primitive, ancient, origin. Since much of the English language is derived from Latin and Greek, there may be times when the root of a word isn't immediately recognizable because of its origin.You'll find that the roots listed below are from Greek or Latin and can't stand alone in English; they need something joined to them to make a whole word in English. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4.b VocabularySpellingCity.com provides root word lists, printables, and interactive Greek and Latin root word games and activities that give students the opportunity to practice using Latin and Greek Roots as clues to form words. Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia, M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester, B.A., English, State University of New York. bibliography, bibliophile. autobiography, biology. Let's take a look at some examples from each language. Enhance your Learning with Root Word Dictionary, Learn Various Roots of Words to Improve Vocabulary. Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter. Greek Root: gno Meaning: know Root Words: agnosia, agnostic, gnomic, 19. aeronautics, aerosol. Teaching Greek and Latin root words helps students to more quickly decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words and is an effective strategy for word comprehension and vocabulary building. air, atmosphere. Cloudflare Ray ID: 5dbf463d6ea82798 Greek Root: byss Meaning: Bottom Root Words: abyss, abyssopelagic, hypabyssal, 7. This table also serves as an index to the pages where you can learn English words from Latin and Greek roots. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Greek Root: narc Meaning: numb Root Words: narcos, narcotic, narcolepsy, 27. 7. Even many famous English names are actually Greek Root Words. Greek Root: gam Meaning: marriage Root Words: gamete, monogamy, polygamy, 17. An easy way to remember that phon means “sound” is through the word sym phon y, which is many instruments making a “sound” together. The following is the list of 30 commonly used Greek Roots along with their meanings and the different words made from these Greek Root Words: 1. In this section of Enhance My Vocabulary, you'll find many examples of Greek words and the English words derived from them. These Greek and Latin roots contributing to the formation of various English words are discussed in detail below: Greek Root Words. Greek Root: cosm Meaning: universe Root Words: cosmology, cosmonaut, cosmopolitan, 9. The table below defines and illustrates 25 of the most common Greek roots. There are several reasons for this sort of pattern, and the changes often depend on what language each individual word comes from, but it serves as a reminder that not every word with the same root will look exactly the same. Understanding root words will prove particularly useful for those preparing for the vocabulary section of the SATs. The word comes directly from the name of a Greek nymph, Echo. Please enter four valid words to play. By dissecting words such as these, etymologists can study how a word has evolved over time and tell us about the cultures they came from. dem. Greek Root: aqu Meaning: water Root Words: Aquarium, Aquatic, Aquiferous. In addition, words that look similar may derive from different roots. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Or click "Continue" to use our list. The word "technology" itself is a combination of two other Greek root words, techne, meaning "skill" or "art," and logos, or "study.". Being a voracious reader will naturally boost your vocabulary. Words like this tend to have related meanings on their own, then can also act as roots for longer, more complex words. By learning root words, you can decipher unfamiliar words, expand your vocabulary, and become a better English speaker. Greek Root: eth Meaning: custom habit Root Words: ethics, ethology, ethos, 16. An "echo" is a sound that comes back to you because it reverberates off a surface. derma. Greek Root: hemi Meaning: partial Root Words: hemisphere, hemicycle, hemitonic, 21. All Rights Reserved. These roots are listed alphabetically on three pages: Some of those used in medicine and medical technology are listed in the List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes. • self. • Research also indicates that struggling readers benefit from a focus on learning both Greek and Latin roots. Wish to drop a word, connect with us or provide feedback? Making learning fun with our Greek and Latin root games helps improve knowledge retention! Greek Root: dyna Meaning: power Root Words: dynamic, aerodynamics, dynasty, 12. Greek Root: schem Meaning: plan Root Words: schema, schematic, schematize, scheme. This list includes words such as photo, kinesis, chrome, port, and script. Greek and Latin Root Words; Root Word: Meaning: Origin: Example: astro: star: Greek: astronaut: aud: hear: Latin: audio: auto: self: Greek: automatic: bene: good: Latin: benevolent: cred: believe: Latin: credible: dict: say: Latin: dictate: meter: measure: Greek: kilometer: micro: small: Greek: microscope: form: shape: Latin: formation: graph: write: Greek: autograph: hydr: water: Greek: dehydrate: liter: … Latin & Greek Root Words Sample ListClick 'Continue' to play with this list or enter your own. The root of the word "vocabulary," for example, is voc, a Latin root meaning "word" or "name." Greek Root: od Meaning: path, way Root Words: parodos, anode, diode, 28. people. Greek Root: anthrop Meaning: human Root Words: Anthropology, Misanthrope, Philanthrophy, 2. aer. Greek Root: hemer Meaning: tame Root Words: hemeroby, hemerochora, hemerophile, 22. List of Common Greek Root Words: Greek Root Words Memory Game Most common greek root words aero - air : aerobics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, aerate arch - ruler or leader: monarch, archbishop, matriarch ast - star : astronaut, astronomy, disaster, asterisk, asteroid biblio - book : … 2. Did you know Greek and Latin words form the basis, or root, for several words in the English language? microcosm, cosmic. English Words. Think of the Greek root word tele, which means "far," and inventions that traverse long distances, such as the telegraph, telephone, and television. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing of meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate. Context clues also provide helpful hints. In this way, if you understand the root, a simple suffix or prefix won't deter you from comprehension. This is not an exhaustive list but will give you a good feel for the Greek roots of English. Greek Root: rhe Meaning: flow Root Words: rheology, diarrhoea, rhythm, 29. Greek Root: anthrop Meaning: human Root Words: Anthropology, Misanthrope, Philanthrophy. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph). Greek Root: eur Meaning: wide Root Words: aneurysm, Europe, eurypterid, microaneurysm, 15. The best way to build your vocabulary is by recognizing the common Greek Roots. auto. View Greek and Latin Root Words at a GlanceClose, Latin Root “ced/cede/cess”: secede, intercede, accessible, recession, precede, antecedent, recede, exceed, proceed, concession, accede, cease, cede, concede, decease, precedent, succeed, Latin Root “cept”: concept, reception, deception, susceptible, perception, intercept, misconception, exceptional, receptive, perceptive, Latin Root “corp”: corporation, corporeal, corps, corpse, incorporate, corpus, corpulent, corpuscle, corporal, corset, Latin Root “cred”: incredible, credit, accredited, credentials, credible, credence, incredulous, creed, discredit, credulous, credo, Latin Root “dic”: dictate, predict, dictation, dictionary, indicate, contradict, verdict, edict, abdicate, dictator, dedicate, diction, indict, jurisdiction, predicate, vindicate, Latin Root “duc”: conduct, productive, induction, deduction, aqueduct, abduct, educate, introduce, seduce, ductile, conducive, conductor, induct, Latin Root “flect/flex”: flexible, reflective, reflexive, inflection, deflect, reflex, reflector, flex, genuflect, Latin Root “frag/frac”: fracture, fragment, fraction, refract, infraction, fragile, frail, fractal, diffraction, Latin Root “ject”: reject, eject, injection, dejected, object, projectile, subject, trajectory, project, objective, Latin Root “lum/luc”: luminous, luminary, illuminated, lucid, lumen, translucent, illustrate, illustrious, bioluminescence, luster, lackluster, Latin Root “man”: manufacture, manual, manipulate, manifest, manicure, emancipate, maneuver, mandate, manage, manuscript, Latin Root “ped”: pedal, pedestrian, pedestal, peddler, pedicure, centipede, impede, orthopedist, pedometer, biped, Latin Root “pel/pul”: compel, expel, propel, propeller, repellent, pulsate, repulsive, impulse, compulsion, pellet, dispel, Latin Root “pend”: pendant, pendulum, suspend, pending, depend, appendage, appendix, dependent, expend, impending, propensity, stipend, Latin Root “sens/sent”: sensation, sentiment, sentient, dissension, consensus, sensory, sensible, insensitive, sentinel, resent, consent, assent, scent, sense, sensuous, sentry, sensitive, Latin Root “tract”: traction, tractor, contract, attractive, retraction, abstract, distract, extract, subtract, intractable, attract, protract, Latin Root “vers/vert”: adversary, controversy, diversion, subvert, convert, converse, reversible, vertex, vertebra, diverse, traverse, conversation, inverse, versus, avert, Latin Root “voc”: vocal, revoke, provoke, evoke, invocation, evocative, advocate, vocation, equivocal, vocabulary, Latin Roots “viv” and “mort”: revive, survive, vivacious, vivid, convivial, immortal, mortality, mortician, mortified, mortuary, Greek Root “ast”: aster, asterisk, asteroid, astronomy, astronaut, astrology, astronomical, disaster, Greek Root “cycl”: unicycle, bicycle, cyclone, cyclic, cycle, recycle, cyclical, encyclopedia, Greek Root “dem”: democracy, demography, epidemic, endemic, demagogue, demographic, pandemic, epidemiology, Greek Root “gen”: genesis, genetics, eugenics, genealogy, generate, genetic, antigen, pathogen, generation, genocide, progeny, genes, degenerate, congenital, gender, Greek Root “hydr”: dehydrate, hydrant, hydraulic, hydrogen, hydra, hydrate, hydrology, hydroplane, hydroponics, hydrangea, Greek Root “phon”: phonograph, phonetic, symphony, homophone, euphonious, telephone, microphone, phonics, cacophony, phoneme, Greek Root “poli”: metropolis, police, politics, megalopolis, acropolis, cosmopolitan, political, policy, Greek Roots “gram” & “graph”: telegram, diagram, grammar, epigram, monogram, program, anagram, graph, graphic, autograph, photography, graphite, biography, paragraph, bibliography, calligraphy, choreographer, seismograph, Greek Roots “opt” & “scop”: optician, optometrist, optic, optical, microscope, telescope, periscope, stethoscope, scope, horoscope, Greek Roots “therm” & “meter”: thermometer, thermal, thermostat, thermos, thermodynamics, exothermic, hypothermia, centimeter, diameter, meter, barometer.