COMMON ROOT WORDS AND WORD ORIGINS

ROOTS MEANING WORD

1 alter other alternate, alter ego
2 ami, amic- love amiable, amicable
3 amphi both ends or all sides amphibian
4 ann, enni year anniversary, annual, biennial, perennial
5 anthrop human, man anthropology, anthropomorphic, misanthrope
6 aqua, aque water aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct
7 arch chief, leader, ruler archangel, monarch, archaic, archenemy
8 arthro joint arthritis
9 aud sound auditorium, audible, audiologist, audiotape
10 bell war belligerent, bellicose
11 biblio book bibliography, bibliophile
12 bio- life biography, autobiography, biology, antibiotic
13 brev short brief, abbreviate
14 cap take, seize capture, captivate, capacity
15 carn meat carnivorous, chili con carne
16 ced yield, go recede, secede, proceed, intercede, concession
17 chrom- color chromatic, monochrome, polychrome
18 chron- time chronicle, chronology, chronometer, synchronize
19 cogn know recognize, cognitive, incognito
20 cord/chord cord harpsichord
21 corp body corpus, corpse, corporal
22 crac, crat rule, ruler autocrat, democracy, bureaucrat, democracy
23 cred believe credible, credulous, credibility, credit, credo
24 cruc cross crucifix, crucial
25 crusta shell crustacean
26 crypt hidden cryptogram, cryptology, cryptic
27 culp guilt culpable, culprit
28 dei god deity, deify
29 demo- people demography, democracy, epidemic
30 dent tooth dentist, dentifrice, dentin
31 derm- skin dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic
32 dic speak, say dictate, predict, diction, indict
33 dox belief, opinion orthodoxy, paradox, heterodoxy
34 duc, duct lead induce, deduce, seduction, conduct, abduct
35 duo two duo
36 dynam- power dynamo, hydrodynamics
37 ego self egotist, egomania
38 equ equal equal, equity, equanimity, equate, equidistant
39 fac make, do manufacture, factory, benefactor
40 fil threadlike filament
41 frater brother fraternal, fraternize
42 gam- marriage monogamy, polygamy, bigamy
43 geo- earth geopolitical, geology, geography, geothermal
44 glyph vertical groove Hieroglyphics—Egyptian “sky w riting”
45 grad, gress step gradual, progression, transgression
46 graph- writing, printing graphology, biography, telegraph, geography
47 gym naked gymnasium
48 gyn- woman gynecologist, androgynous
49 hemo, hema, hem blood hemophilia, hematology, hemoglobin
50 holo whole, entire holograph
51 hydro, hydr water dehydrate, hydraulics, hydroelectric, hydroplane
52 iso equal, identical isolate
53 ject throw inject, reject, subject, projection
54 jud judge judicial, judge, adjudicate
55 leg, lect read, choose legible, lectern, lecturer, election
56 liter letter literature, illiterate, literal
57 loc place local, location
58 log word monologue, epilogue
59 luc light lucid, elucidate
60 magn large magnify, magnate, magnificent
61 man hand manufacture, manual, manuscript
62 mar sea marine, mariner
63 mater mother maternal, maternity, matriarchy, matricide
64 mere part, segment mere
65 meta, met behind, between metacognition—behind the thinking
66 metri, meter- measure geometric, thermometer, odometer
67 min small minority, minuscule, minute
68 mit, miss send permit, submission, mission, emit,
69 mob, mot, mov move mobile, automobile, motion, promote, movie
70 mon warn premonition, admonition
71 mor, mort death mortal, mortician, immortality
72 morph form, structure metamorphosis, amorphous, morphology
73 mut change mutant, mutability, mutate
74 neuro nerve neurology, neurosis, neurobiology
75 nomen /nomin name nominal, nominate, nomenclature
76 nov new novel, renovate, innovation, novella
77 nym, onym word, name synonym, acronym, anonymous, pseudonym
78 odonto tooth orthodontist—one who straightens teeth
79 ortho- straight, correct orthodox, orthodontist, orthopedic
80 pac peace pacify, Pacific Ocean, pacifist
81 pater father paternal, paternity, patricide, patrilineal, patriotic
82 path feeling, suffering sympathy, apathy, empathy, telepathy, pathology
83 ped, pod foot pedal, pedometer, centipede, gastropod
84 pel, puls push pulsate, repulsive, impulse, compel, propel
85 pend hang, weigh pendulum, pendant, suspend, pending
86 phon-, phono- sound, voice telephone, euphony, cacophony, phonograph
87 plan flat planar, plantation, plane
88 pneum lung pneumatic
89 pod feet podiatrist
90 port carry portable, transport, portage, report,
91 pot power potent, omnipotent, potentate
92 psych- soul, spirit, mind psychology, psychic, psychobiography
93 pugna fight pugnacious, pugilist
94 quer, quis ask query, inquisition,
95 scent, scend climb ascend, ascent
96 schizo, schiz division, split schizophrenic
97 sci know scientific
98 sciss cut scissors
99 scrib, script write manuscript, scribe, proscribe, scripture
100 sec, sect cut dissect, section
101 sed, sess sit sedentary, session
102 sens, sent feel, be aware sensible, sentient
103 sequ, secu follow sequence, sequel, consecutive
104 serv serve, protect service
105 simil same similar, assimilate, simile, facsimile (fax)
106 siphon tube siphon
107 sol sun solar
108 son sound sonar, resonate, unison
109 soph wisdom, knowledge philosophy, sophisticated, sophomore (wise fool)
110 spec, spic look, see spectacles, spectator, inauspicious, prospect
111 spir coil spiral
112 spir breathe inspire, respiration, conspire, perspiration
113 spond, spons promise, answer for respond, responsible
114 spont by one's own force spontaneous
115 stat stay, position station
116 tang, tact touch tactile, tangible
117 temp time temporary, temporize
118 ten, tent hold tentative, tenable, tenuous
119 terr earth subterranean, terrain, terrestrial, disinter
120 theo god, deity theology, polytheism, atheist, monotheism
121 therm- heat thermal, thermos, thermometer
122 trophy nutrition, food atrophy—without nutrition
123 uro urine urologist
124 vac empty vacation, vacuum, vacuous, vacant
125 ven, vent come, go intervene, convene, contravene
126 ver truth veracity, verify, verity
127 vert turn introvert, irreversible, vertigo
128 vit life vital, revitalize, vitamin
129 voc call revoke, invocation, vocal, evocative, convocation
130 zoo animal zoo, zoology, zoolatry
 PREFIXES
PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLES
1 a-, an- not, without amoral, anesthetic, apolitical, asocial
2 ab- away from abduction, abstain, abnormal
3 ad- to, toward adjoin, adjacent (lying near to)
4 ambi- both ambidextrous, ambivalent
5 ana- up, back, again analogy, anatomy, anagram
6 anti- against antipathy, antiwar, antisocial
7 apo- from, away from apology, apologize
8 autobiography, automobile, autocracy,
auto- self automaton
9 bene- good benediction benevolent benefactor
10 cata-, cat- down, against catastrophe--a turning down
11 centro, centri- around, center concentric, centrifugal
12 circum- around circumlocution circumference, circumvent
13 com- with, together communal, community
14 con- with, together connect, confide conspire
15 contra- against contradict, contravene
16 de- down, away descend, deject (cast down)
17 dia-, di- through, across diameter, division
18 dis- apart, not disengage, discord, discomfort
19 dys- ill, difficult, bad dysfunctional, dysentery
20 e- out of, from elect (choose out of), eject (throw out)
21 ecto- on the outside ectoderm--outer skin
22 en-, em- in empathy--feeling in
23 endo- within, inside endoscope--instrument for observing inside
24 epi- upon epitaph epidermis, epicenter
25 eso- inward, within esoteric--more inward, esophagus
26 eu- well, good euthanasia--good death
27 ex- out of, from exhume, exhale, exodus
28 heterosexual, heterodoxy, heterodox
hetero- other, different heterogeneous
29 homo- same homosexual, homogeneous, homogenized
30 hyper- over hypertension, hypersensitive, hyperactivity
31 hypo- under hypotension, hypodermic
32 il- not illegitimate, illicit, illegal, illegible
33 im- not imperfect, impolite, impossible
34 im- into imbibe (drink in, take in)
35 in- not indiscreet, invisible
36 in- into incorporate (take into the body)
37 inter- between intervene (come between), interstate
38 intra- within intrastate, intramural
39 ir- not irregular, irrational, irredeemable
40 macro- large macrocosm, macroeconomics
41 mal, male- bad, evil malediction malevolent, malnutrition
42 meta- beyond metaphysical
43 micro- small microscope, microcosm, microeconomics
44 mono- one, single monologue, monotheism, monarchy, monogamy
45 neo- new, recent neologism, neo-liberal, neonatology. neolithic
46 ob- against object, obstruct (build against)
47 palin-, pali- back, again palindrome
48 pan- all, every pantheism, Pan-Hellenic, panorama, pandemic
49 para- false paramilitary, paralegal, parachute
50 percolate (flow through) perforate (punch
per- through through)
51 peri- around perimeter, periscope
52 philosophy, Francophile, bibliophile,
phil-, philo- like, lover of philanthropy
53 poly- many, several polygon, polygamy, polytechnic, polytheism
54 post- after postgraduate, posthumous postpone
55 pre- before precede, predict (tell before)
56 pro- for, forward promote, project
57 pros- toward, in front prospect—view in front, some thing coming up
58 proto- first prototype, protoplasm, protobiology
59 pseudo false pseudonym, pseudoscience
60 re- again, back repeat, recede, regress (step back)
61 retro- back retrogression, retroactive
62 se- away from seduce (lead away), secede
63 sub- under submarine, subject, subhuman subterranean
64 sur-, super- over, above superhuman, superego, superintend, surpass
65 syn-, sym-, syl-,
sys- with, together symphony, synonym, system, syllable
66 tele- distant, far off telephone, telepathy, television, telegram
67 trans- across transient, Transatlantic, transport (carry across)

SUFFIXES
SUFFIX DEFINITION EXAMPLE
1 -agog, -agogue leader demagogue, pedagogue
2 -cide kill(ing) patricide, infanticide, herbicide. suicide
3 -ectomy cutting appendectomy, splenectomy
4 -ia, -y act, state amnesia, mania, democracy, anarchy
5 -ic, -tic, -ical, -ac having to do with anthropomorphic, dramatic, biblical, cardiac
6 things having to do
-ics with optics, physics
7 -isk, -iscus small asterisk--a little star
8 -ism the belief in pacifism, terrorism, socialism, communism
9 -ist one who believes in pacifist, terrorist, socialist, communist
10 -ite one connected with meteorite, polite, cosmopolite
11 -logy study field of biology, geology, etymology, cardiology
12 resembling, like-
-oid shaped asteroid, spheroid
-or, -er one who takes part in doctor, actor, teacher, driver
-phobia exaggerated fear photophobia, claustrophobia, agoraphobia
-sis act, state, condition of analysis