Latin Love: iacere

Let's throw words having the syllable "-ject" into our collection of words, derived from "iacere" -- meaning "to throw." You've heard of "reject" and "eject"; here are several others tossed into the mix.

More Latin Love, Volume II lists:
cadere, fluere, onym, and vertere!
ELA Common Core State Standard: "Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word."
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subjective
    taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias
    Pain is subjective and no two experiences are alike. Salon (Aug 18, 2019)
    The connection between the prefix sub, "under," and ject, "throw," is indirect, a little hard to see. To look at something subjectively is to be under the influence of personal opinion, experience, self-serving motivation, or emotion that underlies judgment.
  2. objective
    the goal intended to be attained
    It aims to do this by breaking down long-term objectives into a series of structured, short-term goals, offering regular feedback and cutting down on the number of large meetings that drain time and energy. Nature (Sep 2, 2019)
    As a noun, objective means "goal" and is used interchangeably with the words target, or aim. As an adjective, to be objective is to be able to look at something without any personal or emotional attachment, with just the facts thrown at you.
  3. eject
    put out or expel from a place
    Shaw lasted five innings before he was ejected for arguing. Seattle Times (May 3, 2013)
    The prefix e- means "out," and the root ject means "to throw," so the word eject means "to throw out." However, when we remove the garbage from the house, we never say that we are ejecting it. The word eject is usually applied to either a forceful toss-out, or the removal of a member of the group, as in the example sentence.
  4. inject
    force or drive (a fluid or gas) into by piercing
    Meanwhile, the nurse has not missed a beat, injecting several more vaccines. Scientific American (May 20, 2013)
    The prefix in- means "into," and the root ject means "to throw," so the word inject means "to throw into." The word is usually used in a medical sense, as is its noun form, injection, known colloquially as a shot. Shots, are, after all, thrown in some way, hence the connection.
  5. conjecture
    believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
    Ecuador’s foreign ministry issued a statement late Thursday saying it wouldn’t comment on what it called “rumors, theories or conjectures.” Washington Times (Apr 5, 2019)
    Conjecture derives from the Latin coniectura meaning "guess or interpretation." A conjecture lies somewhere between a hypothesis (an educated guess) and a wild guess: a conjecture is a guess based on some facts thrown together with a hunch or two.
  6. projectile
    a weapon that is forcibly propelled toward a target
    Protesters were seen throwing rocks, bottles, metal barricades and other projectiles at police. Los Angeles Times (Jun 12, 2019)
    The prefix pro- means "forward," the root ject means "to throw," and the suffix -ile transforms a noun into a verb, so projectile means "an object that is thrown," usually against a target. Bullets, cannon balls, and paper airplanes are examples of projectiles.
  7. trajectory
    the path followed by an object moving through space
    Its sound rocketed forward, and the laughter that followed traveled the same trajectory. The View From Saturday
    The prefix tra-, a form of the prefix trans- meaning "across," the root ject, "to throw," and the suffix -ory designating a noun, form trajectory: a path of objects moving through space. Trajectory is also a kind of pre-determined or predictable path, not only of physical objects, but of events in life as well. Key decisions that we make in life are said to set our trajectories.
  8. adjective
    the word class that qualifies nouns
    The show itself attracts bad adjectives: “abrasive,” “aggressive” and “shrill.” Cat's Eye
    The prefix ad- means "toward," and the root ject means "to throw," so an adjective has come to mean a word that is "thrown at," so to speak, a noun.
  9. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    I slump into my chair, dejected, feeling like I messed up another Halloween. The New Yorker (Oct 30, 2018)
    The prefix de- means, in this case, "down," and the root ject means "to throw," so to be dejected feels like being thrown down to the floor. But it's a little different from feeling depressed. Usually, the word dejected is used when one's low spirits may be ascribed to a particular hurtful or disappointing event, while depressed usually refers to a more generalized and chronic sorrow.
  10. abject
    most unfortunate or miserable
    Gómez is incensed by the abject poverty in most of his country, where campesinos live in huts made of mud and junkyard scraps. New York Times (Mar 20, 2019)
    The prefix ab- means "away" and the root ject means "to throw," so abject truly means, "thrown away." Usually used as an adjective to modify poverty (abject poverty) the word abject connotes a hopeless state.
  11. interject
    insert between other elements
    “Me too. You wouldn’t believe the things I believe in,” I interject, sounding frantic, wanting to join in their repartee so I don’t stare at it. I'll Give You the Sun
    The prefix inter- means "between," and the root ject means "to throw," so interject means "to interrupt" as something is inserted between something else that is in progress.
Created on Sat May 25 10:13:23 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Sep 05 13:51:30 EDT 2019)

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