4.2 Obsequious

When and where did I find this word:  On Saturday afternoon, I read the Word Wise Content Rich book by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey and came across the word obsequious on page 126 which described the vocabulary words of the week that match up by prefix, suffix or root. Obsequious was matched under the week three category with the prefix "ob" which means against.

Douglas Fisher & Frey, N. (2008). Wordwise Content Rich. Portsmith, NH: Heinemann.

What the word means: Breaking down the prefix and suffix of the word obsequious can be the first step for me to try to figure out the meaning of the word with out turning directly to dictionary.com. The prefix "ob" means against and the suffix "ous" means to be full of or have quality of. If I were to guess the meaning of the word, i would think it would mean to be against doing something. To my surprise, my guess was the total opposite. When I looked up the meaning of the word obsequious in the dictionary, I found that it means to be obedient and compliant. Synonyms of the words are submissive and servile. "The young lady was obsequious to her master," would be an example of the word used in a sentence. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Obsequious+

My level of Familiarity: I had never heard the word before coming across it in this weeks reading. I am not sure how to exactly pronounce the word either.

Do I Believe this is a Word that I should Know Well:  I believe this is a word that should some what be known. I do not think that I would use this word on a regular basis, however, it is another word that I can use when referring to working diligently and following directions.

Do You Believe this is a Word You Want Others to Know Well: I think that others may want to know this word because it has to do with work ethic. It might be a good word to use to describe yourself on a resume or to others. I like positive words, and this word is a positive descriptive word!