Root Words for Science
a-/an- without/not
brachi- arm
deci- tenth
ab- away from out from
bronch- windpipe
demi- half
-able capable of
bryos- moss
dendr- tree
-aceous of, pertaining to
dent- tooth
aesthen- weak, moveable
carn- meat, flesh
derm- skin
agri- field, soil
cen-, cene- now, recent
di- two
-al having the character of
celest – heaven, sky
dia- through
allos- strange
centi- hundredth
di-, dis- away from
alto- high
centra- center
dia- day
ambi-/amphi- both
cephalo- head
digit- finger, toe
anemo- wind
cerato- horn
duct – bend, flex
ante- ahead of time, before
chalco- copper
dynamo- power
anti- against
chlor- green
archeo- ancient, primitive
chrom-, -chrome color
echin-, echino- spiny, prickly
aren- sand
chron- time
ecto- outside
arthr- joint
circa-, circum- around, about
endo- inside
aster-, astro- star
cirru- hairlike
-eous nature of, like
-ate/-ation action or process of
clast- pieces
epi- above
atmos-/aeos- air
clev-, cleav- to stick to
eu- proper, well-formed
aqu- water
co-/con- with, together
ex- away from
australo- southern
coni- cone
exo- outer
avi- bird, flying
cosmo- world, order, form
extra- beyond, outside
crypto- hidden, covered
baro- weight, pressure
cumul- heaped
-fer bear, carry, produce
bathys- depth, height
cyan- blue
ferro- iron
bene- well, good
fibr- fiber, thread
bi- two
dactyl- finger
fiss-, -fid divided into, split
bio- life
de- removal of
-flect, -flex bend
boreal- northern
deca- ten
flu-, fluct- flux, flow
folia- leaf
intra- inside
oligo- few, little
form- shape
-ist/-tor/-an/-er person who deals
with
-ology study
fract- break
iso- equal
gastro- stomach
gen- beginning, to produce
-ism a state or condition
-ity condition of being
omni- all
ornith- bird
oro - mountains
osteo- bone
geo- earth
glac- ice
gnath- jaw
-gon angle, corner
-grad step
graph-, -gram writing, record
gyr- ring, circle, spiral
lat-, -lateral side
lin- line
lith-, -lite stone, petrify
loc- place
lumen- light, bright, shine
lus- light, shiny
lyso-, -lysis break apart
hal-, halo- salt
hemi- half
herb- plants
herp- snakes, reptile
hetero- different
homo-, homeo- same, alike
hydro- water
hygr- moist, wet
hyper- above, more
hypo- below, less
malle- hammer
med, meso, mio- middle
mega- million, great
met-, meta- between, changed
-meter measurement
micro- small
in-, il-, im-, ir- not, toward, into
morph- form, body
muta- change
inter- between
permea- pass, go
phanero- visible
photo- light
pluto- underworld, beneath
poly- many
post- after, behind
pre- before
pro-, proto- first, before
pseudo- false
ptero- wing
pyro- fire
re- again
retro- backwards
rhino- nose
rhiz- root, rootlike
neo- new, recent
rota- wheel, spin, turn around
noct-, nov- night
infra- below, beneath
-ine of, pertaining to
pan- all
mono- one
ichthy- fish
ign- fire
paleo- old, ancient
-pod, -ped foot
macro- large
multi- many
-ian, -ean time of
pachy- thick
sauros- reptile
odont- teeth
-oid similar to
seis- to shake
sept- partition, seven
speleos- cave
thallaso- sea
verge – move
sphere - encompassing area
therm- heat
vesic- cavity or hole
stoma-, -stome mouth, opening
trans- across, through
vita-/vit-, viv- life
stratum- road, layer
tri- three
vitro- glassy
sub- below
tropo - reaction, response, change
-volv- to roll around
supra-, super- above, over
trus – to twist or wrap
sym-, syn- together, with
tel-, tele- distant
tetra- four
xeno- strange, foreign
ultra- extreme, beyond the usual
range
zoo-, zo-, -zoan animal
uni- one
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