Two roots mean time. Greek chron gives us chronic and chronicle; Latin temp or tempor gives us temporary and tempo. A third Latin root, ann or enn, means year, as in annual and anniversary. Spot them, and a whole family of time words opens up.
Key idea
chron (Greek) = time. temp, tempor (Latin) = time. ann, enn (Latin) = year. Then read the prefix: syn- together, ana- back or against, con- with, ex- out of, per- through.
Each hook below points at the root. Say the parts out loud (syn-CHRON-ize: same time), look at the picture, then check the meaning in the sentences.
The ten words
The roots at work
Common mistake
chronic means long-lasting or recurring, not "severe." contemporary can mean "of the same time as" (a contemporary of the author) or "modern"; context decides.
| word | parts | literally | means |
|---|---|---|---|
| chronic | chron + -ic | of time | long-lasting, recurring |
| chronicle | chron | time record | a record in time order |
| chronological | chron + log | time-reasoned | in time order |
| anachronism | ana- + chron | against time | something in the wrong time |
| synchronize | syn- + chron + -ize | make same-time | make happen together |
| contemporary | con- + tempor | with the time | of the same time; modern |
| temporal | tempor + -al | of time | having to do with time |
| extemporaneous | ex- + tempor | out of the moment | unprepared |
| perennial | per- + enn | through the years | returning year after year |
| annals | ann | yearly (books) | year-by-year records |
Two words people stretch. Chronic means long-lasting or coming back again and again, not “very bad”: a chronic problem may be small; it just won’t go away. And contemporary has two senses: “of the same time as” (the painter and her contemporaries) and “modern” (contemporary furniture). Let the sentence decide.