English is an Aryan Language and has its roots in many old Aryan languages especially German, Green and Latin.
Most of the English words are a combination of basic words and additional prefixes and suffixes.
These roots are the basis of new words and help understand the complex words.
For a deeper understanding of the English vocabulary, sound knowledge of word roots is imperative.
| Root Word | Meanings | Origin | Examples and Definitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| A/n | not, without | Greek | abyss - without bottom; achromatic - without color; anhydrous - without water |
| A | on | Latin | afire - on fire; ashore - on the shore; aside - on the side |
| A, Ab/s | from, away, off | Latin | abduct - carry away by force; abnormal - away from normal, not normal; absent - away, not present; aversion - the act of turning away from; abbreviate: to shorten. |
| A/c/d | to, toward, near | Latin | accelerate - to increase the speed of; accessible - easily entered, approached, or obtained; admittance - allowing into; |
| Acro | top, height, tip, beginning | Greek | acrobat - a "high walker"; acronym - a word formed from the first (capital) letters of a word; acrophobia - fear of height |
| Act | do | Latin | activity - something that a person does; react - to do something in response; interaction - communication between two or more things |
| Aer/o | air | Greek | aerate - to let air reach something; aerial - relating to the air; aerospace - the air space |
| Agr/i/o | farming | Latin Greek | agriculture - management of the land, agribusiness - making money by utilizing land; agrarian - relating to the management of land |
| Alg/o | pain | Latin | neuralgia - pain caused by a nerve; analgesic - a drug that makes one pain free; nostalgia - aching for the familiar |
| Ambi, Amphi | both, on both sides, around | Latin | ambidextrous - able to use both hands equally; ambiguous - having more than one meaning; ambivalence - conflicting or opposite feelings toward a person or thing |
| Ambul | walk, move | Latin | amble - to walk in a slow, relaxed way; ambulant - walking or moving around; ambulance - a vehicle that moves a patient |
| Ami/o | love | Latin | amiable - friendly, pleasant, lovable; amity - friendly and peaceful relations; amorous - showing romantic love |
| Ana | up, back, against, again, throughout | Greek | analysis - a close examination of something; anatomy - the structure of something as visible when cut up for analysis; anachronism - not being in the right place in time |
| Andr/o | man, male | Greek | androgynous - being both male and female; android - resembling a human; misandry - hatred towards men |
| Anim | life, spirit | Latin | animal - a living organism; animate - to make alive; equanimity - of balanced spirit |
| Ann/enn | year | Latin | anniversary - a date observed once a year; annual - happening once a year; millennium - 1,000 years |
| Ante | before, in front | Latin | antecede - to come before something in time; antemeridian - before noon; anteroom- a small room before the main room |
| Anth/o | flower | Greek | chrysanthemum and amaranth - names of flowers; anthology - a collection of treasured writings; anthozoan - half plant, half animal, like anemones and corals. |
| Anthrop/o | human | Greek | anthropology - the study of mankind; anthropomorphism - giving human form to non-human things; philanthropy - the love to mankind (expressed through good deeds) |
| Anti | against, opposite of | Greek | antibody - a substance that destroys micro-organisms; antiseptic - preventing infection; antisocial - opposing social norm |
| Apo, Apho | away, off, separate | Greek | aphorism - a short expression of a general truth; apology - an explicit expression of regret, apostrophe - a small dash used in place of an omitted letter |
| Aqu/a | water | Latin | aquarium - a water container for fish; aquatic- relating to water; aqueduct - a pipeline for water |
| Arbor | tree | Latin | arborist - someone working with trees; arbor - a shady area formed by trees; arborous - having many trees |
| Arch/i | chief, most important, rule | Greek | archbishop - the highest ranking bishop; archenemy - chief or worst enemy; matriarch - a female who rules a group; monarch - a king or queen |
| Arch/a/i | primitive, ancient | Greek | archaeology - the study of ancient cultures; archaic - belonging to an earlier period; archive - a collection of historical materials |
| Arthr/o | joint | Latin Greek | arthroscope - a tool to see inside a joint; arthritis - inflammation of a joint; arthropod - invertebrates with jointed legs, like spiders, crustaceans, insects |
| Art | skill | Latin | artifact - object made by a person's skill; artisan - a person skilled in a craft; artist - a person who creates skillfully |
| Astro, Aster | star, stars, outer space | Greek | astronaut - a person traveling to the stars; astronomer - someone who studies the stars; asterisk - a star-shaped sign used as a reference tool |
| Aud/i/io | hear | Latin | audible - loud enough to be heard; audience - people who listen to a program; audiovisual - relating to sound and vision |
| Auto | self, same, one | Greek | autocrat - a person who governs with absolute power; autograph - a person's own signature; automatic - moving by itself |
| Avi/a | bird | Latin | aviary - a large enclosure for birds; aviatrix - a female airplane pilot; aviation - the art of designing or operating aircraft |
| Bar/o | pressure, weight | Greek | baric - pertaining to pressure, esp. of the atmosphere; milliard - metric unit, equal to 1/1000th of a bar; baryon - heavy elementary particle |
| Bell/i | war | Latin | bellicose - warlike; belligerent - hostile, ready to fight; rebel - person who opposes and fights |
| Bene | good, well | Latin | benefactor - person who gives money to a cause; beneficial - producing a good effect; benevolent - showing kindness or goodwill |
| Bi/n | two, twice, once in every two | Latin | biannual - happening twice a year; binoculars - optical device with two lenses; bilateral - of or involving two sides |
| Bibli/o | book | Greek | bibliography - a list of books used as sources; bibliomania - an extreme love of books; bibliophile - a person who loves books |
| Bio | life, living matter | Greek | biography- a life story written by another person; biology - the science of life; biosphere - Earth's surface inhabited by living things |
| Blast/o | cell, primitive, immature cell | Greek | blastula - an early stage of embryonic development; fibroblast - a cell that forms connective tissue; blastoderm - the layer surrounding the inside of an egg |
| Burs | pouch, purse | Latin | bursar- an administrative officer in charge of funds; bursary- the treasury of a college or monastery; disburse- to expend especially from a public fund |
| Calc | stone | Latin | calcite; calcium- the flame of acetylene gas generated by reaction of calcium carbide with water; calcification- impregnation with calcareous matter |
| Cand | glowing, iridescent | Latin | candid- free from bias, prejudice, or malice; candle- something that gives light; incandescent- white, glowing, or luminous with intense heat |
| Capt, Cept, Ceiv | take, hold | Latin | intercept - to stop or interrupt;perceive - to take notice of something; captivating - taking hold of |
| Cardi/o | heart | Greek | cardiac - relating to the heart; cardiogenic - resulting from heart disease; cardiologist - a heart doctor |
| Carn/i | flesh, meat | Latin | carnivorous - flesh-eating; carnal - pertaining to the body or flesh; incarnate - given bodily form |
| Cata | down, against completely, intensive, according to | Greek | cataclysm - a flood or other disaster, catalog - a complete listing; catastrophe - turning for the worst, a substantial disaster |
| Caust, Caut | to burn | Latin Greek | cauterize - to burn with a hot instrument; caustic - capable of burning or eating away; holocaust - total devastation, especially by fire |
| Cede, Ceed, Cess | go, yield | Latin | exceed - to go beyond the limits; recede - to go back; accessible - easily entered, approached, or obtained; |
| Celer | fast | Latin | accelerate - to increase the speed of; decelerate - to reduce the speed of |
| Cent/i | hundred, hundredth | Latin | centennial- the 100th anniversary; centimeter - 1/100 of a meter; century - 100 years |
| Centr/o/i | center | Greek | egocentric - self-centered; eccentric - not having a common center, not according to norm; centrifugal - moving outward from a center |
| Cephal/o | head | Greek | encephalitis - inflammation of the brain; cephalic - pertaining to the head; cephalopod - marine mollusks like octopus and squid who have tentacles growing from their head |
| Cerebr/o | brain | Latin | cerebral - pertaining to the brain; cerebrate - to use the brain; cerebrospinal - pertaining to the brain and the spinal cord |
| Cert | sure | Latin | ascertain- to find out something with certainty; certain - being absolutely sure; certify - to state that something is true |
| Chrom/o Chromat/o, Chros | color, pigment | Greek | achromatic - without color; chromium - a blue-white metallic chemical element, chromatics - the study of color |
| Chron/o | time | Greek | chronic - lasting for a long time; chronological - arranging events in time order, synchronize - happening at the same time |
| Chrys/o | gold, yellow | Greek | chrysanthemum and helichrysum - golden/yellow flowers; chrysolite - a yellowish gem |
| Cide, Cise | cut, kill | Latin | homicide - murder; incisor - a sharp tooth for cutting food; insecticide - a chemical used to kill insects |
| Circum, Circle | around, about | Latin | circumnavigate - to sail around; circumscribe - to draw around; circumspect - looking around |
| Claim, Clam | shout, speak out | Latin | clamor - to shout and make noise; exclaim - to cry out loudly and suddenly; proclamation - something announced officially in public |
| Clar | clear | Latin | clarification - an explanation; clarify - to make something clear; declare - to state something clearly |
| Clud, Clus | close | Latin | conclusion - the end or last part; exclusion - shutting out, rejecting; seclude - to keep away from; to isolate |
| Cline | lean | Latin | inclination - a leaning toward; incline - a surface that slopes or leans; recline - to lean back and relax |
| Co | with, together, joint | Latin | coauthor - writer who collaborates with another author; coeducation - educating males and females together; cohousing - planning your neighborhood in an intentional neighborly fashion |
| Col | together, jointly | Latin | Collaborate - to work together; collision - smashing together; colloquial - words formed by everday interaction |
| Com | together, common | Latin | commemorate - to memorize together; composition - an arrangement or putting together of parts; commune - living together while owning things in common |
| Cogn/i | know | Latin | cognition - process of acquiring knowledge; incognito - disguised so no one knows you; recognize - to discover that one knows |
| Con | with, jointly | Latin | concur - to agree with someone; contemporary - of the same time period as others; convention - a gathering of people with a common interest |
| Contra/o | against, opposite | Latin | contradict to argue against, Contraflow, contraception, contrary not in agreement, controversy disagreement |
| Corp/o | body | Latin | corporation - a company recognized by law as a single body; corpse - a dead body; corporal - pertaining to the body |
| Cosm/o | universe | Greek | cosmonaut - a Russian astronaut; cosmos - the universe; microcosm - a miniature universe |
| Counter | opposite, contrary, opposing | counteract - to oppose the effects of an action; countermand - to cancel a previous order; counteroffensive - attack against an attack | |
| Cranio | skull | Greek | craniology - the study of skull characteristics; cranium - skull of vertebrates; cranial - pertaining to the skull |
| Cred | believe | Latin | credence - belief that something is true or valid; credulous - believing things too easily, gullible; incredible - unbelievable |
| Cruc | cross | Latin | crucial-characteristic of or having the form of a cross ; crucifix- the cross itself as a Christian emblem; excruciating- so intense as to cause great pain or anguish |
| Crypto | hidden, secret | Greek | cryptic - of hidden meaning; cryptography - science of secret codes; encrypt - encode into secret code |
| Cumul | mass, heap | Latin | accumulate - to gather or pile up; cumulative - gradually building up |
| Curr, Curs | run | Latin | concurrent- running parallel; current- flowing easily and smoothly; cursive- having a flowing, easy, impromptu character |
| Cycl | circle, ring | Greek | bicycle - a vehicle with two wheels; cycle - a sequence that is repeated; cyclone - a storm with circling winds |
| De | reduce, away, down, remove | Latin | decelerate - to slow down, reduce speed; dethrone - to remove from power; debug - to remove bugs |
| Dec/a, Deka | ten | Greek | decade - 10 years; decathlon - athletic contest that includes 10 disciplines in which each participant competes; December - formerly the 10th month of the Roman calendar |
| Deci | one tenth | Latin | deciliter - a tenth of a liter; decimate - reduce dramatically; decibel - one tenth of the sound volume unit bel |
| Dem/o | people | Greek | democracy - government of the people; demographic - the study of people; epidemic - spreading among people in a region |
| Demi | half, less than | Latin | demitasse - a small cup of coffee; demimonde - someone of little respected life style |
| Dendr/o/i | tree | Greek | philodendron - a climbing plant that grows on trees; dendrochronology - dating events by studying growth rings in trees; dendriform - in the shape of a tree |
| Dent, Dont | tooth | Latin | dental - relating to teeth; dentist - a doctor for the teeth; dentures - a set of false teeth |
| Derm/a | skin | Greek | dermatologist - a doctor for the skin; pachyderm - a class of animals with very thick skin (elephant, rhinoceros); dermatitis - inflammation of the skin |
| Di/plo | two, twice | Greek | dichromatic - displaying two colors; diploma - a certificate, literally "a letter folded double"; dilemma - a situation that requires a choice between two alternatives. |
| Di/s | apart, away, not, to the opposite | Latin | digression - a departure from the main issue, subject; disappear - to move out of sight; dissect - to cut apart piece by piece. |
| Dia | through, between, apart, across | Greek | diabetes - disease characterized by excessive thirst and discharge of urine; diagnosis - understanding a condition by going through a detailed review of symptoms; dialog - conversation between two people. |
| Dict | speak | Latin | contradict - to express the opposite of; prediction - a statement foretelling the future; dictate - to speak out loud for another person to write down. |
| Domin | master | Latin | dominate - to be the master of; domineering - excessively controlling; predominate - to have more power than others |
| Don/at | give | Latin | donation - a contribution or gift; donor - someone who gives something; pardon - to give forgiveness for an offense |
| Duc/t | lead | Latin | conduct - to lead musicians in playing music; educate - to lead to knowledge; deduction - a subtraction of an amount. |
| Du/o | two, twice | Latin | duplicate - make an identical copy; duet - a musical composition for two voices or instruments; duo - a pair normally thought of as being together. |
| Dur | harden, to last, lasting | Latin | durable - having the quality of lasting; duration - the length of time something lasts; enduring - able to last. |
| Dyn/a/am | power, energy, strength | Greek | dynamo - a generator of energy; dynamic - having physical energy/power; dynamite - a powerful explosive. |
| Dys | abnormal, bad | Greek | dyspepsia - abnormal digestion; dystopia - an imaginary place of total misery; dyslexia - impairment of the ability to handle words. |
| E- | out, away | Latin | eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully; emissary - a representative of a country or group sent on a mission; eject - throw out forcefully. |
| Ego | self | Latin Greek | egoistic - self-centered; alter ego - a higher aspect of oneself; egomania - excessive preoccupation with oneself. |
| Em, En | into, cover with, cause | empathy - intention to feel like another person; empower - put into power; engorge - make larger. | |
| Endo | within, inside | Greek | endotherm - a creature that can keep its inside temperature fairly constant; endocrine - relating to glands that secrete directly into the blood or lymph; endogamy - the custom to marry within one's clan, tribe etc. |
| Enn/i, Anni | years | Latin | bicentennial - of or relating to an age or period of 200 years; centennial - of or relating to an age or period of 100 years; perennial -lasting through many years. |
| En, In | inside, inwards | Latin | envision - to picture in the mind; enclose - lock inside; inwards - towards the inside. |
| Ep/i | on, upon, over, among, at, after, to, outside | Greek | epidemic - the rapid spread of something negative; epilogue - a short speech delivered after a play; epicenter - the center of an earthquake. |
| Equ/i | equal, equally | Latin | equidistant - an equal distance from two points; equanimity - calm temperament, evenness of temper; equation - a statement of equality. |
| Erg/o | work | Greek | ergonomics - study of the working environment; energy - the power to accomplish work; energetics - science that looks at energy and its transformation. |
| Esth/aesth | feeling, sensation, beauty | Latin | esthetician - someone who beautifies; aesthetic - pertaining to a sense of beauty; kinesthesia - the sensation of bodily movement. |
| Ethno | race, people | Greek | ethnic - pertaining to a defined group of people; ethnocentric - focusing on the ethnicity of people; ethnology - the science of people and races. |
| Eu | good, well | Greek | euphemism - replacing an offensive word with an inoffensive one; euphonious - having a pleasant sound; euphoria - feeling of well-being. |
| Ex | from, out, | Latin | excavate - to dig out; exhale - to breathe out; extract - to pull out. |
| Extra, Extro | outside, beyond | Latin | extraordinary - beyond ordinary; extraterrestrial - outside the Earth; extrovert - an outgoing person. |
| Fac/t | make, do | Latin | artifact - an object made by a person; factory - a place where things are made; malefact - a person who does wrong. |
| Fer | bear, bring, carry | Latin | confer - to bring an honor to someone; ferry - a boat that carries passengers; transfer - to move to another place. |
| Fid | faith | Latin | confide - place trust in someone, fidelity - faithfulness; fiduciary - a trustee; |
| Flect | bend | Latin | deflect - to bend course because of hitting something; inflection - a bending in the voice's tone or pitch; flexible - easily bending. |
| Flor/a, Fleur | flower | Latin | florist - someone working with flowers; floral - flowerlike; flora - the plant life of a particular time or area |
| For | completely (used to intensify the meaning of a word) | forsaken or forfeited - completely lost; forgiven - completely given (a release of debt). | |
| Fore | in front of, previous, earlier | forebear - ancestor; forebode - to give an advance warning of something bad; forecast - a preview of events to be. | |
| Form | shape | Latin | conformity- correspondence in form, manner, or character; formation- something that is formed; reformatory- intended for reformation |
| Fract, Frag | break | Latin | fracture - a break; fragile - easy to break; fragment or fraction - a part or element of a larger whole; |
| Fug | flee, run away, escape | Latin | fugitive - a person who is running away; refuge - a sheltered place to flee to; refugee - a person seeking protection |
| Funct | perform, work | Latin | defunct - no longer working or alive; function - to work or perform a role normally; malfunction - to fail to work correctly. |
| Fus | pour | Latin | confusion - being flooded with too much information that is hard to make sense of; fuse - to melt by heating; infuse - to put into. |
| Gastr/o | stomach | Greek | gastric - pertaining to the stomach; gastronomy - serving the stomach by providing good food; gastritis - inflammation of the stomach. |
| Gen/o/e/ Genesis | birth, production, formation, kind | Greek | genealogy - the study of the history of a family; generation - all the people born at approximately the same time; genetic -relating to heredity encoded in the genes. |
| Geo | earth, soil, global | Greek | geography - study of the earth's surface; geology - study of the structure of the earth; geoponics - soil based agriculture. |
| Ger | old age | Greek | geriatrics - medicine pertaining to the elderly; gerontocracy - the rule of the elders; gerontology - the science of aging. |
| Giga | a billion | Greek | gigabyte - unit of computer storage space; gigahertz - unit of frequency (one billion Hz/sec); gigawatt unit of electric power (one billion watts). |
| Gon | angle | Latin Greek | decagon - a polygon with 10 angles; diagonal - a slanting line running across a space; octagon - a geometrical figure with 8 angles. |
| Gram | letter, written | Greek | diagram - a simple drawing; grammar - rules of how to write words in sentences; telegram - a message sent by telegraph. |
| Gran | grain | Latin | granary- a storehouse or repository for grain especially after it is threshed or husked; granola- a mixture of rolled oats and other ingredients; granule- a little grain (as of sugar) |
| Graph/y | writing, recording, written | Greek | Graphology - the study of handwritings; autograph - written with one's own hand; seismograph - a machine noting strength and duration of earthquakes. |
| Grat | pleasing | Latin | gratify - to please someone; grateful - feeling thankful; gratuity - a tip, token of appreciation. |
| Gyn/o/e | woman, female | Greek | gynecology - the science of female reproductive health; gynephobia - fear of women; gynecoid - resembling a woman. |
| Gress, Grad/e/i | to step, to go | Latin | digression - a departure from the main issue, subject, etc.; progress - movement forward or onward; gradual - step by step. |
| Hect/o, Hecat | hundred | Greek | hectoliter - 100 liters; hectare - metric unit equaling 100 ares or 10,000 square meters; hectometer - 100 meters. |
| Helic/o | spiral, circular | Greek | helicopter - an aircraft with horizontal rotating wing; helix - a spiral form; helicon - a circular tuba. |
| Heli/o | sun | Greek | heliotropism - movement or growth in relating to the sun; heliograph - apparatus used to send message with the help of sunlight; helianthus - genus of plants including sunflowers. |
| Hemi | half, partial | Greek | hemicycle - a semicircular structure; hemisphere - one half of the earth; hemistich - half a line of poetry. |
| Hem/o/a | blood | Latin Greek | hemorrhage - clotting of the blood; hemorrhoids - swelling of the blood vessels; hemoglobin - red blood particle. |
| Hepa | liver | Latin | hepatitis - inflammation of the liver; hepatoma - a tumor of the liver; hepatotoxic - toxic and damaging to the liver. |
| Hept/a | seven | Greek | heptagon - a shape with seven angles and seven sides; Heptateuch - the first seven books of the Old Testament; heptameter - a line of verse consisting of seven metrical feet. |
| Herbi | grass, plant | Latin | herbicide - any chemical used to kill unwanted plants, etc.; herbivorous - plant-eating; herbal - relating to plants. |
| Hetero | different, other | Greek | heterogeneous - made up of unrelated parts; heteronyms - words with same spelling but different meanings; heterodox - not conforming to traditional beliefs. |
| Hex/a | six | Greek | hexagon - a shape with six angles/sides; hexameter - a verse measured in six; hexapod - having six legs. |
| Histo | tissue | Greek | histology - study of the microscopic structure of tissues; histochemistry - study of the chemical constitution of cells and tissues. |
| Homo, Homeo | like, alike, same | Latin Greek | homogeneous - of the same nature or kind; homonym - sounding alike; homeopath - a therapy that is based on treating "same with same" |
| Hydr/o | liquid, water | Greek | hydrate - to add water to; hydrophobia - intense fear of water; hydroponics - growing plants in liquid nutrient solution; hydraulic - operated by force created by a liquid. |
| Hygr/o | moisture, humidity | Greek | hygrometer - tool used to measure humidity; hygrograph - instrument for recording variations in atmospheric humidity. |
| Hyper | too much, over, excessive, beyond | Latin Greek | hyperactive - very restless; hypercritical - too critical; hypertension - above normal pressure. |
| Hyp/o | under | Greek | hypoglycemia - an abnormally low level of sugar in the blood; hypothermia - abnormally low body temperature; hypothesis - a theory that is unproven but used under the assumption that it is true. |
| Iatr/o | medical care | Greek | geriatrics - medical care of the elderly; pediatrician - a doctor who treats children; podiatry - medical care for feet. |
| Icon/o | image | Latin Greek | icon - an (often religious) image, in modern usage a simplified graphic of high symbolic content; iconology - science of symbols and icons; iconoclast - someone who destroys religious images and traditional beliefs. |
| Idio | peculiar, personal, distinct | Greek | idiomatic - Peculiar to a particular language; idiosyncracy - a physical or mental characteristic typical or a particular person; idiot - someone who is distinctly foolish or stupid. |
| Il, In | in, into | Latin | illuminate - to give light to; innovation - a new idea, method, or device; inspection - the act of examining or reviewing. |
| Ig, Il, Im, In, Ir | not, without | Latin | illegal - not legal; impossible - not possible; inappropriate - not appropriate; irresponsible - not responsible. |
| Imag | likeness | Latin | image - a likeness of someone; imaginative - able to think up new ideas or images; imagine - to form a picture or likeness in the mind. |
| Infra | beneath, below | Latin | infrastructure - underlying framework of a system; infrared - below the regular light spectrum. |
| Inter | between, among, jointly | Latin | international - involving two or more countries; intersection - place where roads come together; intercept - to stop or interrupt the course of. |
| Intra, Intro | within, inside | Latin | intrastate - existing in one state; intravenous - inside or into a vein; introvert - shy person who keeps within him/herself. |
| Ir | not | Latin | irredeemable - not redeemable; irreformable - not reformable; irrational - not rational. |
| Iso | equal | isobar - a line on a map connecting points of equal barometric pressure; isometric - having equality of measure; isothermal - having equal or constant temperature. | |
| Ject | throw | Latin | eject - to throw someone/something out; interject - to throw a remark into a discussion; project - to cast or throw something. |
| Jud | law | Latin | judgment - a decision of a court of law; judicial - having to do with judges or courts of law; judiciary - a system of courts of law. |
| Junct | join | Latin | conjunction - a word that joins parts of sentences; disjunction - a disconnection; junction - a place where two things join. |
| Juven | young | Latin | juvenile - youthful or childish; rejuvenate - to bring back to youthful strength or appearance. |
| Kilo | thousand | Greek | kilobyte - 1,000 bytes; kilometer - 1,000 meter; kilograms - 1,000 grams. |
| Kine/t /mat | motion, division | Greek | kinetics - study of the force of motion; psychokinesis or telekinesis - the ability to move objects with your mind; cinematography - motion picture making. |
| Lab | work | Latin | collaborate - to work with a person; elaborate - to work out the details; laborious - requiring a lot of hard work. |
| Lact/o | milk | Latin | lactate - to give milk, nurse; lactose - the sugar contained in milk; lactic acid. |
| Later | side | Latin | bilateral - of or involving two sides; unilateral - affecting one side of something. |
| Leuk/o, Leuc/o | white, colorless | Greek | leukemia - abnormal increase of white blood cells in the blood; leukocyte - a mature white blood cell; leucine - a white, crystalline amino acid. |
| Lex | word, law, reading | Greek | lexicology - the study and history of words; alexia -loss of the ability to read; illegal - not authorized by the official rules or laws. |
| Liber | free | Latin | liberate - to set free; libertine - a person with a free, wild lifestyle; liberty - freedom. |
| Lingu | language, tongue | Latin | linguist - one who studies languages; multilingual - able to communicate in multiple languages; linguine - long, flat "tongue-shaped" pasta. |
| Lip/o | fat | Greek | liposuction - the mechanical removal of fat reserves in the tissue; lipase - enzyme that breaks down fat; lipoid - resembling fat. |
| Lite, Ite, Lith/o | mineral, rock, fossil | Greek | apatite - a group of common minerals; granite - a hard, granular rock; monolith - a remarkable, unique stone. |
| Loc | place | Latin | dislocate - to put something out of its usual place; location - a place; relocate - to move to a new place. |
| Log/o | word, doctrine, discourse | Greek | logic - correct reasoning; monologue - a long speech by one speaker;analogy - similarity, especially between things otherwise dissimilar. |
| Loqu, Locu | speak | Latin | eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully ; loquacious - very talkative; elocution - art of public speaking. |
| Luc | light | Latin | elucidate - to explain, to throw light on; lucid - easily understood, giving off light; translucent - allowing light through. |
| Lud, Lus | to play | Latin | prelude - introduction to the major performance; illusion - misleading optical image or impression; delude - to mislead, deceive. |
| Lumin | light | Latin | illuminate - to fill with light; lumen - unit measuring light. |
| Lun/a/i | moon | Latin | lunar - relating to the moon; lunarscape - the surface of the moon; lunatic - insane (as if driven mad by the moon). |
| Macro | large, great | Greek | macroevolution - large scale evolution; macromolecule - a large molecule; macroeconomics - study of the overall forces of economy. |
| Magn/a/i | great, large | Latin | magnify - make larger; magnificent - grand; magnate - a powerful person, especially in business or industry. |
| Mal/e | bad, ill, wrong | Latin | malcontent - wrong content; malaria - "bad air", infectious disease thought to originate from the "bad air" of the swamps, but caused by the bite of an infected mosquito; malicious - showing strong ill will. |
| Man/i/u | hand | Latin | maneuver - to move by hand; manual - done with the hands; manuscript - a book written by hand. |
| Mand | to order | Latin | command - an order or instruction; demand - a hard-to-ignore order; mandate - an official order. |
| Mania | madness, insanity, excessive desire | Greek | bibliomania - a crazy love of books; egomania - a mad love of oneself; maniac an insane person. |
| Mar/i | sea | Latin | marina - a harbor for pleasure boats; maritime - relating to the sea; submarine - an undersea boat; aquamarine - color of sea water. |
| Mater, Matr/i | mother | Latin | maternal - relating to motherhood; maternity - the state of being a mother; matriarch - a woman head of a household. |
| Max | greatest | Latin | maximal - the best or greatest possible; maximize - to make as great as possible; maximum - the greatest amount. |
| Medi | middle | Latin | medieval - pertaining to the Middle Ages; medium - in the middle; mediocre - only of medium (inferior) quality. |
| Mega | great, large, million | Greek | megalopolis - an area with many nearby cities; megaphone - a device that projects a loud voice; megastructure - huge building or other structure. |
| Melan/o | black | Greek | melancholy - a state of dark emotions; melanoma - malignant dark tumor of the skin; melodrama - a dark, pathetic drama. |
| Memor/i | remember | Latin | commemorate - to honor the memory of, as by a ceremony; memorial - related to remembering a person or event; memory: an ability to retain knowledge or an individual's stock of retained knowledge. |
| Merge, Mers | dip, dive | Latin | immerge or immerse - to put or dip something into a liquid; submerge to dip something completely into wate.r |
| Meso | middle | Latin Greek | Mesoamerica - Middle America; meson - elementary particle with a mass between an electron and a proton. |
| Meta | change, after, beyond, between | Greek | metaphysics - study of nature and reality; metamorphosis - a complete change of form; metastasis - the transmission of disease to other parts of the body. |
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