Learn Latin and Greek Roots
Language is fossil poetry.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
Latin and Greek roots contribute to tens of thousands of English words. Learning to recognize these roots enables you to unlock many mysteries on the page.
What follows is intended to get you started as an etymologist, or, one who studies the origins of words (from Greek etumon,"true sense of a word"; not to be confused with entomologist, one who studies insects, from Greek entomon, "insect").
For further information on the roots in any given word (including the examples listed below), check a good hardbound dictionary like the American Heritage Dictionary, 5th edition.
Should you get hooked, check your local bookstore for books containing even more roots. And to really have some fun, get a copy of Wilfred Funk's Word Origins and Their Romantic Stories. Speaking of stories, for example, did you know that the reason we use "story " to refer to both a narrative and to a level of a building is that in late medieval times, buildings were sometimes decorated with a tiers of painted windows or friezes that told stories. If there were three such levels to a building, the structure was literally three "stories" high.
Take each of the following groups of 15 and memorize the roots and their meanings. Also, for each root provide a third English derivative. You may need your dictionary to help you here.
GROUP I LATIN NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
ROOT: MEANING: DERIVATIVES
1. alter other alteration, alternate _____________________
2. amor love amorous, amour _____________________
3. anima soul animation, animism _____________________
4. annus, ennial year annals, biennial _____________________
5. avi bird aviator, aviary _____________________
6. aqua water aquatic, aquarium _____________________
7. brev short abbreviate, breviary _____________________
8. caput head decapitate, capital _____________________
9. carn flesh carnivore, carnage _____________________
10. clar clear clarify, clarinet _____________________
11. foli leaf defoliate, folio _____________________
12. fort strong fortification, fortitude _____________________
13. luc light lucid, Lucifer _____________________
14. magn great magnaminity, magnify _____________________
15. manu, -i hand manufacture, manicure _____________________
GROUP II LATIN NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
1. mort death mortify, mortal _____________________
2. ov egg ovary, ovulate _____________________
3. pac peace pacify, pacific _____________________
4. ped foot biped, pedestrian _____________________
5. agr field agronomy, agriculture _____________________
6. alt high altitude, altimeter _____________________
7. fin end finite, finish _____________________
8. libr book library, libretto _____________________
9. med middle intermediary, medium _____________________
10. nom name nominate, nomenclature _____________________
11. norm standard normative, abnormal _____________________
12. sen old senile, seniority _____________________
13. solo, -i alone solitary, solo _____________________
14. vir man virile, virtue _____________________
15. vita life vitality, vitamins _____________________
GROUP III LATIN NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
1. dei, div god deity, divine _____________________
2. dur hard endure, duration _____________________
3. flor flower Florida, floral _____________________
4. mar sea maritime, marine _____________________
5. mat(er) mother matriculate, maternal _____________________
6. sol sun solarium, solarimeter _____________________
7. pater father paternity, paternal _____________________
8. petr rock petrochemicals, petrify _____________________
9. plen full plentiful, plenary _____________________
10. semin seed seminary, disseminate _____________________
11. stell star constellation, stellar _____________________
12. temp time temporary, temporal _____________________
13. terra earth terraqueous, territory _____________________
14. ver truth verify, verdict _____________________
15. voc, vok call vocation, revoke _____________________
GROUP IV LATIN VERBS
1. cide, cis cut homicide, incisor _____________________
2. cred believe incredible, credo _____________________
3. dict say diction, dictaphone _____________________
4. duc lead induction, educate _____________________
5. jac, jec throw ejaculate, dejection _____________________
6. junct join conjunction, adjunct _____________________
7. pend, pens hang pendant, pensive _____________________
8. port carry deport, porter _____________________
9. scrib, script write describe, inscription _____________________
10. spect look spectroscopy, spectator _____________________
11. spir breathe spiracle, transpire _____________________
12. tang, tact touch tangible, tactile _____________________
13. tort twist torture, tortuous _____________________
14. vid, vis see provide, television _____________________
15. viv live vivisection, vivid _____________________
GROUP V GREEK NOUNS
1. anthrop man anthropomorphic, anthropoid __________________
2. bibl book Bible, bibliophile _____________________
3. card heart cardiac, cardiology _____________________
4. cycle wheel, circle encyclopedia, bicycle _____________________
5. gen origin, birth genesis, generate _____________________
6. graph writing telegraph, graphics _____________________
7. hydr water hydrophobia, hydrant _____________________
8. log, logy speech, study epilogue, biology _____________________
9. morph form morphology, mesomorph _____________________
10. necr death necrophilia, necrology _____________________
11. ortho straight orthopedics, orthodontist _____________________
12. psych mind psychic, psychology _____________________
13. polis city political, metropolitan _____________________
14. soph wise sophisticate, sophomore _____________________
15. the(os) god theology, theism _____________________
GROUP VI GREEK NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES (and one verb)
1. pan all pandemonium, pantheism ___________________
2. arch chief archangel, oligarchy _____________________
3. crypt secret, hidden cryptogram, cryptic _____________________
4. dem people democrat, demagogue _____________________
5. dyna power dynamic, dynamite _____________________
6. gyn woman gynecocracy, gynecology ____________________
7. hem blood hemoglobin, hemophilia _____________________
8. mega great megaphone, megaton _____________________
9. bio life biology, biorhythm _____________________
10. path feeling pathetic, sympathy ____________________
11. phil love philosophy, audiophile _____________________
12. scop see, look telescope, microscope _____________________
13. tele far telegraph, teleology _____________________
14. zo, zoo animal zoology, zodiac _____________________
15. nym name synonym, anonymous _____________________
GROUP VII GREEK NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
1. aster star astronomy, astrologist _____________________
2. chrom color Kodachrome, chromasome __________________
3. derm skin epidermis, dermatitis _____________________
4. geo earth geology, geography _____________________
5. hetero, different heterogeneous, heterosexual ___________________
6. hom same homogenous, homosexual ____________________
7. meter, metr measure barometer, metric _____________________
8. micro small microcosm, microbe _____________________
9. miso, mis hatred misanthropist, misogynist _____________________
10. neo new neologism, neolithic _____________________
11. phob fear claustrophobia, phobic _____________________
12. phon sound phonics, phonograph _____________________
13. chron time chronology, chronic _____________________
14. photo light photograph, photosynthesis ___________________
15. therm heat thermal, thermostat _____________________
GROUP VIII LATIN PREFIXES
1. ambi both ambidextrous, amphibious ____________________
2. ante before antebellum, antediluvian _____________________
3. bene good benefactor, benediction _____________________
4. bi two bifocal, bifurcate _____________________
5. circum around circumspect, circumnavigate ___________________
6. con, com, co with committee, conspiracy, cooperate _______________
7. contra, counter against contrary, counterpoint _____________________
8. extra outside of extravagant, extraneous _____________________
9. inter between interpersonal , interpolate _____________________
10. ob against obstinate, obtuse _____________________
11. mal bad maladjusted, malady _____________________
12. multi many multinational, multiply _____________________
13. per through perceptive, pervasive _____________________
14. post after post-doctorate, postpone _____________________
15. ex out export, ex-president _____________________
GROUP IX LATIN AND GREEK PREFIXES
1. pre before precocious, prehistory _____________________
2. super, sur over supercilious, surtax _____________________
3. syn, sym with synchronize, symphony _____________________
4. trans across transfer, transition _____________________
5. ultra beyond ulterior, ultraviolet _____________________
6. uni one unisex, union _____________________
7. retro backward retroactive, retrogress _____________________
8. sub under submarine, subcutaneous _____________________
9. semi half semiliterate, semicolon _____________________
10. quad four quadrilateral, quadrophonic ___________________
11. oct eight octogon, octopus _____________________
12. tri three tricycle, trilogy _____________________
13. a not amoral, aphasia _____________________
14. anti,ant- against antidote, antagonize _____________________
15. auto self automation, autonomy _____________________
GROUP X GREEK PREFIXES
1. cent hundred centimeter, century _____________________
2. dec ten decalogue, decade _____________________
3. di two dioxide, dichotomy _____________________
4. epi, ep- on, over epicenter, epicardium _____________________
5. eu well euphemism, euphonious _____________________
6. dys ill dysfunction, dysentery _____________________
7. hemi half hemicycle, hemisphere _____________________
8. hyper excessive hypertension, hyperacidity ___________________
9. hypo under hypotension, hypodermic _____________________
10. kilo thousand kilogram, kilometer _____________________
11. mono one monarchy, monomania _____________________
12. para beside paramedic, parasite _____________________
13. peri around peripheral, pericardium _____________________
15. poly many polygon, polyandry _____________________
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