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Difficulty: HardRoot Word Analysis

The physician noted that the prescribed herbal infusion produced a somniferous effect on the patient. In this context, the word somniferous most nearly means which of the following?

  1. A
    Gloomy
  2. Sleep-inducingAnswer
  3. C
    Stimulating
  4. D
    Sound-producing

Answer

Sleep-inducing
The word 'somniferous' is formed from the Latin root 'somn-' (meaning sleep) and 'fer-' (meaning to bear or produce), combined with the adjective suffix '-ous'. Therefore, 'somniferous' literally translates to 'sleep-bearing' or 'sleep-inducing', perfectly matching the context of a calming herbal remedy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary root of the target word
Identified the Latin root 'somn-', meaning sleep (found in words such as insomnia and somnambulism)
Isolating the primary root establishes the core semantic domain of the vocabulary term
2
Analyze the secondary root and suffix
Identified the Latin root 'fer-' (from ferre, meaning to bear, bring, or produce) and the adjective suffix '-ous'
Determining the function of the secondary morpheme clarifies how the base root operates
3
Synthesize the morpheme definitions to identify the exact synonym
Combining 'somn-' (sleep) and 'fer-' (producing/bringing) yields 'sleep-producing' or 'sleep-inducing'
Morphological synthesis produces the precise definition that aligns with the therapeutic context in the sentence

Key Concept

Root Word Analysis
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Root Word Analysis

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