AD words
Adamant refusing to change an opinion
Adapt to make suitable for a new use, adjust, alter, modify
Adage a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth
Adept skilled, accomplished
Adequate satisfactory or acceptable
Adhere to stick to firmly
Adjacent close to or next to
Adjudicate to decide, resolve, judge
Adjust to change something so it serves its better purpose
Admonish to warn strongly, scold
Adopt 1 legally take a child as one's own
2 take up, follow, or use
Adore to love and respect deeply
Adorn to decorate
Adroit skillful
Adulation exaggerated flattery or praise
Advocate to publicly support
Adverse unfavorable, unfortunate
Adversarial opposed, hostile
Adversity difficulties, misfortune, bad luck, hardship
AD words
In this video, we'll explore words that begin with "Ad," ranging from "adamant" to "adversity." Words starting with "Ad" usually feature the prefix "ad," but the spelling can vary to ac-, af-, and so on, depending on the following root word, facilitating easier pronunciation.
"Adamant" is made of "a" (not) and "daman" (to domesticate, tame). So, adamant means being unable to tame, and thus comes to mean refusing to change an opinion.
"Adapt" is derived from Latin "adaptare" (to fit), from "ad-" (to) + "aptare" (to fit). It means to make something suitable for a new use, to adjust, alter, or modify.
"Adage" comes from Old French "adage" and Latin "adagium" (proverb), related to "aio" (I say). It means a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth.
"Adept" originates from Latin "adeptus" (having obtained), from "adipisci" (to obtain). It means skilled or accomplished.
"Adequate" is from Latin "adaequatus" (to make equal to), from "ad-" (to) + "aequare" (to make equal). It means satisfactory or acceptable.
"Adhere" comes from Latin "adhaerere" (to stick to), from "ad-" (to) + "haerere" (to stick). It means to stick to firmly.
"Adjacent" is derived from Latin "adjacentem" (lying near), from "adjacere" (to lie near), from "ad-" (to) + "jacere" (to lie). It means close to or next to.
"Adjudicate" comes from Latin "adjudicare" (to judge), from "ad-" (to) + "judicare" (to judge), from "judex" (a judge). It means to decide, resolve, or judge.
"Adjust" is from Latin "adjuxtare" (to bring near), from "ad-" (to) + "juxtare" (to bring near), from "juxta" (near). It means to change something so it serves its better purpose.
"Admonish" is made of "ad" (to) and "monere" (to warn or advise). Together, it means to warn strongly or scold. "Monitor" also comes from "monere" (to warn or advise). It means to observe and check the progress or quality of something over a period of time; to keep under systematic review.
"Adopt" is derived from Latin "adoptare" (to choose), from "ad-" (to) + "optare" (to choose). It means to legally take a child as one's own, or to take up, follow, or use.
"Adore" comes from Latin "adorare" (to worship), from "ad-" (to) + "orare" (to speak, pray). It means to love and respect deeply.
"Adorn" is from Latin "adornare" (to equip, furnish, decorate), from "ad-" (to) + "ornare" (to equip). It means to decorate.
"Adroit" comes from French "adroit" (dexterous), originally from "a-" (to) + "droit" (right), meaning "according to right," from Latin "directus" (straight). It means skillful.
The origin of "adulation" is a topic of debate. One interpretation, easy to recall, breaks it down into "ad" (to) + "ul" (tail), collectively suggesting "wagging the tail," a metaphor for exaggerated flattery.
"Advocate" is a compound of "ad-" (to) + "vocare" (to call). Originally, it denoted someone summoned to support or speak for a cause or individual. Over time, its meaning expanded to encompass publicly backing or promoting a specific cause, belief, or action. Thus, "advocate" implies public support by drawing attention to or speaking in favor of something or someone.
"Adverse" originates from "ad-" (to) + "vertere" (to turn), signifying something unfavorable or unfortunate due to its opposition or turning against you.
Derived from "adverse," "adversarial" adds the suffix "-ial" to convey a sense of opposition or hostility.
Likewise, "adversity" stems from "adverse" with the addition of the suffix "-ity," referring to difficulties, misfortune, or hardship.
The prefix "ad-" in Latin serves to convey the idea of "to," "toward," or "at." It's a directional marker, indicating movement or addition towards a specific point. When paired with root words, "ad-" alters the meaning, often suggesting a sense of direction, approach, or connection to the root. Interestingly, this prefix adapts its form to harmonize with the initial letter of the root word, resulting in variations like "ac-," "af-," "ag-," "al-," "an-," "ap-," "ar-," "as-," or "at-," depending on the consonant it precedes.
Now, let's explore some words featuring these variations:
"ac-" is used before roots beginning with "c," "q," or "k." These are example words: Accumulate, Acquire, Acknowledge.
"af-" is used before roots beginning with "f." These are example words: Affix, Affect, Afford.
"ag-" is used before roots beginning with "g." These are example words: Aggravate, Aggregate, Aggrandize.
"al-" is used before roots beginning with "l." These are example words: Allocate, Allude, Allure.
"an-" is used before roots beginning with "n." These are example words: Announce, Annex, Annihilate.
"ap-" is used before roots beginning with "p." These are example words: Appoint, Approve, Appeal.
"ar-" is used before roots beginning with "r." These are example words: Arrange, Arrest, Arrive.
"as-" is used before roots beginning with "s." These are example words: Assist, Assert, Assess.
"at-" is used before roots beginning with "t." These are example words: Attend, Attract, Attain.