Fun with the language..................

My high school had a language requirement.  Back in 1967 it wasn't quite as obvious that Spanish would be so useful, so I found myself sitting through Latin classes for three years.  Our teachers stressed  that, since so much of the English language has  Latin and/or Greek roots, such a course of study would be useful through its enhancement of our vocabulary.

So I was sitting in a continuing education class yesterday, and the word psychrometry was flashed onto the screen.  Since the course was dealing with water and mold damage to buildings, confusion followed.  My first (and only assumption) was that the root of the word was psych:  "A prefix that is normally used with elements of Greek origin, psych- affects the meanings of hundreds of words.   Etymologically, this element includes such meanings as, breath, to breathe, life, soul, spirit, mind, consciousness."

Turns out my assumption was wrong.  The root of the word was psychros: "a combining form meaning “cold,” used in the formation of 
compound words: psychrometer. Origin:  combining form 
representing Greek psȳchrós  cold; akin to psȳ́chein  to blow.

To conclude, psychrometry means the measurement or calculation of relative humidity and and water-vapor pressures from temperature and barometric pressure.