# Never or rarely seen 'root' words **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191 "2007-05-31T14:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/21 "2007-06-01T09:26:00Z")
You can distract, retract, or subtract, but you can’t just tract. I find my coworker insufferable, but my boss thinks he’s quite sufferable. In fact, he suffers him gladly. Captain Joe didn’t make a very good pirate; he was ruthful, feckful and satiable. I have tant memories of my recent hospitalization. I’ve recognized people who I hadn’t cognized in years. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/22 "2007-06-01T12:59:53Z")
I use trammel, kempt and vincible in conversation and correspondence all the time! ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/23 "2007-06-01T13:02:22Z")
Heartened is used far less then disheartened. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/24 "2007-06-01T14:10:48Z")
A poem my late aunt loved: _In my dotage, I have become Inept, inert and inane. O for the days of youth! To be ept, ert, and ane again._ ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/25 "2007-06-01T14:19:35Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] The word “pea” was actually back-formed from the ostensible plural, “pease”, which is never used anymore (now everyone writes “peas”, unless they’re quoting the nursery rhymes about “pease porridge”). [/QUOTE] Both “pease” and “cherries” were originally collective nouns, I believe. The modern singular forms “pea” and “cherry” are back-formations ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/26 "2007-06-01T14:24:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Both “pease” and “cherries” were originally collective nouns, I believe. The modern singular forms “pea” and “cherry” are back-formations Didn’t I just say that? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/27 "2007-06-01T15:03:39Z")
I’ve never heard of “untrammeled”. :o I’m happy to learn a new word today. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/28 "2007-06-01T15:47:55Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Didn’t I just say that? [/QUOTE] Yeah, but I just wanted to specify the “collective” bit; I didn’t think it was clear from what you said. I also wanted to add the “cherries” part. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191/29 "2007-06-01T17:15:44Z")
I looked at the word henchman once and wondered what a hench was. So I looked it up. Hench was from an old German word meaning stallion. I’m guessing that your henchman was the groom who was strong enough to control the stallion, and he could be called on for other things requiring strength. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/never-or-rarely-seen-root-words/406191.md?page=1)