September 08, 2009
- conspire (verb)
- \kun-SPY-er\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : to agree secretly to do an unlawful act : plot2 : to act together
- How do you use it?
- "On Easter Monday the rain began in earnest. It was as though the elements were conspiring to ruin their short week of freedom." (Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia)
- Are you a word wiz?
What do you think the root word of "conspire" means?
"Conspire" comes from a large word family whose ancestor, the Latin verb "spirare," means "to breathe." "Conspire" combines "spirare" with the prefix "con-," meaning "together." "Aspire," meaning "to work to get something great," comes from Latin "aspirare" (literally, "to breathe upon") which combines "spirare" with the prefix "ad-." "Perspire," meaning "to emit through the skin," comes by way of French from "spirare" combined with the prefix "per-," meaning "through." Other members of the "spirare" family include "inspire," "expire," "transpire," and "spirit."
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