create a creature
Student Handout
© 2007 National Geographic Society
Educators may reproduce these materials for students.
additional greek and latin word parts
a — on, in, at; plural; without
carn — flesh
ence — state of
acantho — spiny
carni — meat
ennial — yearly
acro — high
caud — tail
epi — upon, over
acu — sharp
cele — swell
escent — growing
ae — plural
celer — swift
esia — act, state of
aero — air
centi — one hundred
eu — well, good
allo — different, other, strange
cephale — head
euoplo — well-armed
alpha — first
ceptor — receiver
exo — outside
alti — high
cerat — horned
extra — outside of
ambul — walk
chasm — ravine, canyon
faun — animal
amphi — around
chord — string
fic — make
ampli — large
cide — killer
fid — split
an — not
circum — around
fiss — split
anato — duck
cle — small
flora — plant
ane — denoting
clude — close
foli — leaf
anim — breath
coel — hollow
form — form of
ankylo — fused
con — with, together
fy — to make
ante — before
contra — opposite
gallo — rooster
anti — against
corpus — body
gel — stiffen
apato — deceptive
cory — helmet
gen — original
aqua — water
cosm — universe
geny — origin
archae — ancient
crypt — hidden
geo — earth
arium — used for
cycl — circle
gerous — bearing
ary — used for
cyto — hollow
gnathus — jaw
asis — unhealthy
dactyl — finger, toe
gracile — slender-bodied
aster — star
dec — ten
graph — drawing
ate — like, possessing
deca — ten
gravi — heavy
audi — hear
deino — terrible
gryp — curved
auri — ear
derma — skin
gymno — naked
aurus — lizard
di — two
gyr — rotate
avi — bird
dia — across
heli — sun
bar(o) — heavy
din(o) — terrible
hemi — half
bi — two
diplo — double
hemo — blood
bola — throw
dors — back
herb — plant
brachio — arm
duce — to lead
heter — different, other
brevi — short
dupl — two
hippo — horse
bronto — thunder
dyma — putting on, off
holo — whole
caco — bad
dynam — power
homo — same
camara — chambered
dys — bad
hyal — clear
cantho — spine
dysis — putting on, off
hydra — water
cardio — heart
ella — small
hyper — over, above
National Geographic’s Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure • nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/educators
create a creature
Student Handout
hypo — under, below
mim — copy
ous — pertaining to
i — plural
mimus — mimic
over — above
ia — pertaining to
mono — single
ovi — egg
ic — having
morph — form
pachy — thick
icthy — fish
multi — many
pan — all
id — having
mut — change
papr — ward off
idium — small
mycin — fungi
par — beside
in — in, into
myo — mouselike
para — near
ina — subclass
myria — many
pater — father
ine — pertaining to
mytho — legend
pect — thick
infra — below
nano — small
ped — foot, child
inter — between
nect — swim
pel — drive
intra — within
neo — new
pelt — shield
intro — go into
noct — night
pend — hang
ite — belonging to
nod — knot
pene — almost
itis — inflamation
nome — name
penia — lack of
ject — to throw
non — not
penta — five
kilo — thousand
nonus — nine
per — for each
lapse — to slip
noto — back
peri — around
lat — wide
nov — new
phac — lens
later — side
nycho — claw
phago — to eat
lepto — small
nychus — claw
phan — visible
lipse — leave
oct — eight
phen — appearance of
lite — minerals
ode — of nature, of
phil — loving
luc — light
oden — tooth
phob — fearsome
lun — moon
odon — tooth
phon — sound
lysis — loosening
off — from
phore — bears
lyte — loosening
oid — form of
phores — carries
ma — act of
ole — small
phot — light
macro — large
olig — few
phren — the mind
magni — great
oma — tumor
physic — natural
maia — good mother
omni — all
physis — form, growth
mani — hand
onto — being
phyto — plant
mari — sea
onyx — claw
pico — million
me — act of
ops — face
plas — form, mold
med — middle
opter — wing
plate — flat
meg — large
orith — bird
plex — network
mes — middle
ornith — bird
plexy — paralysis
meta — with, after
ortho — straight
plo — armored
micro — small
oscill — swing
ploid — division of
milli — thousand
ose — full of
plur — more
National Geographic’s Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure • nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/educators
© 2007 National Geographic Society
Educators may reproduce these materials for students.
additional greek and latin word parts
create a creature
Student Handout
© 2007 National Geographic Society
Educators may reproduce these materials for students.
additional greek and latin word parts
pod — foot
scler — hard
tele — distance, far off
poeia — making
scope — examine
tend — stretch
polar — axis
se — apart
terr — earth
poly — many
sect — cutting
therm — heat
ponic — toil
sed — sit
thetic — setting down
post — after
seism — earthquake
tom — cut
pre — before
semi — half
top — face; head; place
prim — first
sens — feel
tort — twist
pro — first, in front
sept — seven
tract — draw
pros — toward
sex — six
trans — over, around
prot — first
sinu — curve
trauma — wound
proter — before
sis — act, state of
tri — three
pseud — false
siss — stand
troo — wounded
psil — bare
sist — set, stand
trop — turning
psych — mind
sol — sun
troph — food
pter — wing
solu — spread out
trude — push
pus — foot
solut — loosen
tum — swell
pyro — fire
somn — sleep
turb — disorder
quadri — four
sperm — seed
tyrann — tyrant
quasi — as if
spher — ball
ula — small
quint — five
spine — spiny
ule — small
rad — ray
spir — breath
ultra — beyond
radic — root
stasis — standing
um — plural
raptor — thief
stat — state
un — not
ras — scrape
steg — plated; roofed
undul — wavy
re — back again
stell — star
urg — work
rect — straight
steno — narrow
us — masculine singular
retro — backward
stom — opening
vacu — void
rex — king
stomy — opening
vari — various
rhage — breaking
strat — spread out
veloci — fast
rhaphy — sewing up
strate — spread out
vent — wind
rheo — flow
stroph — turning
ventr — belly
rhexis — breaking
styra — spiked
vers — to turn
robust — strong
sub — under
vibr — to shake
rod — wear away
super — over, above
vit — life
rot — turn
syn — with
volv — turn
rupt — break
sys — with
vor — eating
s — plural
tach — swift
vore — eating
salto — jump
taurus — bull
xeno — strange
san — health
tauto — same
y — act, state of
saur — lizard
tect — cover
zoo — animal
sciss — cut
National Geographic’s Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure • nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/educators