More Words That Turn on the Root Vert

More Words That Turn on the Root Vert More Words That Turn on the Root Vert More Words That Turn on the Root Vert By Mark Nichol A recent post dealt with many of the English words based on the Latin verb vertere, meaning â€Å"turn,† focusing on those that precede the root vert with a prefix, and their various grammatical forms. This follow-up post defines some additional words in the vertere family: those beginning with vert. Those with the variant stem vers rather than vert will be outlined in a subsequent post. Vertigo originally meant â€Å"a spinning or whirling movement† and later came to refer to a form of dizziness in which the sufferer has a sensation suggestive of spinning or whirling. The related adjective is vertiginous, which also applies neutrally to any spinning motion or judgmentally to frequent and unnecessary change. A vertebra (plural: vertebrae) is a segment of the system of bones that constitute the spine, or backbone, of vertebrates; that last word refers to two classes of animals, the higher and lower vertebrates, possessing a spine of bone or cartilage or a similar process. It also serves as an adjective, as does vertebral- the spinal column is also called the vertebral column- and as an adjective, vertebrate also means â€Å"well formed or â€Å"well organized,† though this usage is rare. The connection to vertere is of the spine’s hinge-like quality, which allows animals to turn or bend their bodies. An invertebrate is an animal lacking a spine or a similar process. In Latin, vertex and vortex both mean â€Å"whirl,† but in English the terms are distinct: Vertex applies to the top of the head, the highest point (such as a summit), or a point farthest from the base of an object or shape. (It also applies in geometry to the point at which two lines or curves meet.) A vortex, meanwhile, is a literal or figurative whirlpool. The adjective vertical is related and in one sense means â€Å"located at the highest point† but usually means â€Å"upright† or â€Å"lengthwise† and is an antonym of horizontal. In economic and sociological contexts, it can refer, respectively, to the scope of activity in the production of goods or to hierarchy. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsFlier vs. FlyerDozen: Singular or Plural?

Facts About the Solar System

Facts About the Solar System Welcome to the solar system! This is where youll find the Sun, the planets, and humanitys sole home in the Milky Way Galaxy. It contains planets, moons, comets, asteroids, one star, and worlds with ring systems. Although astronomers and skygazers have observed other solar system objects in the sky since the dawn of human history, it has only been in the past half-century that theyve been able to explore them more directly with spacecraft. Historical Views of the Solar System Long before astronomers could use telescopes to look at objects in the sky, people thought that the planets were simply wandering stars. They had no concept of an organized system of worlds orbiting the Sun. All they knew were that some objects followed regular paths against the backdrop of the stars. At first, they thought these things were gods or some other supernatural beings. Then, they decided that those motions had some effect on human lives. With the advent of scientific observations of the sky, those ideas vanished.   The first astronomer to look at another planet with a telescope was Galileo Galilei. His observations changed humanitys view of our place in space. Soon, many other men and women were studying the planets, their moons, asteroids, and comets with scientific interest. Today that continues, and there are currently spacecraft doing many solar system studies. So, what else have astronomers and planetary scientists learned about the solar system?   Solar System Insights A journey through the solar system introduces us to the Sun, which is our nearest star. It contains an amazing 99.8 percent of the mass of the solar system. The planet Jupiter is the next most-massive object and it comprises two and a half times the mass of all the other planets combined. The four inner planets- tiny, cratered Mercury, cloud-shrouded Venus (sometimes called Earths Twin), temperate and watery Earth (our home), and reddish Mars- are called the terrestrial or rocky planets. Jupiter, ringed Saturn, mysterious blue Uranus, and distant Neptune  are called gas giants. Uranus and Neptune are so cold and contain a great deal of icy material, and are often called the ice giants.   The solar system has five known dwarf planets. They are called Pluto, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. The New Horizons mission explored Pluto on July 14, 2015, and is on its way out to visit a small object called 2014 MU69. At least one and possibly two other dwarf planets exist in the outer reaches of the solar system, although we do not have detailed images of them. There are probably at least 200 more dwarf planets in a region of the solar system called the Kuiper Belt (Pronounced KYE-per Belt.) The Kuiper Belt extends out from the orbit of Neptune and is the realm of the most distant worlds known to exist in the solar system. It is very distant and its objects are likely icy and frozen. The outermost region of the solar system is called the Oort Cloud. It probably has no large worlds but does contain chunks of ice that become comets when they orbit very close to the Sun. The Asteroid Belt is a region of space that lies between Mars and Jupiter. It is populated with chunks of rocks ranging from small boulders up to the size of a big city. These asteroids are left over from the formation of the planets.   There are moons throughout the solar system. The only planets that do NOT have moons are Mercury and Venus. Earth has one, Mars has two, Jupiter has dozens, as do Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Some of the moons of the outer solar system are frozen worlds with watery oceans beneath the ice on their surfaces.   The only planets with rings that we know of are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. However, at least one asteroid called Chariklo also has a ring and planetary scientists recently discovered a tenuous ring around the dwarf planet Haumea.   The Origin and Evolution of the Solar System Everything that astronomers learn about solar system bodies helps them understand the origin and evolution of the Sun and planets. We know they  formed about 4.5 billion years ago. Their birthplace was a cloud of gas and dust that slowly contracted to make the Sun, followed by the planets. The comets and asteroids are often considered the leftovers of the birth of the planets.   What astronomers know about the Sun tells us that it will not last forever. Some five billion years from now, it will expand and engulf some of the planets. Eventually, it will shrink down, leaving behind a very changed solar system from the one we know of today.