A morpheme
(It has a meaning).
Also called an
affix.
We call it a
prefix.
A base
morpheme
A word that
can make
sense on its
own.
It gives the
word a
meaning.
A morpheme
(It has a meaning).
Also called an
affix.
We call it a
suffix.
un
circum
trans
re
un
like
able like less
selfish
navigate
global
submit
brand
care
able
ness
able
ly
ment
able
less
https://www.learnthat.org/pages/view/roots.html#p
ROOT MEANINGS
Suffixes are word endings that add a certain meaning to the word.
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To jump to a word's listing, please click on its first letter:
a-d
e-h
i-m
n-r
s-z
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-able
able to be
excitable, portable, preventable
-ac
pertaining to
cardiac, hemophiliac, maniac
-acity (-ocity)
quality of
perspicacity, sagacity, velocity
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-ade
act, action or process, product
blockade, cavalcade, promenade,
-age
action or process
passage, pilgrimage, voyage
-aholic (-oholic)
one with an obsession for
workaholic, shopaholic, alcoholic
-al
relating to
bacterial, theatrical, natural
-algia
pain
neuralgia, nostalgia,
-an (-ian)
relating to, belonging to
Italian, urban, African
-ance
state or quality of
brilliance, defiance, annoyance
-ant
a person who
applicant, immigrant, servant
inclined to, tending to
brilliant, defiant, vigilant
of or relating to, being
lunar, molecular, solar
a person who
beggar, burglar, liar
-ard
a person who does an action
coward, sluggard, wizard
-arian
a person who
disciplinarian, vegetarian, librarian
-arium (orium)
a place for
terrarium, aquarium, solarium
-ary
of or relating to
literary, military, budgetary
-ate
state or quality of (adj.)
affectionate, desolate, obstinate
makes the word a verb (different pronunciation)
activate, evaporate, medicate
-ation
action or process
creation, narration, emancipation
-ative
tending to (adj.)
creative, preservative, talkative
-cide
act of killing
homicide, suicide, genocide
-ar
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-cracy
rule, government, power
bureaucracy, aristocracy, theocracy
-crat
someone who has power
aristocrat, bureaucrat, technocrat
-cule
diminutive (making something small)
molecule, ridicule,
-cy
state, condition or quality
efficiency, privacy, belligerency
-cycle
circle, wheel
bicycle, recycle, tricycle
-dom
condition of, state, realm
boredom, freedom, wisdom
-dox
belief, praise
orthodox, paradox
-ectomy
surgical removal of
appendectomy, hysterectomy
-ed
past tense
called, hammered, laughed
-ee
receiver, performer
nominee, employee, devotee
-eer
associated with/engaged in
engineer, volunteer
-emia
blood condition
anemia, hypoglycemia, leukemia
-en
makes the word a verb
awaken, fasten, strengthen
-ence
state or condition, action
absence, dependence, negligence
-ency
condition or quality
clemency, dependency, efficiency
-ent
inclined to performing/causing, or one who performs/causes
competent, correspondent, absorbent
-er
more
bigger, faster, happier
action or process
flutter, ponder, stutter
a person who does an action
announcer, barber, teacher
state or quality of
eastern, northern, western
-ern
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-escence
state or process
adolescence, convalescence
-ese
relating to a place
Chinese, Congolese, Vietnamese
-esque
in the style of
Kafkaesque, grotesque, burlesque
-ess
female
actress, heiress, lioness
-est
most
funniest, hottest, silliest
-etic
relating to (makes the word an adj.)
athletic, energetic, poetic
-ette
diminutive (makes something smaller)
cigarette, diskette, kitchenette
-ful
full of
helpful, thankful, cheerful
-fy
make, cause (makes the word a verb)
amplify, falsify, terrify
-gam/gamy
marriage, union
monogam, polygamy
-gon/gonic
angle
hexagon, polygonic, pentagon
-hood
state, condition, or quality
childhood, neighborhood, motherhood
-ial
relating to
celestial, editorial, martial
-ian
relating to
Martian, utopian, pediatrician
-iasis
diseased condition
elephantiasis, psoriasis
-iatric
healing practice
pediatric, psychiatric,
-ible
able to be
audible, plausible, legible
-ic/ical
relating to, characterized by
analytic/al, comic/al, organic
-ile
relating to, capable of
agile, docile, volatile
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-ily
in what manner
sloppily, steadily, zanily
-ine
relating to
canine, feminine, masculine
-ing
materials
bedding, frosting, roofing
action or process
dancing, seeing, writing
-ion
action or process
celebration, completion, navigation
-ious
having the qualities of, full of
ambitious, cautious, gracious
-ish
relating to, characteristic
apish, brutish, childish
-ism
state or quality
altruism, despotism, heroism
-ist
a person, one who does an action
artist, linguist, pianist
-ite
resident of, follower, product of
suburbanite, luddite, dynamite
-itis
inflammation, preoccupation
appendicitis, tonsillitis, frontrunneritis
-ity
state, condition, or quality
abnormality, civility, necessity
-ive
inclined to; quality of; that which
attractive, expensive, repulsive
-ization
act or process of making
colonization, fertilization, modernization
-ize
cause, treat, become
antagonize, authorize, popularize
-less
without
fearless, helpless, homeless
-let
version of
booklet, droplet, inlet
-like
resembling, characteristic
childlike, homelike, lifelike
-ling
younger or inferior
duckling, underling
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-loger/logist
one who does
astrologer, cardiologist, chronologer
-log
speech
dialog, monolog,
-ly
in what manner
badly, courageously, happily
-ment
action, result
movement, placement, shipment
-ness
state or quality (makes a noun)
kindness, shyness, weakness
-oid
resembling
humanoid, tabloid, hemorrhoid
-ology
study of, science of
anthropology, archaeology, biology
-oma
tumor, swelling
carcinoma, osteoma, hematoma
-onym
name, word
synonym, antonym, homonym
-opia
eye defect
myopia, nyctalopia, hyperopia
-opsy
examination
biopsy, autopsy, necropsy
-or
a person who
inventor, legislator, translator
-ory
relating to
armory, dormitory, laboratory
-osis
process, diseased condition
diagnosis, prognosis, neurosis, psychosis
-ostomy/otomy
surgical
colostomy, lobotomy, craniotomy
-ous
full of
hazardous, humorous, wondrous
-path
one who engages in
homeopath, naturopath, psychopath
-pathy
feeling, diseased
sympathy, apathy, neuropathy
-phile
one who loves
bibliophile, audiophile, pyrophile
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-phobia
abnormal fear of
acrophobia, claustrophobia, xenophobia
-phone
sound
homophone, telephone, microphone
-phyte
plant, to grow
zoophyte, cryptophyte, epiphyte
-plegia
paralysis
paraplegia, quadriplegia, hemiplegia
-plegic
one who is paralyzed
paraplegic, technoplegic, quadriplegic
-pnea
air, spirit
apnea, hyperpnea, orthopnea
-scopy/scope
visual exam
arthroscopy, gastroscopy, microscope
-scribe/script
to write
transcript, describe, manuscript
-sect
to cut
dissect, insect, bisect
-ship
state or condition of, skill of
authorship, citizenship, friendship
-sion
state or quality
confusion, depression, tension
-some
characterized by, group of
cumbersome, quarrelsome, foursome
-sophy/sophic
wisdom, knowledge
philosophy, theosophy, anthroposophic
-th
state or quality
depth, length, strength
-tion
state or quality
attention, caution, fascination
-tome/tomy
to cut
hysterectomy, epitome, tonsillotome
-trophy
nourishment, growth
atrophy, hypertrophy, dystrophy
-tude
state, condition or quality
fortitude, gratitude, magnitude
-ty
state, condition or quality
ability, honesty, loyalty
-ular
relating to or resembling
cellular, circular, muscular
Suffix
Meanings
Sample Words and Definitions
-uous
state or quality of
arduous, tumultuous, virtuous
-ure
action, condition
closure, erasure, failure
-ward
specifies direction
backward, eastward, homeward
-ware
things of the same type or material
hardware, software, kitchenware
-wise
in what manner of direction
clockwise, lengthwise, otherwise
-y
made up of, characterized
brainy, fruity, gooey
Are you feeling gruntled?
SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2007
Q: Is there a name for a word like “gruntled” (as in “disgruntled”) or “ruth” (as in “ruthless”) that exists only within
another word?
A: The term you’re looking for is a “cranberry morpheme.”
A morpheme is the smallest linguistic unit. A bound morpheme (a prefix or a suffix, for example)
must be attached to another linguistic unit. A free or unbound morpheme (a word like “cat,” “got,”
or “yes”) makes sense on its own.
A cranberry morpheme (also known as a fossilized term) is a kind of bound morpheme. In theory,
it doesn’t mean anything by itself, but many were once legitimate words and some have become
words again, often used for comic effect.
The verb “gruntle,” for example, meant to grunt like a pig as far back as 1400, according to the
Oxford English Dictionary. By the 16th century, it meant to grumble or complain. A century later,
the prefix “dis,” meaning very, joined in, giving us our modern words “disgruntle” and
“disgruntled.”
You rarely hear “gruntle” or “gruntled” used alone now, except in humor, as in this quote from
P.G. Wodehouse: “He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not
actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.”
The words “ruth,” meaning compassion or pity, and “ruthless,” meaning pitiless, have been
around since the days of Chaucer, but the OED doesn’t have any published references for plain old
“ruth” since the 19th century.
Many cranberry morphemes appear in only one form. The “cran” of “cranberry” used to be one of
them (excluding a few obscure terms like the one denoting the capacity of a herring barrel). But
in recent years Ocean Spray has used “cran” (the ur-cranberry morpheme) in the names of new
juices like Cran-Apple, Cran-Cherry, Cran-Grape, and Cran-Mango.
Now, where did “cran” come from? There are two theories: One is that cranes used to visit bogs
and eat the berries. The other is that the stem, calyx, and petals of a cranberry flower resemble
the neck, head, and bill of a crane.
Note: If you google “Jack Winter” and “New Yorker,” you should find a story written about a dozen years ago
called “How I Met My Wife.” Every sentence has at least one cranberry morpheme.
Buy Pat’s books at a local store or Amazon.com.