Mind Map Handbook: The ultimate thinking tool. Tony Buzan

‘tie their words together’ they used the mystical concept of ‘grammar’. Grammar became an idea that linked with those who had authority and power. As time passed the first ‘R’ in grammar slowly mutated, as ‘R’s often do over time, to the letter ‘L’. Thus ‘grammar’ eventually became ‘glamour’, a word that is still applied to those who emanate an aura of power, elegance and control.

      Words still hold a spell over us, and rightly so. As you continue to improve your Verbal Intelligence, you will increasingly become a Word Magician.

      Word Roots

      One of the best ways to become an adept verbal magician is to study the Roots of the words we commonly use.

      When you study word Roots, not only do you instantly increase the power of your vocabulary and Verbal Intelligence, you come to realize an important fact: words are not cold, abstract, dead things. They are warm, emotional, meaningful and very much alive.

      Like all living things words are conceived, born and grow to maturity. Eventually they pass on their meaning and energy to new word forms and languages.

      The study of Roots is the study of fascinating stories about the creation and birth of words. You are now involved in this wonderful study, and therefore can be called an ‘etymologist’. The word ‘etymology’, can be traced back to the Greek ‘etymon’ (meaning ‘true or original meaning’) and also to the Greek ‘–logia’, ‘study of’, which, in turn, comes from the Greek ‘logos’, meaning ‘word’!

      So you can now truthfully say that you are an etymologist: one who is interested in and studies the science of true or original meanings.

      Each Root is like a little being in suspended animation. By studying it you bring it to life, allowing the beautiful imagery, history and poetry that is the word’s essence to live again. For example, if you listen to classical music you will often hear that a piece is entitled ‘Opus 1’ or ‘Opus 104’. People often think that this means something like ‘creative inspiration’ or ‘musical masterpiece’, but what does it actually mean?