Greek and Latin Roots 1
51-63
Helios Greek
sun
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Helios – sun god; also called Apollo or
Phaethon
Heliotrope – (tropos-turn) –plant
which turns toward the sun
Helium – light gas used in balloons
Heliocentric Theory – theory
discovered by Nicholas Copernicus,
the sun is the center of the universe
Aphelion – (apo-away from) –
furthest point from the sun in earth’s
orbit
Helioscope – (skopeo-look) –
telescope for looking at the sun
Helicopter – machine that flies close
to the sun
Sol
Latin
sun
• Solar – pertaining to the sun
• Solar system – the sun with
the objects which revolve
around it
• Solarium – a sun dial; a glass
enclosed sun room
• Solaster – (astron-star) – a star
fish with more than five rays; a
sun-star fish
• Parasol – (Italian-parare-to
ward off) – a light portable
sunshade
• Solstice – (sisto, statum-set,
cause to stand) – stopping or
standing still of the sun
Luna
Latin
moon
• Lunar – of or pertaining to the
moon
• Lunatic – mad; affected by the
moon
• Lunacy – madness caused by the
moon; moonstruck
• Lunambulist – (ambulo,
ambulatum-walk) – one whose
sleep walking is supposedly
caused by the moon
• Lunarium – instrument showing
the phases and motions of the
moon
• Interlunar – (inter-between) –
time between old and new moon
when the moon is invisible
Dia
Greek
through, between, across, apart
• Diadem – (desmos-bond) –
bound across the forehead,
a wreath or crown
• Diagram – (graph-write,
draw) – a cross-section
drawing
• Diagonal – (gony-knee) –
line between two nonadjacent corners in a figure
of four or more sides
• Diamond – (a-not+damastame) – hardest substance
• Diameter – line across the
middle of a circle
Trans Latin
across, over, beyond, through
• Transport – (porto, portatumcarry) – carry across
• Translate – across languages
• Transcript – (scribo, scriptum –
write) – speech put into
writing
• Transfer – (fero, latum – carry)
– carry across
• Transform – (formo,
formatum-form, shape) change over to a different
form
• Transplant – (planta-sprout,
plant) – move a plant
Geo
Greek
earth
• Geography – (graph-write,
draw) – draw the earth (make
maps) and write about it
• Geographer – one who makes
maps and writes about it
• Geology – (logos-word, study)
– study of the earth and its
formations
• Geologist – one who studies
the formations of the earth’s
crust; rocks, minerals, oil, etc
• Geometry – (metron-measure)
– branch of study on ways to
measure the earth
Terra
Latin
land
• Territory – land under control of a
government or owner
• Terrace – raised platform of earth
• Terra cotta – (coquo, coctumcook) – cooked earth, fired clay
pottery, tiles
• Terrarium – garden in a small
glass container
• Terrestrial – pertaining to the
earth
• Extraterrestrial – (extra-outside) –
outside the earth’s atmosphere
• Mediterranean Sea – (mediusmiddle) – the sea in the middle of
the land
Dormio, Dormitum
sleep
• Dormant – sleeping
• Dormant spray – insecticide
for plants used in the non
growing season
• Dormitory – place for
sleeping
• Dormer window – bedroom
window set into a roof
• Dormouse – sleeping
(hibernating) mouse
• Dormitive – something that
causes sleep
• Dormition – act of sleeping
Latin
Hypnos
Greek
sleep
• Hypnosis – sleep-like state
controlled by a hypnotizer
• Hypnotize – put into a
hypbotic sleep or trance
• Hypnology – (logos-word,
study) – study of sleep
• Hypnotic – tending to
induce sleep
• Hypnotherapy - (therapeiatreatment) treatment of
disease by hypnosis
• Hypnophobia – (phobosfear) – fear of sleep
Annus
Latin
year
• Annual – yearly
• Anniversary – (verto,
versum-turn) clebration
marking the turning of a
year
• Centennial – (centumhundred) – every hundred
years
• Annals – historical events
recorded year by year
• Annuity – amount of
money paid yearly
Lithos
Greek
stone
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Lithograph – (graph-write, draw) –
picture drawn on stone
Monolith – (monos-one, alone) –
lone stone
Megalith – (megas-large) – large
stone
Paleolithic – (paleo-old, ancient) –
ancient stone age after the eolithic
era
Neolithic – (neo-new) – new or late
stone age
Eolithic – (eo-dawn) – earliest stone
age
Petros
Greek
rock, stone
• Petrified – (facio, factum –
make, do) – made into
stone
• Petrifaction – process of
making into stone
• Petroleum – (oleum-olive,
olive oil) – oil from rocks
• Petroglyph – (glypheincarve) – rock carving
• Petrography – (graph-write,
draw) – writing about rocks
• Petrous – hard, stone-like,
rocky
Astron
Greek
star
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Aster – star shaped flower
Astronomer – (onoma-name) – one
who names stars
Asteroid – (eidos-form) – in the form
of a star
Astrologer – (logos-study, knowledge)
– one who gets knowledge from stars
Astronaut (nauta-sailor) – star sailor
Disaster – (dis-separation or parting
from) – separation from the good
influence of friendly stars
Astral – pertaining to stars (astral
navigastion – navigating by the stars)
Astrodome – covered stadium where
sports stars perform