Biological Terminology (Bio Terms): Latin & Greek Word Parts (Prefixes, Root Words, and Suffixes)
Biology students are faced with the challenge of learning a large number of new terms predominately based on the Latin and Greek languages.
Therefore, students should learn to recognize word parts since they often give clues as to the meaning of a word. Research suggests that students
knowledgeable of these terms score significantly higher on standardized tests (EOC, ACT, & PSAT). During the summer, all Biology students must
create study cards of the following word parts and learn them during the summer months. All students will be quizzed on the following terms during the
first full week of school and throughout the school year.
Word Part
a-, an-, non-,
unab-, efad-, af-
Meaning
Meaning of Example
Without light, Without air or oxygen, Not able to replenish
naturally
Away from the mouth, nerve cells going away from brain
Muscle movement toward the body, nerve cells going toward the
brain
Fat tissue, Removing fat tissue
Without oxygen
Both sides of land and water
Build up of larger molecules from smaller molecules
Container for seed, Picture of a blood vessel
Male hormone, Man-like, Man who is wise
Opposite, Against
Water
Example
Aphotic, Anaerobic,
Nonrenewable
Aboral, Efferent neuron
Adductor muscle, Afferent
neuron
Adipose, Liposuction
Anaerobic
Amphibian
Anabolic
Angiosperm, Angiogram
Androgen, Anthropoid,
Homo sapien
Anticodon, Contraception
Aquatic, Hydration
adi-, lipaeroamphianaangioandro, anthro,
homo (latin)
anti-, contraaqua-, hydr-
Fat
Air, Oxygen
Both sides
Up
Vessel, Container
Man, Human
arthro-ase
Joint
Enzyme
Arthropod, Arthritis
Amylase, Lipase
auto-
Self
Autotroph
avi-, orni-
Bird
Aviary, Ornithologist
Jointed foot, Joint inflamation
Enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates, Enzyme that breaks
down lipids
Self feeder (can make their own energy, usually by
photosynthesis)
Bird cage, Bird studier
benebi-, di-, diplo-
Well Good
Two
Mutualistic relationships benefit both organisms
Two feet, Two sets of chromosomes, Two round bacteria
bio-, vita-
Life
Beneficial
Bipedal, Diploid,
Diplococcus
Biosphere, Vitamin
blast-
Blastula
card-
Germinate, Sprout,
Bud
Heart
Single layer of cells surrounding a cavity formed by cleavage of
the fertilized egg
Study of the heart
carncat-, de-
Meat, Flesh
Down
Carnivore
Catabolic, Decomposer
centichel-
100
Claw
Centigrams
Cheleped, Chelicerata
ceph-
Head
Cephalization
cerv-
Neck
Cervical vertebrae
chlorochrom-cide
co-, com-, con-
Green
Color
Kill
Together, Both,
With
Space, Cavity,
Hollow
Body
Capsule, Sac,
Pouch
Chlorophyl
Chromosome
Herbacide, Insecticide
Codominance,
Community, Conjugation
Eucoelomate
Cell
Erythrocyte, Osteocyte
coel (seel)
corp, som
-cyst
-cyte
Without, Not
Away
Toward
Cardiology
Corpse, Somatic cell
Nematocyst
Opposite of codon, Against conception
Of water, With water
Where life exists on earth, Organic molecules necessary for life
Meat-eater
Break down of big molecules into small molecules, Break down of
dead organisms
100 grams
Clawed foot (lobster’s big claw), Classification of spiders with
small claws
Concentration of sense organs at the front of an animal’s body, its
head
Bones of the neck
Green leaf
Colored body
Plant killer, Insect killer
Both alleles (trait type – size, color) are dominant, Organisms
living together
Having a true body cavity or hollow space (within the mesoderm
germ layer)
Dead body, Body cell (any cell that is not an egg or sperm)
A capsule within specialized cells of certain coelenterates
(jellyfish) containing a barbed, threadlike tube that delivers a
paralyzing sting
Red blood cell, Bone cell
deca-, decideciddendro-,
arbordent, dont
10
Cut Off
Tree
derm
Skin
Decameter, Deciliter
Deciduous
Dendrochronology,
Arboretum
Dental plaque,
Orthodontist
Epidermis, Ectoderm
deutero-
Second
Deuterostome
dia-, dif-, diss-
Through, Apart,
Across
The Back
Diarrhea, Dissect,
Diffusion
Dorsal fin, Notochord
Echinoderm, Echidna
Ecology
ecto-, exo-
Spiny
Where one lives,
Home
Out, Outside
-emia
Blood Condition
entomo-, insect
epi-
Insect
Upon, Over, Atop
Equ-, iso-
Equal, Same
Hyperglycemia, Sickle
cell anemia
Entomologist, Insectivore
Epidermis, Epicardium,
Epiphytes
Isotonic, Equilibrium
erthreu-
Red
True
Erythrocyte
Eukaryote, Eucoelomate
ex-, extra-,
exogastr-
Out, Outside,
Beyond
Stomach
Extinct, Extracellular,
Extrapolation
Gastrointestinal (GI)
geo
hapl-, mono-,
uniherb-, -phyte
homo (greek)
hyper-
Earth
One
Geotropim
Haploid, Monosaccharide,
Unicellular
Herbivore, Epiphyte
Homozygous
Hypertonic, Hypertension
hypo-, sub-
Less, Below
lingu
gnath (nath)
gram, -graph
Tongue
Jaw
Written or Picture
helix
hemhepatoherphetero-
Spiral, Coil
Blood
Liver
Reptile
Different, Other
ichthyes
Fish
interintra-, endo-itis
Between
Inside
Inflammation of
Hypotonic, Hypotension,
Subatomic
Sublingual
Agnathan
Electrocardiogram,
Sonography
Double helix
Hemorrhage
Hepatitis
Herpetologist
Heterozygous,
Heterotroph
Chondrychthyes,
Osteichthyes
Intercellular
Intracellular, Endoderm
Dermatitis, Laryngitis
karyo, caryo
kilo-, mill-
Cell Nucleus
1000
Prokaryote, Procaryotic
Kilogram, Milliliter
dors-, notoechineco-
Tooth or Teeth
Plant
Same
More, Excessive
Ectoderm, Exoskeleton
10 meters, 10 liters
Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall
Counting tree rings to determine its age, Place where many
different trees grow
Teeth with patches of bacterial growth, Dr. who straightens teeth
Top skin layer, Outer layer of tissue/skin during embryo
development
Mouth develops second (the anus develops first)
Flow through, Cut apart, Across (cell membrane)
Fin on the back of a fish, A embryonic structure that will become
vertebrae
Spiny skin (sea star), (spiny anteater)
Study of where organisms live
Outer layer of tissue during embryo development, Skeleton on
outside of body
High blood sugar levels, Sickle shaped red blood cells (should be
circular)
Insect studier, Insect eater
Upon the dermis (skin), Over the heart, Atop a plant
Solute levels are equal on both sides of a membrane (inside &
outside the cell)
Red blood cell
True nucleus (protective membrane around DNA), True body
cavity
Died out, Outside the cell, Beyond known values (on a graph)
Stomach and intestines
A plant’s response to the earth’s gravity
One set of chromosomes, One unit of sugar (glucose), one celled
organism
Plant eater, Atop a plant
Same alleles (form of a gene);
More solute (something dissolved in water), Excessive blood
pressure
Less solute, Below normal blood pressure, Below atoms (protons,
neutrons, electrons)
Under the tongue
A fish without a jaw
Print out of the heart’s electrical activity, Taking pictures using
sound waves
Two strands in a spiraled shape
Bleed heavily
Inflammation of the liver
Study of reptiles (lizards, croc’s, turtles, and snakes)
Offspring gets different forms of same trait (Tt), Other feeder (ex.
herbivore)
Fish with a cartilage skeleton, Fish with a bony skeleton
Between cells
Inside a cell, Inside layer of a developing embryo
Inflammation of the skin, Inflammation of the larynx (voicebox)
Cells without a nucleus
1000 grams, 1000th of a liter
leuco-, leukoloc
logy
lys-
White
Place
Study or Science of
To Loosen
Leucocyte
Locus
Mycology, Virology
Lyses, Cytolysis
macro-, mega-
Large
Mal, dis, dys
Bad or Ill
marmedi-, mesometa-
Sea
Middle
Change
meter
Measurement
micro-
Small
morph
Shape, Form
multi, myria,
polymutamyonasal, rhin,
probosc
neonephr-, renal
Many
New
Kidney
Macromolecule,
Megafauna
Malnutrition, Disease,
Dystrophy
Marine Biology
Medial, Mesoderm
Metamorphosis,
Metastasis
Spirometer,
Sphygmomanometer
Microsporangia,
Microbiology
Mesomorph,
Metamorphosis
Multicellular, Myriapod,
Polysaccharide
Mutation
Myofibril, Fibromyalgia
Nasal septum,
Rhinoplasty, Proboscis
Neonatal
Nephron, Renal vein
nomoctoma
Name
8
Tumor, Swelling
Binomial nomenclature
Octopus
Carcinoma, Lymphoma
omni-, toti-
All
Omnivore, Totipotent
oo-, ov-
Egg
orth-
Straight
Oogonia, Oviduct,
Oviparous
Orthoptera, Orthodontist
ose, gly,
sacchar
-osis
ostepaleo-, archeo-
Sugar
Glucose
Act, Condition
Bone
Old, Ancient
Acidosis
Osteoarthritis, Osteocyte
Paleontology, Archeology
parapathoped, pod
Beside
Disease
Feet, Foot
Parallel, Parapodia
Pathogens
Centipede, Tetrapod
Eats all – plants & animals, All important cell (zygote) – becomes
all cells
Egg stem cells, Egg carrying tube, Eggs that are hatched outside
the mother
Straight-winged insect order (grasshoppers), Dr. who straightens
teeth
A simple sugar or monosaccharide made by photosynthesis in
autotrophs
Too much acid in body fluids
Inflammation where bones meet (joint), Bone cell
Study of fossils and the history of earth, Study of ancient
civilizations
Side by Side, Feet to the side
Disease-causing organisms (some bacteria, some viruses, etc.)
100 feet, 4 feet
pentperi-
5
Around
Pentradial, Pentose
Pericardium
5 spokes or rays (sea star has 5 rays/arms); 5 carbon sugar
Around the heart
phago, troph,
vore
To Feed or Eat
Phagocyte, Autotroph,
Carnivore
Eating cell (white blood cells), Self-Feeders (photosynthesizers),
Meat eater
phore
photo-, lumin
Carry, To Bear
Light
Color or pigment carrying cell
Using light to make glucose, Organisms that can create light
phyte, phyto
pinn-, plum-, -
Plant
Wing, Feather, Fin
Chromatophore
Photosynthesis,
Bioluminescence
Epiphyte
Pinnepedia, Plummage,
Change
Muscle
Nose
White blood cell
Place on a chromosome where a specific gene is found
Study of Fungi, Study of Viruses
Process of loosening up or digesting a cell membrane causing cell
death
Large molecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids),
Big animals
The tumor was malignant.
Study of life in the Sea or Ocean
Middle, Middle layer of tissue during embryo development
Change in shape or location; Cancer cells that change location
(spread),
Measures inhalation & exhalation, Measures blood pressure
Small spore carriers (male), Study of microbes (bacteria, viruses,
etc.)
Middle form, Change in shape (tadpole to frog)
Organism made of many cells, Organism w/many feet, Many
monosaccharides
Change in the # or sequence of DNA
Muscle cell, Muscle pain
Wall dividing nasal cavity, Surgery of reshaping the nose,
Elephant’s trunk
Newborn
Part of the kidney that filters/cleans blood, Vessel taking blood to
the kidney
Two-name naming system (Homo sapien = Humans)
8 feet
Cancer-causing tumor, Tumor of the lymphatic system
A plant that grows atop of another plant
Using fins for feet (seals), Feather shape & patterns, Straight
pter
pino-
Drink
Hymenoptera
Pinocytosis
platyploid
pneumo-,
pulmopostpre-, pro
prim-, prot-
Flat
Chromosome
Lungs
pseudo-
False
quat-, quad,
tetrarerhea, rrhea
sal
sapr-
4
schizo-
Split
scope
View, See
sect, -tom
semi-, hemi-
Cut
One-Half
sperm
spir
Seed
Breathe
Bisect, Anatomy
Semipermeable,
Hemisphere
Spermacide, Spermatid
Inspire, Spiracle
stas, stat
Unchanging
Homeostasis
stom-, ora
Mouth
Stomata, Oral cavity
sym-, syn,- sys
With, Together
taxtelo-
Arrange
End
Symbiosis, Synthesize,
System
Taxonomy
Telophase, Telomeres
terr
tert-, tritherm
Land
3
Heat
toxic
trans-, per-
Poison
Across, Through
trop, volv
Turn, Change
Terrestrial ecosystem
Tertiary, Trisomy
Thermophile,
Thermometer
Neurotoxin, Hemotoxin
Transport, Transdermal,
Permeable
Phototropism, Evolution
ventr-
Belly
Ventral
vore
Devour
Carnivore
zo
zyg
Animal
Yoke (egg +
sperm)
Zoology
Zygote, Homozygous
After
Before, Forward
First
Again
Flow or Discharge
Salt
Rotten
Platyhelminthes, Platypus
Haploid, Diploid
Pneumonia, Pulmonary
artery
Post mortem
Prenatal
Primary consumer,
Protozoa
Pseudocoelomate,
Pseudopodium
Quarternary, Quadiceps,
Tetrapod
Reproduce
Diarrhea
Saline
Saprotroph
Schizocoely,
Schizophrenia
Microscopic, Macroscopic
membraned wings
Process of a cell engulfing/drinking liquids or dissolved
substances
Flatworm, Flat foot
One set of chromosomes, Two sets of chromosomes
Infection of the lungs, Vessel taking blood from the heart to the
lungs
After death
Before birth
1st organisms to eat producers (herbivores), 1st animal
False body cavity (between ecto- & endoderm), False foot (found
in amoeba’s)
4th, 4 heads, 4 feet
Produce again
Frequent passage of loose, watery, soft stools
Full of salt or salt containing
Feeds on Rotting organic matter/dead organisms (also called
decomposers)
Cavity formed at the split of the endo- & ectoderm (protostomes),
Split mind
To see or view something small, To see or view something w/o
using a scope
Cut in two, To cut up
Allows some (1/2), but not all things through, One-half a sphere
(ball-shape)
Sperm killer, A small or immature sperm
To breathe in, Hole found on insects for air to enter and leave
(breathing)
Unchanging chemical conditions in healthy organisms
Hole or mouth in leaves allowing gas exchange (O2 & CO2),
Mouth space
Organisms living with each other, Put together, Working together
A system used to arrange or classify a large number of organisms
End of mitosis, End or tip of chromosomes
All living and nonliving things in a designated area on land
3rd, 3 bodies (chromosomes)
Bacteria that live in hot areas, Heat measuring instrument
Poison to the nervous system, Poison in the blood
Across a cell membrane, Through the skin, Through a cell
membrane
Plant’s response of turning toward light, How organisms change
over time
Belly portion of an organism (portion of a worm that touches the
ground)
Carnivores devour meat or flesh
Study of animals
Union of egg & sperm, Zygote receives the same genes from both
egg & sperm
The best way to study the bio terms is to read (silently & out loud) through your cards both term-first and definition-first so that can you get used to remembering
both ways. Go through the entire stack MULTIPLE times day and night. During concentrated study times, go through the cards a first time and place all of the
cards answered wrong in a separate pile. Go through the pile of wrongly answered cards, and again place all the cards answered incorrectly in a separate pile.
Keep going through the “wrong” pile until there aren’t any cards left that you can’t answer. Repeat this process from the beginning until you are able to go through
the entire stack of bio terms without missing any. Give the terms to another person and have them quiz you. If you are able to answer 95% of them right – then
CELEBRATE and sleep on it. Review the stack at least 3x’s a week to integrate the terms into long term memory.