逼自己（也希望大家一起）學完韋氏字根詞典（5）——PAC

02-27

PAC is related to the Latin words for 「agree」 and 「peace.」（源自拉丁語，意為「同意」、「和平」）The Pacific Ocean—that is, the 「Peaceful Ocean」—was named by Ferdinand Magellan because it seemed so calm after he had sailed through the storms near Cape Horn. (Magellan obviously had never witnessed a Pacific typhoon.

pacify (1) To soothe anger or agitation. (2) To subdue by armed action.

? It took the police hours to pacify the angry demonstrators.

Someone stirred up by a strong emotion can usually be pacified by some kind words and the removal of its causes. Unhappy babies are often given a rubber pacifier for sucking to make them stop crying. During the Vietnam War, pacification of an area meant using armed force to drive out the enemy, which might be followed by bringing the local people over to our side by building schools and providing social services. But an army can often bring 「peace」 by pure force, without soothing anyones emotions.

pacifist A person opposed to war or violence, especially someone who refuses to bear arms or to fight, on moral or religious grounds.

? Her grandfather had fought in the Marines in World War II, but in his later years he had become almost a pacifist, opposing every war for one reason or another.

The Quakers and the Jehovahs Witnesses are pacifist religious groups, and Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King are probably the most famous American pacifists. Like these groups and individuals, pacifists havent always met with sympathy or understanding. Refusing to fight ever, for any reason, calls for strong faith in ones own moral or religious convictions, since pacifism during wartime has often gotten people persecuted and even thrown in prison.

pact An agreement between two or more people or groups; a treaty or formal agreement between nations to deal with a problem or to resolve a dispute.

? The girls made a pact never to reveal what had happened on that terrifying night in the abandoned house.

Pact has 「peace」 at its root because a pact often ends a period of unfriendly relations. The word is generally used in the field of international relations, where diplomats may speak of an 「arms pact,」 a 「trade pact,」 or a 「fishing-rights pact.」 But it may also be used for any solemn agreement or promise between two people; after all, whenever two parties shake hands on a deal, theyre not about to go to war with each other.

pace Contrary to the opinion of.

? She had only three husbands, pace some Hollywood historians who claim she had as many as six.

This word looks like another that is much more familiar, but notice how its pronounced.（注意發音） It is used only by intellectuals, and often printed in italics so that the reader doesnt mistake it for the other word.（僅知識分子使用，列印多為斜體，以避免錯認） Writers use it when correcting an opinion that many people believe; for example, 「The costs of the program, pace some commentators, will not be significant.」 So what does pace have to do with peace? Because it says 「Peace to them (that is, to the people Im mentioning)—I dont want to start an argument; I just want to correct the facts.」