Are you looking for a way to expand your vocabulary quickly? Our list of Greek root words will teach you the basis of hundreds of common English words.
The influence of the Ancient Greeks is still felt today when we examine the likes of art, science, politics, and of course, language, given the prevalence of Greek root words in modern English. While it’s true that English is a Germanic language, the impact of Greek on its development can’t be overlooked.
As scholar Jacqueline de Romilly put it, “Everyone has to learn Greek, because it is through Greek that one can understand one’s own language.” This has proven to be true since 13% of the words found in an English dictionary today come from this ancient dialect.
You might also be interested in our list of action verbs. Let’s dive in.
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Understanding Greek Root Words
As mentioned earlier, much of the English language comes from Ancient Greek. Once you become familiar with these root words, you’ll spot them everywhere.
Learning root words is a fantastic way to expand your vocabulary as it helps you to decipher new phrases by paying attention to the root, prefixes or suffixes, and the context. It’s also helpful for non-native speakers who are learning English. Memorizing English words one by one can be tedious, but when you start to recognize root words, you will immediately begin to understand more of the language.
Let’s take the root “dem,” for example. If you already know it means “people,” then you should be able to understand words like “democratic” or “demographic.”
Common Greek Root Words and Their Meanings
Root words can be used to form other words, depending on the suffix or prefix used. Although many Greek root words are bound morphemes, meaning the root is not a standalone word, this is more of a guideline than a rule. For example, the word “chron” is a bound morpheme because it’s not a word by itself, but “phobia” is a free morpheme because it makes sense without needing a prefix.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common Greek root words and what they mean:
- Bio: Life
- Chron: Time
- Tele: Far
- Graph: Write
- Phon: Sound
Application of Greek Root Words in the English Language
All English speakers will find themselves using Greek root words in their daily lives without realizing it. Around 150,000 English words are believed to come from Greek, so it’s impossible to avoid using them in casual conversations or professional and academic settings.
Below are common English words with Greek origins:
- Alphabet
- Academy
- Bibliography
- Economy
- Europe
- Geography
- Microscope
- Idea
- Theory
- Zoo
Importance of Greek Root Words
As mentioned earlier, one of the main reasons it’s important to understand Greek root words is to expand your vocabulary and comprehend new words. For example, if you know “bio” means life, and “logy” refers to the study of something, you know that “biology” is the study of life.
Another reason to pay attention to Greek root words is because they are particularly common in medical and scientific jargon. As even native speakers struggle to understand the terminology used in these fields, becoming familiar with these roots can make reading medical or scientific literature less daunting.
One of the reasons for the prevalence of Greek verbiage is that the oldest sources of Western medical literature were penned in Greek. The language has endured, as around 75% of medical terminology is believed to come from Greek. Medical terms such as “bradycardia,” with “brady” meaning slow and “cardia” meaning heart, “pneumonia,” where “pneumo” means “lungs,” or “hemophilia,” with “hem” meaning “blood” are all descended from Greek.
Many medical and scientific terms also come from Latin or are a hybrid of Greek and Latin. For example, the word “venotomy” is a mix of Latin and Greek. “Veno” comes from Latin which means “vein” and “tomy” is a Greek word for “cut.” You might also be interested in our medical words list.
List of Greek Root Words Printable
List of Greek Root Words and Example Sentences
| Academ (Academy) – Academic | Mech (Machine) – Mechanic |
| Anti (Against) – Antisocial | Meg (Large) – Megaphone |
| Anthropo (Human) – Anthropology | Melan (Dark, Black) – Melanoma |
| Arch (Rule) – Monarch | Micro (Small) – Microphone |
| Ard (Burn) – Arson | Mis (Hate) – Misogyny |
| Ba (Step) – Acrobat | Nes (Island) – Polynesia |
| Bal (Throw) – Ball | Odont (Having teeth) – Orthodontist |
| Bibl (Book) – Bibliophile | Palace (Old) – Paleolithic |
| Byss (Bottom) – Abyss | Para (Next to) – Parallel |
| Calyp (Cover, Hide) – Apocalypse | Path (Feel) – Empathy |
| Cata (Down, Back) – Catastrophe | Ped (Child) – Pediatrician |
| Cathar (Pure) – Catharsis | Pharmac (Medicine) – Pharmacy |
| Chrom (Color) – Monochrome | Phobia (Fear) – Aquaphobia |
| Chron (Time) – Chronological | Phot (Light) – Photography |
| Crat (Rule) – Democratic | Rhin (Nose, Snout) – Rhinoceros |
| Dem (People) – Demographic | Polis (City) – Metropolitan |
| Dra (Do) – Dramatic | Sacc (Bag) – Sack |
| Dyna (Power) – Dynamic | Saur (Reptile, Lizard) – Dinosaur |
| Dys (Bad) – Dysfunctional | Scop (See) – Telescope |
| Ec (Out, Away from) – Eccentric | Scoli (Crooked) – Scoliosis |
| Ethn (Race, People) – Ethnic | Sep (Rot) – Sepsis |
| Eu (Good) – Euphoria | Sopt (Wise) – Philosopher |
| Exo (Outside) – Exotic | Sphere (Ball) – Atmosphere |
| Galact (Milk) – Lactose | Strat (Army) – Strategy |
| Gastr (Stomach) – Gastritis | Syn (Together) – Synonym |
| Gram (Written) – Grammar | Techno (Skill, Art) – Technique |
| Hem (Blood) – Hemorrhage | Tele (Far off) – Television |
| Hetero (Another) – Heterosexual | Than (Death) – Euthanasia |
| Hydr (Water) – Hydration | The (God) – Atheist |
| Kilo (Thousand) – Kilometer | Theori (Speculate, Look at) – Theorize |
| Kine (Move) – Telekinesis | Therm (Heat) – Thermometer |
| Klept (Steal) – Kleptomania | Xen (Foreign) – Xenophobia |
| Lexis (Word) – Lexicon | Xyl (Wood) – Xylophone |
| Logy (Discipline, Field of study) – Biology | Zoo (Animal) – Zoologist |
| Lyc (Wolf) – Lycanthropy | Ze (Boil) – Eczema |
Below is a list of common Greek root words that you may already be familiar with. See if you can come up with other words that share the same roots.
- Academ (Academy) – Academic
Molly has received dozens of awards for her academic achievements.
- Anti (Against) – Antisocial
Ben is very antisocial, he’s much happier by himself.
- Anthropo (Human) – Anthropology
Cultural Anthropology is my favorite subject.
- Arch (Rule) – Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving British monarch.
- Ard (Burn) – Arson
The fire is being treated as arson.
- Ba (Step) – Acrobat
The acrobat gave an impressive performance at the circus.
- Bal (Throw) – Ball
Don’t kick the ball over the fence, we won’t get it back.
- Bibl (Book) – Bibliophile
Grace considers herself a bibliophile, she can’t stop reading.
- Byss (Bottom) – Abyss
She felt she was in an abyss of misery.
- Calyp (Cover, Hide) – Apocalypse
I love horror movies about a zombie apocalypse.
- Cata (Down, Back) – Catastrophe
The earthquake was a catastrophe for the city.
- Cathar (Pure) – Catharsis
Listening to a relatable song can bring catharsis.
- Chrom (Color) – Monochrome
I love a classic monochrome movie.
- Chron (Time) – Chronological
The events are recorded in chronological order.
- Crat (Rule) – Democratic
Holding a referendum is the most democratic thing to do.
- Dem (People) – Demographic
We’re trying to reach a new demographic with our relaunch.
- Dra (Do) – Dramatic
It was a dramatic moment but we’ve all calmed down now.
- Dyna (Power) – Dynamic
He’s a very dynamic person.
- Dys (Bad) – Dysfunctional
I would describe my family as dysfunctional.
- Ec (Out, Away from) – Eccentric
John is eccentric but harmless.
- Ethn (Race, People) – Ethnic
We want equality for ethnic minorities.
- Eu (Good) – Euphoria
He was in a state of euphoria after his team won the game.
- Exo (Outside) – Exotic
This food is too exotic for my taste.
- Galact (Milk) – Lactose
I can’t drink a milkshake, I’m lactose-intolerant.
- Gastr (Stomach) – Gastritis
The doctor found gastritis in her stomach.
- Gram (Written) – Grammar
Reading more will improve your grammar.
- Hem (Blood) – Hemorrhage
It’s important to know the symptoms of a brain hemorrhage.
- Hetero (Another) – Heterosexual
Heterosexual and homosexual people should have the same rights.
- Hydr (Water) – Hydration
You should drink eight glasses of water a day to maintain proper hydration.
- Kilo (Thousand) – Kilometer
We live two kilometers away from the city center.
- Kine (Move) – Telekinesis
My favorite character in the movie could move things with her mind using telekinesis.
- Klept (Steal) – Kleptomania
I worry her kleptomania will get her into trouble.
- Lexis (Word) – Lexicon
The new slang entered the children’s lexicon.
- Logy (Discipline, Field of study) – Biology
She learned all about photosynthesis in her biology class
- Lyc (Wolf) – Lycanthropy
The horror story is about a man suffering from lycanthropy.
- Mech (Machine) – Mechanic
You’ll have to take your car to a mechanic to fix the issue.
- Meg (Large) – Megaphone
The megaphone is too loud.
- Melan (Dark, Black) – Melanoma
You need to get that mole checked, it could be melanoma.
- Micro (Small) – Microphone
You will need a microphone to be heard over the crowd.
- Mis (Hate) – Misogyny
Misogyny shouldn’t exist in this day and age.
- Nes (Island) – Polynesia
There are around 1,000 islands in Polynesia.
- Odont (Having teeth) – Orthodontist
You have to go to the orthodontist to get your braces removed.
- Palace (Old) – Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Diet sounds too restrictive for me.
- Para (Next to) – Parallel
Can you draw a parallel set of lines?
- Path (Feel) – Empathy
You have no empathy for anyone.
- Ped (Child) – Pediatrician
The pediatrician said he would outgrow it.
- Pharmac (Medicine) – Pharmacy
I have to pick my prescription up from the pharmacy.
- Phobia (Fear) – Aquaphobia
Ever since he almost drowned, he’s been experiencing aquaphobia.
- Phot (Light) – Photography
Mark wants to study photography in college.
- Rhin (Nose, Snout) – Rhinoceros
We must protect the Indian rhinoceros before it goes extinct.
- Polis (City) – Metropolitan
The company has locations in the biggest metropolitan areas.
- Sacc (Bag) – Sack
There’s a hole in the sack of flour.
- Saur (Reptile, Lizard) – Dinosaur
We have no idea what a dinosaur really looked like.
- Scop (See) – Telescope
You can see the moon’s craters with a good telescope.
- Scoli (Crooked) – Scoliosis
She’s excused from gym class because she has scoliosis.
- Sep (Rot) – Sepsis
You need to go to the hospital, you can’t risk developing sepsis.
- Sopt (Wise) – Philosopher
Plato was a very influential philosopher.
- Sphere (Ball) – Atmosphere
The excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contributes to global warming.
- Strat (Army) – Strategy
We need to develop a long-term strategy to prevent this from happening again.
- Syn (Together) – Synonym
Learning synonyms is a great way to improve your vocabulary.
- Techno (Skill, Art) – Technique
It takes lots of practice to perfect this painting technique.
- Tele (Far off) – Television
Can you believe television used to be in black and white?
- Than (Death) – Euthanasia
Euthanasia is the kindest thing we can do for a sick dog.
- The (God) – Atheist
Robert is an atheist, he doesn’t believe in God.
- Theori (Speculate, Look at) – Theorize
Scientists have theorized about the Big Bang for decades.
- Therm (Heat) – Thermometer
We must check the temperature of the chicken using a thermometer before eating it.
- Xen (Foreign) – Xenophobia
Xenophobia isn’t tolerated at this school.
- Xyl (Wood) – Xylophone
My son got a small xylophone for Christmas, but it’s very loud.
- Zoo (Animal) – Zoologist
She’s studying to become a marine zoologist.
- Ze (Boil) – Eczema
Scratching your eczema will make it worse.
