Latin Roots DICT and SCRIB/SCRIPT: Say and Write

Learn two Latin roots about language: dict (say) and scrib/script (write).

Two of the most useful Latin roots deal with words themselves. 'Dict' comes from 'dicere', to say or tell. A dictionary tells what words mean. To predict is to say something before it happens. To contradict is to say the opposite (contra- means against). A verdict, from 'vere dictum', is literally a 'truly said' judgment. 'Scrib' and 'script' come from 'scribere', to write.

A scribe writes by hand; a manuscript is written by hand (manu- means hand); to describe is to write down a picture of something; a prescription is a written instruction from a doctor. Watch how the roots work together in a sentence: 'The witness's testimony contradicted the written transcript. ' Contradicted: said against. Transcript: something written across, a copy of spoken words. The sentence says the spoken story and the written record do not match.

• 1DICT means say or tell.
• 2SCRIB and SCRIPT both mean write.
• 3Prefixes add direction or timing: pre-, contra-, de-, trans-.