Every week my daughter has homework where she is given an English word and has to find words that have come from the same original root. For example, if she is given the word "reprehensible" and its root is "reprehendere" then she has to list other English words that have come from "reprehendere." The words might not even have any similarity to the original English word she was given, they just have to come from the same root, i.e., if "dog" somehow had come from "reprehendere" she'd need to list "dog" as one of her words.

Help, PLEASE. Does anyone know of a web site, software, or book where you can start with the root, i.e., "reprehendere" and find what English words come from that root?

Thanks,

Gerald

start with onelook--(onelook.com)
you enter a word in one looks 'search' and it will bring back all the dictionaries (on line) in which i found the word.

some dictionaries are better than other, and will list related words, or a I(ndo)E(uropean) root word, or even a
P(roto)IE word..

follow the links to the root,and find lots of related words.

(there are several post here that have done just that )

the American Heritage dictionary is one dictionary that will often give a IE or PIE root--but its not the only one.
(she could also go to the library and do this with the oxford (un abridged version) dictionary (as i did back in the 1970' and earlier!)

reprehender is most likely not a pure root, re/ pre/ are most likely prefixes, and er a suffix. the root is likely to be some form of hend

try looking up sugar, (from the french sucre, but the french got it from the persians.. )
related words include:
shingle (like a roof shingle)
crocadile
searsucker (the fabric)

there is a difference between a related word, and a root word. sugar and sucre are closely related, but but the french word is not the root word, you need to go futher back.

and many, many words are built up from 2 or more root words. (television, telescope, teleport, telephone, all share tele as one root, (but microscope, and phonograph are words that share the other half root (and there is no relation to microscop and phonograph, but phonograph is related to telephone)

and send her here if she get hooked on the process, we are a bunch of word nerds who love doing this sort of thing!

to wit: OneLook gives AHD (as one of many), AHD links to reprehend, reprehend links to -ghed and bobsyeruncle.

The Online Etymology Dictionary can also be helpful for some words.

p.s. - check with your local library(s) to see about availability of OED online.