) + dur + ate 

duress, endure,, dour, duration, during, enduring, durable, Non-durable goods, endurance, perdure, perdurable, 

de (destroy, wipe out): decimate, delete, deleterious,

condemn, indemnity,

demon, demonic, demoniacal, pandemonium

deride, derisive, 

dextr: right

ambidextrous

dramat: play

drama, melodrama, melodramatic, drastic

dyn: power

dynamic, dynamite, dynamo, dynamism, dynasty, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, aerodynamic

de (god): deity, deify, divine, divination, deification

di (day):: dial (n.), diary, sundial, dismal

• quotidian = quoti + di + an
• The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic.
• diurnal = di + urnal
• Humans tend to be diurnal creatures, as anyone who has ever worked a night shift can tell you. 

di (two): dilemma, dioxide, diplomat, diplomatic, diploma, dissect

diphthong

dichotomy = two cut (anatomy – tomy = to cut up)

The dichotomy between art and technology is not as clear-cut as we think – take the latest smart phone, for instance, which combines elegance and with function. 

divid: separate into parts

individual, subdivide, 

divis: separated into parts, divided

divisive, divisible, division, divisor

du (door – limit): due, duty, duly

dubi: doubt

doubt, dubious, 

du-: two

dual, duplicate, duo, duet, duplex, duplicitous

dol: feel pain, grieve, suffer

indolent, dolorous, condole, doleful, dolor

don (gift): doner, pardon, condone, guerdon

duct: led

• duct, deduct, deductibles, deductive (general to specific), induct, inductee, inductive (specific to general), reduce, reductive, conduct, conductor, conductivity, product, abduct, aqueduct, ductility, byproduct, counterproductive, viaduct, 
• abduct = away + duct (kidnap)
• ductile, = duct + ile (易于）
• induce, seduce, traduce, conducive, 

indicate, dedicate, indices, abdicate, predicament, predicate, judicature, prejudice

predict, indict, dictum, edict, interdict, contradict

didactic, didacticism, 

paradox, heterodoxy, orthodox,