Citizen Science No. 8 by Jamie Zvirzdin

Science Is a Word Game

A very generous friend from Maryland gave me his entire collection of Isaac Asimov books, and I was shocked to discover how many nonfiction books Asimov wrote beyond his science fiction. My favorite so far is “Words of Science and the History Behind Them,” published in 1959.

What Asimov writes at the beginning of “Words of Science” is spot-on: “Entering the world of mathematics and science turns into a meeting with a whole realm of new words: words that look and sound odd; words that are long and hard to pronounce; words that the ordinary person never meets with in ordinary life. It is as though scientists were protecting their mysteries from the prying eyes of ordinary mortals by an enveloping shroud of forbidding syllables.”

Asimov then traces 1,500 terms through history, starting at their roots—their etymologies, their origins. Because so many science words have Greek and Latin roots hidden inside them, learning even a few of these roots can seriously help students, professionals, and anyone frustrated by their doctor’s medical gibberish.

It doesn’t seem fair that so many English science words are actually from ancient, difficult languages like Greek and Latin, but if you make it a game, a puzzle, a challenge, you can crack the code and access the complex and often beautiful meaning behind the foreign words. Likewise, scientists and science writers can use etymologies and simple definitions to better communicate with those who haven’t had the time, inclination, or privilege to play this word game.

As a sort of scientific blessing on the upcoming school year, let’s review some of the common Greek and Latin prefixes we’ve attached to the front of so many science words. Science is a word game, and I invite you to play it with me. I’ve arranged the prefixes and examples in lists so they are easier to remember. If you have kids, ask them to quiz you!

Physics and Astronomy:

1. Iso- (Greek): Same, Equal
   a. Isotropy: iso (same) + tropy (direction), uniformity in all orientations; no preferred direction (We talk about isotropy a lot in cosmic ray research.)
   b. Isobar: iso (same) + bar (pressure), lines on a weather map showing areas of equal pressure
   c. Isotope: iso (same) + tope (type), atoms made of the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
2. Exo- (Greek): Outside, External
   a. Exoplanet: exo (outside) + planet (wandering star), a planet that orbits a star outside our solar system
   b. Exosphere: exo (outside) + sphere (ball), the outermost layer of Earth’s atmosphere
   c. Exothermic: exo (outside) + thermic (heat), a reaction that releases heat
3. Inter- (Latin): Between, Among
   a. Interference: inter (between) + ference (obstruction), the way waves combine to either strengthen or weaken each other
   b. Interstellar: inter (between) + stellar (stars), happening or placed between stars
   c. Intermolecular: inter (between) + molecular (molecules), between molecules
4. Intra- (Latin): Within, Inside
   a. Intramolecular: intra (within) + molecular (a little mass), within a molecule
   b. Intraparticle: intra (within) + particle (tiny bit), within a particle
   c. Intracavity: intra (within) + cavity (hole), within a cavity like a laser resonator

Medicine:

1. Endo- (Greek): Inside
   a. Endocrine: endo (inside) + crine (to secrete), glands that release hormones directly into the bloodstream
   b. Endoscopy: endo (inside) + scopy (look at), looking inside the body with a special tool
   c. Endocardium: endo (inside) + cardium (heart), the innermost layer of tissue that lines the heart
2. Epi- (Greek): Upon, Over
   a. Epidermis: epi (upon) + dermis (skin), the outer layer of skin
   b. Epinephrine: epi (upon) + nephrine (kidney), a hormone released by adrenal glands located above the kidneys
   c. Episiotomy: epi (upon) + siotomy (cut), a surgical cut in the area between the vagina and anus (See also Euphemism: eu (good) + phemism (speech), a softer or more polite term for something harsh or unpleasant)
3. Vaso- (Latin): Vessel, Duct
   a. Vasodilation: vaso (vessel) + dilation (widening), widening of blood vessels
   b. Vasoconstriction: vaso (vessel) + constriction (narrowing), narrowing of blood vessels
   c. Vasectomy: vaso (vessel) + ectomy (removal), cutting and sealing of the vas deferens (the “carrying-away duct”) to stop sperm transport
4. Cardio- (Greek): Heart
   a. Cardiology: cardio (heart) + logy (study), the study of the heart and its functions
   b. Cardiogram: cardio (heart) + gram (record), a record of heart activity
   c. Cardiovascular: cardio (heart) + vascular (vessels), relating to the heart and blood vessels

Math:

1. Hypo- (Greek): Under, Below
   a. Hypotenuse: hypo (under) + tenuse (stretch), the longest side of a right triangle that stretches under (or across from) the 90-degree angle
   b. Hypothesis: hypo (under) + thesis (claim), a starting idea to investigate more
   c. Hypogeal: hypo (under) + geal (earth), happening below the surface of the earth
2. Hyper- (Greek): Over, Above
   a. Hyperbola: hyper (over) + bola (throw), or “excessive, beyond normal,” an abnormal curve in mathematics that sort of looks like two parentheses back to back, like this: )(
   b. Hyperplane: hyper (above) + plane (flat surface), a flat subspace in higher dimensions
   c. Hyperreal: hyper (above) + real (real number), a number that represents an extension of the real numbers
3. Poly- (Greek): Many
   a. Polynomial: poly (many) + nomial (terms), a math expression with more than two algebraic terms (See also Algebraic: algebr (reunion) + -aic (related to), from the Arabic “al-jabr,” or “reunion of broken parts”)
   b. Polyhedron: poly (many) + hedron (base), a solid figure with many flat faces
   c. Polytope: poly (many) + tope (place), a geometric figure with many faces in any dimension
4. Trans- (Latin): Across
   a. Transcendental: trans (across) + cendental (climb), numbers that are not roots of any integer polynomial equation (“Integer” itself has a Latin etymology: in- (not) + tangere (to touch), meaning something that is untouched or undivided, just as integers like -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, and so on are numbers that can be expressed without fractions or decimals)
   b. Transformation: trans (across) + formation (shape), changing the appearance of a mathematical object
   c. Transpose: trans (across) + pose (place), flipping the orientation of a matrix (“Matrix” also has a Latin etymology: mater (mother) + -ix (used to form nouns), “the mother substance”—the underlying structure or environment in which something develops, usually a rectangular array of numbers)

Biology:

1. Cyt- (Greek): Cell
   a. Cytoplasm: cyt (cell) + plasm (form), the substance inside a cell
   b. Cytokine: cyt (cell) + kine (move), a protein that cells use to communicate
   c. Cytochrome: cyt (cell) + chrome (color), a colored compound in the cell
2. Zoo- (Greek): Animal
   a. Zoology: zoo (animal) + logy (study), the study of animals
   b. Zookeeper: zoo (animal) + keeper (one who cares), one who cares for animals in a zoo
   c. Zooplankton: zoo (animal) + plankton (wanderer), tiny floating animals
3. Hemat- (Greek): Blood
   a. Hematology: hemat (blood) + ology (study), the study of blood
   b. Hematoma: hemat (blood) + oma (mass), a collection of blood outside the blood vessels
   c. Hematopoiesis: hemat (blood) + poiesis (make), the making of blood cells
4. Photo- (Greek): Light
   a. Photosynthesis: photo (light) + synthesis (putting together), the process plants use to make food using light
   b. Photoreceptor: photo (light) + receptor (receiver), a cell that receives light and sends signals
   c. Photobiology: photo (light) + biology (study of life), the study of the effects of light on living organisms

Chemistry:

1. Hydro- (Greek): Water
   a. Hydrocarbon: hydro (water) + carbon (a type of atom with six protons), a molecule made of hydrogen and carbon atoms
   b. Hydrogen: hydro (water) + gen (create), an element that combines with oxygen to make water
   c. Hydrophilic: hydro (water) + philic (loving), something that likes water
2. An- (Greek): Without
   a. Anhydrous: an (without) + hydrous (water), without water
   b. Anion: an (without) + ion (thing that goes), a negatively charged particle
   c. Anaerobic: an (without) + aerobic (air), without air
3. Chloro- (Greek): Green or Chlorine
   a. Chlorophyll: chloro (green) + phyll (leaf), the green pigment in plants
   b. Chloroform: chloro (chlorine) + form (manner), a heavy, colorless, and unstable liquid that was used as an anesthetic (An + esthetic: “without sensation” or “lacking perception”)
   c. Chloroplast: chloro (green) + plast (maker), the cell organelle where photosynthesis happens (Organelle: “small tool”)
4. Meth- (Greek): Wood, Related to Methane
   a. Methanol: meth (wood) + anol (type of alcohol), wood alcohol, a toxic type of alcohol
   b. Methyl: meth (wood) + yl (substituent), atoms that can take the place of other atoms and are derived from methane
   c. Methane: meth (wood) + ane (type of hydrocarbon), a simple hydrocarbon that is a major component of natural gas

There are many more such prefixes, including all the numbers (uni-, quad-, hexa-, mega-, and so on). I absolutely acknowledge that this language game of science is easier for some than it is for others. I was fortunate to grow up with these “extra” languages—in fact, I tutored Latin in college, and Dyna, my chaos-causing demon in “Subatomic Writing,” has a fictional Greek heritage (dyna is Greek for “power” or “force”). Even so, when I read too much science jargon all at once, it still overwhelms and frustrates me.

Although it might be challenging, it’s never too late to learn new science words (and for scientists to become better communicators). The brain is a mighty organ with around 86 billion neurons and trillions of synapses (neuro (nerve) + on (unit), the basic unit of the nervous system that transmits info; syn (together) + apse (connection), the connections between neurons). Our brains are capable of remarkable feats if we give them the chance. If you play this word game often, you’ll crack science wide open, and the universe will unfold before you.

“The scientific vocabulary,” Asimov writes in “Words of Science,” “is the bridge by which we enter the land, not the wall that keeps us out.”

Jamie Zvirzdin researches cosmic rays with the Telescope Array Project, teaches science writing at Johns Hopkins University and is the author of “Subatomic Writing.”