AL-AM words
Alacrity an eager willingness, briskness
Alert watchful, vigilant; vigilance, attentiveness; to warn of danger
Alienate to arouse hostility or indifference in
Allege to claim that someone has done something illegal
Allegiance the act of binding yourself to a course of action
Allegory a story with hidden meaning
Alleviate to provide relief
Allocate to put aside for a specific purpose
Allude to make an indirect reference to
Allure attraction, lure, draw
Aloof remote in manner
Alternative another option or choice
Altruism selflessness, compassion, goodwill
Amalgam a mixture
Amateur a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity
Ambiguous unclear and difficult to understand
Ambitious having large goals
Ambivalent equivocal, uncertain, unsure
Ameliorate to amend, better, improve
Amenable easily persuaded, agreeable, compliant
Amend to modify a document formally for the better
Amiable friendly, affable, amicable
Amnesty an official pardon, release from punishment
Amorphous formless, shapeless, unstructured
Ample plentiful
Amuck in a frenzied or uncontrolled state
Alacrity: The word "alacrity" originates from the Latin root "alacer" (lively, eager). "Allegro" (a musical direction meaning brisk and lively) also comes from the same root. Alacrity signifies an eager willingness, briskness, or a state of liveliness associated with those actions.
Alert: The word "alert" originates from the Italian phrase "all'erta," which means "on the watch" or "on the lookout." It signifies being vigilant and ready to respond.
Alienate: The word "alienate" can be divided into two parts: "alien-" meaning "foreign" and "-ate" meaning "to make." So, literally, to alienate someone is to make them feel foreign.
Allege: The word "allege" is composed of “ad” (to) and “legare” (to send or delegate). Over time, it came to signify "to claim someone did something illegal."
Allegiance: The word "allegiance" is made of "ad" (to) and "ligare," meaning "to bind." Other words from "ligare" include ligament (connects bones), ligature (tying, binding), obligation (binding duty), and religion (re-ligare - to bind back). Allegiance signifies the act of binding oneself to a cause, loyalty, or commitment.
Allegory: The word "allegory" can be divided into two Greek words: "allos" (other, different) and "agoreuein" (to speak openly, speak in an assembly). Together, they come to mean a story with symbolism.
Alleviate: The word "alleviate" comes from "ad" (to) + "levis" (light). Therefore, to alleviate something is to make it lighter or easier to bear.
Allocate: The word "allocate" is composed of "ad" (to) and "locare," which means "to place" or "to locate." It signifies to make a placement for a specific reason, to set aside for a particular purpose.
Allude: The word "allude" is made of "ad" (to) and "ludere" (to play). Other words from this root are ludicrous (absurd) and illusion (something that deceives). "Allude" signifies the act of playing with words to hint at something, to make an indirect reference.
Allure: The word "allure" is made of "ad" (to) and "laudare" (to praise). It came to mean the power of attracting or adorning.
Aloof: The word "aloof" is unique as it's already a complete word in Old English, meaning "far away" or "distant." It doesn't have a separable prefix or root in this context.
Alternative: The word "alternative" can be divided into "alter-" meaning "other" and "-ative" meaning "full of." Therefore, it signifies something "full of other possibilities," another option or choice.
Altruism: The word "altruism" can be broken down as "alter-" meaning "other" and "-ism" meaning "belief in." So, it signifies the belief in putting others first, selflessness, or compassion.
Amalgam: The word "amalgam" is already a complete word in Latin, meaning "a mixture" or a combination of different things. It doesn't have a separable prefix or root in this context.
Amateur: The word "amateur" originates from the Latin "amator," meaning "lover." With the suffix "-eur" (one who), it signifies "one who does something for love," although it can also imply someone who is unskilled.
Ambiguous: The word "ambiguous" can be divided into "ambi-" meaning "both" and "-ous" meaning "full of." Therefore, it signifies something "full of both meanings," unclear and difficult to understand.
Ambitious: The word "ambitious" comes from the Latin verb "ambire," meaning "to go around," "to solicit votes," or "to strive after." Originally, "ambitious" might have referred to someone who actively campaigned for votes or public office, connecting to the act of "going around" seeking support. "Ambitious" shares a root with other English words like "ambient" (meaning "surrounding" - originally meant "going around") and "ambulatory" (meaning "able to walk around"). However, these words have evolved in different directions.
Ambivalent: The word "ambivalent" can be divided into "ambi-" meaning "both" and "-valent" meaning "having." Similar to ambiguous, it signifies "having both feelings" towards something, being equivocal or uncertain.
Ameliorate: The word "ameliorate" can be broken down as "a-" (towards) and "melior" (better). It means to make something better, to amend or improve.
Amenable: The word "amenable" can be divided into "a-" meaning "not" and "minae" meaning "threat." With the suffix "-able" (able to be), it signifies "able to be approached without threat," easily persuaded. "a-"(= not) + "minae"(= threat)
Amend: The word "amend" originates from the Latin verb "emendare," which means "to improve" or "to correct."
Amiable: The word "amiable" comes from the Latin "amicabilis," meaning "friendly." So together it means "able to be friendly," or amicable.
Amnesty: The word "amnesty" originates from the Greek "amnestia," meaning "forgetfulness." It signifies an official pardon, a state of forgetting the crime.
"a-" (not) + "mnēstis” (no memory) → an official pardon
Amorphous: The word "amorphous" can be divided into "a-" meaning "without" and "morphe" meaning "shape." With the suffix "-ous" (full of), it signifies "full of without-shape," formless, shapeless, or unstructured.
Ample: The word "ample" is already a complete word in Latin, meaning "large" or plentiful. It doesn't have a separable prefix or root in this context.
Amok: The word "amok" is already a complete word, likely of Malay origin, meaning "in a frenzied or uncontrolled state." It doesn't have a separable prefix or root in this context.