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#14 fic → make, do

Quick Summary

Fic-make The Latin root word fic means to ‘make.’ A good number of common English vocabulary words come from this root, including magnificent, difficult, and artificial. One easy word that is helpful in remembering fic is efficient, for efficient people are able to ‘make’ things happen.

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The word ingredient Memlet, shown below, is one of many ways that a word is taught in Membean.
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Ingredient Memlet: maleficent
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mal → bad, evil
fic → make, do
-ent → being in a state or condition

A maleficent person is in a “state or condition of doing evil.”

Don’t make this more dif’fic’ult than it should be.

The Latin word root fic, meaning to ‘make,’ is one of the most significant roots in the English language. The word significant means something that ‘makes’ a mark.

If something undergoes purification, it is ‘made’ pure. When a teacher undergoes the process of certification, she is ‘making’ herself ready to teach.

The Pacific Ocean was so named by Ferdinand Magellan because it was ‘making’ peace, that is, there was calm weather for an extended period of time.

The root fic meaning ‘make’ is also the stem in magnificent and deficient. If someone constructs something that is magnificent, she has ‘made’ it great in some way. However, if it is deficient, it is ‘made’ in such a way that it is somewhat lacking.

Here are more words that are ‘made’ in some way. Something artificial is ‘made’ by the skill or art of humans, not by nature alone. A sacrifice is a ritual that is used to ‘make’ something holy to please the gods.

There are two simple words that will help you remember that the word fic is ‘make’: difficult and efficient. A difficult task is hard to get done, meaning it’s hard to ‘make’ it happen. If you are efficient, on the other hand, you ‘make’ things happen quickly and easily.

The root word fic meaning ‘make’ is a very productive root in English and you should make yourself comfortable with it.

  1. purification: process of ‘making’ pure
  2. certification: act of ‘making’ sure
  3. pacification: act of ‘making’ peace
  4. Pacific: ‘making’ peace
  5. artificial: ‘made’ with human skill
  6. magnificent: ‘made’ great
  7. deficient: ‘made’ lacking or off of what it should be
  8. sacrifice: ‘make’ holy
  9. difficult: not ‘made’ easily
  10. efficient: ‘makes’ thoroughly
  11. beneficial: ‘making’ something good
  12. significant: ‘making’ a mark