Source: Unit 4 Grid Notes
Tags: peccadillo, impeccable, peccant, pejorative, impair, malign, malinger, malaise, negligent, negligible, negate, vocabulary, Latin roots, word families, pre-calc vocabulary
Eleven vocabulary words organised around three Latin root families: pecc- (sin/fault), mal- (bad/evil), and neg- (deny/not). Learning the roots makes it far easier to remember and distinguish the individual words, especially the ones that sound alike (negligent vs. negligible, malign vs. malinger).
Peccadillo
A small, relatively unimportant offence or sin. Think minor slip-up, not serious wrongdoing.
Example: "The sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren't necessarily news."
Impeccable
(Of behaviour, performance, or appearance) in accordance with the highest standards of propriety; faultless. Literally "not able to sin" (Latin im- + peccare).
Example: "A man of impeccable character."
Peccant
Having committed a fault or sin; offending. The adjective form of the pecc- root, used to describe someone or something that is at fault.
Example: "The peccant officials fell on their knees."
Pejorative
Expressing contempt or disapproval. Used to describe words or phrases that carry a negative, insulting connotation.
Example: "Permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term."
Impair
To weaken or damage something, especially a human faculty or function. Often paired with abilities, senses, or performance.
Example: "Drug use that impairs job performance."
Malign
Evil in nature or effect; malevolent. Can also be used as a verb meaning to speak ill of someone.
Example: "She had a strong and malign influence."
Malinger
To pretend or exaggerate incapacity or illness, especially to avoid duty or work. The key idea is faking it.
Example: "His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work."
Malaise
A general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. Can be physical or societal.
Example: "A general air of malaise."
Negligent
Failing to take proper care in doing something. Describes a person or their behaviour when they have been careless or inattentive.
Example: "Directors have been negligent in the performance of their duties."
Negligible
So small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant. Describes a quantity, effect, or thing, not a person.
Example: "Sound could at last be recorded with incredible ease and at negligible cost."
Negate
To nullify; make ineffective. To cancel something out entirely.
Example: "Alcohol negates the effects of the drug."
Peccadillo – a minor sin (the -illo diminutive makes it small)
Impeccable – without sin, faultless (im- = not)
Peccant – sinful, at fault
The root connects all three. If you remember peccare = to sin, you can work out each word from its prefix or suffix.
Malign – evil in nature; also a verb meaning to speak badly of someone
Malinger – to fake illness (the mal- root suggests badness or dishonesty)
Malaise – a vague feeling of being unwell or uneasy
Watch the difference between malign (genuinely evil, or to slander) and malinger (to fake illness). They look similar but mean very different things.
Negligent – failing to take proper care (describes a person or their behaviour)
Negligible – too small to matter (describes a thing, amount, or effect)
Negate – to nullify or cancel out
The most common exam confusion here is negligent vs. negligible. Negligent is about carelessness (a negligent driver). Negligible is about insignificance (a negligible amount).
Pejorative – expressing contempt. From Latin peior (worse). Describes language that puts something down.
Impair – to weaken or damage. From Latin im- + pejor (worse), so it shares etymology with pejorative.
No mathematical formulas for this unit. The key "formula" is root-based:
pecc- = sin → peccadillo, impeccable, peccant
mal- = bad → malign, malinger, malaise
neg- = deny/not → negligent, negligible, negate
⚠️ Negligent vs. negligible is the most commonly confused pair. Negligent = careless (person). Negligible = insignificant (thing/amount).
⚠️ Malign vs. malinger – malign is about evil or slander; malinger is about faking illness. Both start with mal- but go in very different directions.
⚠️ Impeccable means faultless, not just "very good." The Latin root (im- + peccare) literally means "incapable of sinning."
⚠️ Pejorative is often tested as a fill-in where context clues point to a word being used as an insult or put-down.
⚠️ The exercises test your ability to match word to context, so practise reading each sentence and identifying which root family fits before choosing the specific word.
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