Excerpts from students’ Word Journals, Spring 1999

• cabal < French cabala < Hebrew qabbalah 1) the Hebrew oral tradition and 2) the mystical interpretation of scripture. Current meaning: "a body of persons secretly united in plots"

  "With unlimited funds and legal talent pledged by a cabal of product-liability lawyers, fresh from pocketing billions..."

• amaranth < Greek a- (alpha-privative, not) + marainein fade: an imaginary never-fading flower; an ornamental plant including many species; a purplish color; any of a number of plants used for food.

  "The supermarket didn’t have any amaranth flower in stock."

• syncretism < Greek sun- with, together + Kret- Crete + -ismos "act, result of" (from the union of Cretan cities): fusion of different belief systems.

  "Greek mythology exhibits many examples of syncretism."

• assail < Latin ad- to, against + salire leap: to attack violently or vigorously. Related words include: assault, salient, resilient, desultory, result, insult, somersault, and Latin salmo salmon from Gaulish, "the leaping fish".

  "In his attempt to assail the woman, the mugger..."

• curule < Latin currus chariot < currere run: of or relating to a seat reserved in Ancient Rome for the use of the highest dignitaries. Related words include: cursive, cursor, incur, current, concourse, succor.

  "They were among the curule magistrates, who sat on a portable ivory throne called a curule chair."