Dictionary noun *werg- wirken Werk Kraftwerk
(noun)

Meanings

1.
the power plant
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Word of the Day - "wirken"

A fun look at the meaning of "wirken" and its related words. We'll learn about the difference to "scheinen" and what work has to do with reality :)

Vocab:

wirken, die Wirkung, wirklich, bewirken, die Wirklichkeit


False Friends Explained - "Fabrik vs. fabric"

A fun look at why fabric and die Fabrik are false friends and how to translate them. We'll also talk about der Stoff, and learn some word history.

Vocab:

die Fabrik, der Stoff, Sauerstoff, Wasserstoff, Rohstoff, Ballaststoff


False Friends Explained - "craft vs Kraft"

We'll take a look at the false friends "craft" and "Kraft" and how they got so confusing. And we'll explore the family of "Kraft" a bit and learn cool new words.

Vocab:

die Kraft, kräftig, die Stärke, die Schwerkraft, KFZ


Word Family

Root: *werg-

The core idea of this root was:

doing

It’s of course the origin of English work, and also wright, but the far bigger and more surprising  branch is actually the one around the old Greek “ergon“, which meant something work, business, action, and which is the origin of words like energy and organ.
Here’s a little overview over relatives:

  • energy (“in action”)
  • allergy (“strange action, wrong action”)
  • synergy (“work together”)
  • organ (“tool that works”)
  • organize (“assemble into a functioning whole”)
  • orgy (originally referred to rites with lots of dancing and activity)
  • argon (a-ergon : “without work”)
  • lethargic (“lingering without work”)
  • dramaturge (“drama worker”)
  • ergonomics (“work science”)

Also related are:

  • George (“gaia/earth worker”)
  • irk (“work up someone”)
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