Ms. Cornelius/EnglishVocabulary List 19

DIS, DI, DIF – not, away, apart

It was important in Roman times to start a journey or begin a new venture on a lucky day. One way to find out whether a day was favorable was to consult the stars. If the stars were not in a favorable position, the outcome of any undertaking begun on that day was certain to be a disaster (DIS not + ASTER star).

Disarray (dis uh rā´) [DIS not + AREER to array] – lit. not arrayed or arranged properly; a state of disorder or confusion; disorderly dress. Following the death of their leader, the political group fell into disarray.

Disburse (dis burs´) [DIS away + BURSA a purse] – lit.to take away from a purse; to pay out, as from a fund. The president of the society disbursed the scholarship funds.

Disconcert(dis kun surt´) [DIS not + CONCERT to bring into agreement] – to upset; to frustrate. The speaker was disconcerted by the noise in the balcony

Disconsolate(dis kon´ suh lit) – not able to be consoled; hopelessly sad. The team member responsible for losing the relay was disconsolate.

Discordant(dis kor´ dunt) [DIS apart + CORD heart] – lit.hearts apart; not in accord; disagreeable to the ear. One discordant voice can ruin a choir.

Dismantle(dis mant´ ul) [DIS apart + MANTEL cloak] – originally, to take a man’s cloak off his back; to strip a house of furnishings; to take apart. I dismantled the room for the painters.

Disproportionate (dis pruh por’ shun it) – not proportionate; out of proportion in size, shape, or amount. His salary was disproportionate to the amount of work he did.

Dissect (dis ekt’) [DIS apart + SECT to cut] --- to cut apart, especially for anatomical study. Our class dissected frogs yesterday.

Disseminate (di sem’ uh naat) [DIs apart + SEMIN seed]--- to spread abroad as if sowing seed. The publication disseminated information about endangered species.

Dissent (di sent’) [DIS apart + SENT to feel) --- to differ in opinion or feeling; to withhold approval. If too many members dissent, the motion will not pass.

Dissuade (di swaad’) [DIS away + SUAD to persuade] – to turn a person away (from a course) by persuasion. Finally they dissuaded him from giving up his job.

Diverse (di vurs’)[DI away + VERS to turn]–lit. turned away from each other; unlike, as diverse opinions. The committee listened to all the diverse views.