| A | B |
|---|
| arachnid | arthropod with four pairs of legs, lung-like sacs or breathing tubes and body divided into two segments (origin: from Arachne, Greek maiden who was turned into a spider by Athena after challenging her to a weaving contest) |
| cereal | relating to grain or the plants that produce (origin: from Ceres, Roman Goddess of the Harvest; Greek counterpart: Demeter) |
| cerebral | of the upper, main part of the brain of vertebrate animals (origin: from Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld; one head could see the past, the second the present, and the third the future) |
| cloth | a woven, knitted, or pressed fabric of fibrous material (origin: from Clotho, one of the Greek Fates who spun the thread of life) |
| echo | the repeating of a sound, produced by reflection f sound waves from a surface (origin: from the Greek nymph named Echo, who was punished by Hera so that she could only repeat the last few words of what others would say) |
| electricity | a form of energy generated by friction, induction, or chemical, and radiant effects (origin: from Elecktra, a passionate Greek woman, who had eyes the color of amber, which when rubbed with silk, an electrical charge results) |
| Herculean | requiring tremendous strength; strong (origin: from Hercules, demigod with excessive strength; Greek counterpart: Heracles) |
| hygiene | a science concerned with maintaining or establishing good health (origin: from Hygeia, Greek Goddess of Health) |
| hypnosis | a sleeplike condition physically induced, usually by another person (origin: from Hypnos, Greek God of Sleep) |
| iridescent | rainbow-like, colorful (origin: from Iris, Greek Goddess of Rainbows) |
| jovial | jolly, hearty, joyful (origin: from Jove, Roman God of the Sky; Greek counterpart: Zeus) |
| lunatic | insane, extremely foolish (origin: from Luna, Roman Goddess of the Moon; Greek counterpart: Artemis) |
| mercurial | changeable, swift (origin: from Mercury, Messenger of the Gods/God of Travelers; Greek counterpart: Hermes) |
| narcissistic | self-absorbed; exceedingly vain; conceited; in love with oneself (origin: from Narcissus, a Greek man who fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water and became a flower) |
| nemesis | a deadly adversary; enemy (origin: from Nemesis, Greek Goddess of Revenge) |
| panic | wild, frightful chaos; inexplicable terror (origin: from Pan, Greek God of Shepherds and Flocks, said to instill great fear in anyone who accidentally ran into him or heard his loud shouting and singing) |
| phoenix | something that is reborn from its own destruction (origin: mythical bird that never dies; sprang from ashes) |
| rumor | an unconfirmed report (origin: from Pheme, Greek Goddess of Rumor/Fame; Messenger of Zeus) |
| saturnine | gloomy; taciturn; depressed (origin: from Saturn, Roman God of Time, Greek counterpart: Chronos) |
| somnambulate | to walk while asleep; sleepwalking (origin: from Somnus, Roman God of Sleep) |
| tantalize | to torment or tease with unattainable things (origin: from Tantalus, a Greek demigod, who was eternally punished in the underworld by being in a pool of water he couldn't drink and having fruit above his head that he couldn't eat) |
| thespian | relating to drama; actor, actress (origin: from Thespis, the first Greek actor who introduced the tragedy in drama) |
| titanic | powerful, huge, colossal, massive (origin: from the Greek Titans, who were giants who ruled before the Olympian gods) |
| volcano | a vent in the Earth's crust through which rocks, dust, ash, or molten rock in the form of liquid magma is ejected (origin: from Vulcan, Roman God of Fire; Greek counterpart: Hephaestus) |
| stentorian | extremely loud (origin: from Stentor from the Illiad, a messenger/herald who was said to have the voice of fifty men) |
