suggestion

suggestion

UK[səˈdʒɛstʃ(ə)n]US[səɡˈdʒɛstʃən]
n

an idea or plan that you offer for someone to consider

n

a slight sign or indication of something

n

the act of making someone think about something, often indirectly

Morpheme Breakdown

sug
gest
ion
sug

under, up from below

gest

carry, bear

ion

action or state

Etymology

the word 'suggestion' originates from latin 'suggestionem', the noun of action from 'suggerere', meaning "to bring up, supply, prompt". this verb is composed of 'sub-' ("up from below") and 'gerere' ("to carry"), thus painting a picture of an idea being "carried up" from the mind for consideration. over time, the meaning evolved from the literal act of "putting something into someone's mind" to encompass the modern abstract concepts of a proposed idea, a subtle hint, or the psychological process of influencing thought. the journey from the physical act of carrying forth to the mental act of proposing illustrates a classic semantic shift from concrete to abstract.

Analysis

Structure: sug (under, up from below) + gest (carry, bear) + ion (action or state) - sug: from latin 'sub-' meaning "under, up from below". a prefix indicating origin or support. - gest: from latin 'gerere' (stem: gest-) meaning "to carry, bear, perform". a root denoting action. - ion: from latin '-ionem', a suffix forming nouns indicating an action, process, or state.

Examples

he made a helpful suggestion to improve the workflow.

there was a suggestion of a smile on her face.

the power of suggestion can influence our perceptions.