逼自己（也希望大家一起）學完韋氏字根詞典（19）——CEPT

CEPT comes from the Latin verb meaning 「take, seize.」 Capture, which is what a captor has done to a captive, has the same meaning. Captivate once meant literally 「capture,」 but now means only to capture mentally through charm or appeal. But in some other English words this root produces, such as those below, its meaning is harder to find.

—————————————————————————————————————————

reception (1) The act of receiving. (2) A social gathering where guests are formally welcomed.

? Although the reception of her plan by the board of directors was enthusiastic, it was months before anything was done about it.

Reception is the noun form of receive. So at a formal reception, guests are received or welcomed or 「taken in.」 A bad TV reception means the signal isnt being received well. When a new novel receives good reviews, we say it has met with a good critical reception. If it gets a poor reception, on the other hand, thats the same as saying that it wasnt well-received.

—————————————————————————————————————————

intercept To stop, seize, or interrupt (something or someone) before arrival.

? The explosives had been intercepted by police just before being loaded onto the jet.

Since the prefix inter means 「between」 (see INTER), its not hard to see how intercept was created. Arms shipments coming to a country are sometimes intercepted, but such interceptions can sometimes be understood as acts of war. In football, soccer, and basketball, players try to intercept the ball as its being passed by the other team. In years gone by, letters and documents being carried between officers or officials were sometimes intercepted when the carrier was caught; today, when these communications are generally electronic, an intercepted e-mail isnt actually stopped, but simply read secretly by a third party.

—————————————————————————————————————————

perceptible Noticeable or able to be felt by the senses.

? Her change in attitude toward him was barely perceptible, and he couldnt be sure he wasnt just imagining it.

Perceptible includes the prefix per-, meaning 「through,」 so the word refers to whatever can be taken in through the senses. A perceptive person picks up minor changes, small clues, or hints and shades of meaning that others cant perceive, so one persons perception—a tiny sound, a slight change in the weather, a different tone of voice—often wont be perceptible to another.

—————————————————————————————————————————

susceptible (1) Open to some influence; responsive. (2) Able to be submitted to an action or process.

? She impressed everyone immediately with her intelligence, so theyre now highly susceptible to her influence and usually go along with anything she proposes.

With its prefix sus-, 「up,」 susceptible refers to something or someone that 「takes up」 or absorbs like a sponge. A sickly child may be susceptible to colds, and an unlucky adult may be susceptible to back problems. A lonely elderly person may be susceptible to what a con man tells him or her on the phone. And students are usually susceptible to the teaching of an imaginative professor—that is, likely to enjoy and learn from it.

—————————————————————————————————————————