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Question

Difficulty: MediumRoot Word Analysis

The captured commander uttered a bitter malediction before being escorted into the holding cell. What does the word malediction most nearly mean?

  1. A
    blessing
  2. curseAnswer
  3. C
    prediction
  4. D
    sickness

Answer

'Curse' is the closest synonym for the word 'malediction'.
'Curse' is correct because 'malediction' is derived from the Latin prefix 'male-' (badly, ill, evil) and the root 'dict' (to speak). Combined with the noun suffix '-ion', the word literally denotes the act of speaking evil against someone or proclaiming a curse.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Isolate the morphological components of the target word 'malediction'.
The word divides into the prefix 'male-' (evil/badly), the root 'dict' (to speak/say), and the noun suffix '-ion' (state/act).
Segmenting unfamiliar vocabulary into base roots and affixes reveals foundational meaning.
2
Synthesize the root meanings to construct the full definition.
Combining 'evil' and 'to speak' yields 'an utterance intended to bring evil or harm,' which is the exact definition of a 'curse'.
Root synthesis allows precise matching with the correct synonymous option.

Key Concept

Root Word Analysis (Latin roots 'male-' and 'dict-')
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Root Word Analysis

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