ROOTS OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES & WORDS
The following list includes many common Greek (G.) and Latin (L.) roots from which most of the scientific terms used in
this course derive, along with at least one example of each.
A following hyphen (e.g., an-, auto-, bi-) indicates that the root often appears at the beginning of a word.
A preceding hyphen (e.g., -elle, -fera) indicates that the root often appears at the end of a word.
No hyphen indicates that the root may appear at the beginning, end or middle of a word (e.g., "gen" appears in genetics,
oogenesis and oxygen).
an- : (G.) not, without. Anaerobic: living or occurring in the absence of oxygen (=air).
auto- : (G.) self. Autotrophy: "self-feeding"; a mode of nutrition in which an organism can produce most or all of its needed
organic compounds itself.
bi- : (L.) two. Bilateral: having two similar sides.
bio-, -bios : (G.) life. Cryptobiosis: "hidden life"; a temporary resting state in which most cell activity ceases. Biology: the
study of life and living things.
blast : (G.) bud, sprout. Blastula: "little bud"; an early stage of animal embryos consisting of a solid or hollow ball of cells.
chloro- : (G.) green. Chlorophyll: the green pigment that gives leaves their color.
chroma-, chromato- : (G.) color. Chromosomes (pronounced: kro-muh-somz): threadlike bodies in eukaryotic cells that
contain the genetic material; so-called because, in early microscope studies, they absorbed dyes and were more easily seen
than any other cell structure.
cocco- : (G.) berry, grain, seed. Coccolith: a microscopic mineral scale produced by some single-celled algae.
coel : (G.) a cavity, hollow. Hemocoel (pronounced: hee-muh-seel): The body cavity of snails, clams, insects and spiders
that contains the circulatory fluid ("blood"). Coelom (pronounced: seh-lome): the main fluid-filled body cavity of many
animals.
crypt : (G.) hidden, concealed. Cryptobiosis: "hidden life"; a temporary resting state in which most cell activities cease.
Cryptic coloration: camouflage.
cyst : (G.) sac, pouch, bladder, cell. Trichocyst (pronounced: trick-o-sist): a sac found in some one-celled organisms that
extrudes a hairlike filament using in defense or anchoring.
cyt: (G.) cell. Oocyte (pronounced: oo-o-site): a cell that will develop into an egg. Cytoplasm: the material of a cell
surrounding the nucleus.
di- : (G.) two, double. Dioecious (pronounced dye-ee-shus): "two houses"; referring to organisms with male and female sex
organs or structures in separate bodies. We are dioecious.
diplo- : (G.) double. Diplococcus: a genus of round bacteria that usually occur in pairs.
dors : (L.) back. Dorsal: on, in or concerning the back (upper surface) of an animal.
eco-, oec : (G.) house. Ecology: the study of organisms in relation to their environments. Dioecious: "two houses"; referring
to organisms with male and female sex organs or structures in separate bodies.
ecto-, exo- : (G.) out of, from, outside. Ectoderm: an outer layer of skin. Exoskeleton: the external hard skeleton of
arthropods such as insects, spiders and crabs.
-elle, -ellus : (L.) diminutive; small little. Organelle: a specialized component of a cell that has a specific function;
analogous to an organ of a many-celled organism.
endo-, ento- : (G.) within, inside. Endosymbiont: an organism that lives inside another organism.
epi- : (G.) upon, on, attached to. Epithelium: a membranous layer of tissue that covers a surface or lines a cavity or vessel.
eu- : (G.) good, true, beautiful, original. Eukaryote (pronounced: you-kah-ree-oat): an organism composed of cells that
contain a nucleus (i.e., all living things besides bacteria and their allies).
-fer, -fera : (L.) to bear, carry, have. Foraminifera: a group of single-celled organisms that produce a shell or protective
housing provided with small perforations (foramina; sing., foramen).
flagell : (L.) whip. Flagellum: a slender, filamentous cell appendage usually used in locomotion. Flagellates: chiefly
single-celled organisms bearing one or more flagella.
gam, gamet : (G.) marry, union, joined. Gamete: a sex cell (e.g., egg or sperm).
gastr : (G.) stomach, belly. Gastropod: "belly-foot"; a group of mollusks, including snails, conchs and whelks, that crawl or
glide on their under surface.
gen : (L.) birth, kind, kin. Spermatogenesis: the process of sperm formation. Gene: a portion of DNA specifying a
particular inherited characteristic.
gon : (G.) seed; that which produces seed or is procreated. Gonad: a sex organ. Oogonium: the female sexual organ in some
algae and fungi.
gymno- : (G.) bare, naked. Gymnosperm (pronounced: jim-no-sperm): a plant (e.g., pines, firs) that bears naked seeds (not
enclosed in an ovary).
haemo-, haemato-, hemo- : (G.) blood. Hemocoel: a body cavity that contains the circulatory fluid ("blood").
hetero- : (G.) other, different. Heterotrophic: "other-feeding"; a mode of nutrition in which an organism cannot
manufacture most or all of it's needed organic compounds itself and must acquire them by feeding on other organisms (or
their products).
homo- : (G.) same, uniform, similar. Homology: a likeness in structure between parts of different organisms due to their
evolutionary derivation from the same or corresponding part in a common ancestor.
hydro- : (G.) water. Hydrostatic: relating to the pressure produced by an enclosed volume of fluid.
iso- : (G.) equal, like. Isogamous: having similar sex cells (gametes), not differentiated as eggs and sperm.
karyo-, caryo- : (G.) nut, kernel, nucleus. Prokaryote: an organism such as a bacterium that lacks a nucleus, which
developed later in evolutionary history.
logo, logous : (G.) word, reason. Biology: the study of life and living organisms.
loph : (G.) mane, crest, tuft, comb, ridge. Lophophore: a curved ridge that bears a comb-like tuft of feeding tentacles in
some marine invertebrates.
macro- : (G.) long; often used to mean large. Macroscopic: visible to the naked eye.
meta- : (G.) after, later, more comprehensive, organized or specialized. Metazoa: all animal phyla more advanced and
complex than sponges.
micro- : (G.) small, little. Micrometer: one millionth of a meter.
mon, mono- : (G.) one, single. Monoecious: "one house"; species with male and female sex organs or structures in a single
body; hermaphroditic.
morph : (G.) form, shape. Morphology: the form or structure of an organism; also, its study.
multi- : (L.) much, many. Multinucleate: refers to a cell that has many nuclei.
mycet, myco- : (G.) fungus. Mycology: the study of fungi. Ascomycetes: the sac fungi.
nema, nemat- : (G.) thread. Haptoneme: a coiled, anchoring thread found in some single-celled algae. Nematocyst: a saclike organelle that extrudes a toxic or adhesive thread; characteristic of corals, anemones and jellyfish. Nematode: a threadlike worm (a roundworm).
-odes, -oid : like, resembling. Nematode: a thread-like worm (a roundworm). Asteroidea: "star-like"; the sea stars, or
starfishes.
oo-, oö- : (G.) egg. Oogonium: the female sexual organ in some algae and fungi.
organ : (L.) tool, instrument, something that works or has a function. Organ: a differentiated structure composed of cells
and tissues that carries out a specific function (e.g., kidney, stomach). Organism: an individual that carries out life's
processes by means of interdependent, but separately functioning organs; by extension, any living being.
osmo- : (G.) a pushing; used to mean absorb. Osmotrophy: a mode nutrition in which an organism absorbs its food; typical
of many parasites.
ped : (L.) foot. Centipede: "hundred-legger"; a group of many-legged arthropods.
phag : (G.) eat, eating, eater. Phytophagous (pronounced: fie-tuh-fah-gus): plant-eating; usually referring to insects.
Phagotrophy: "feeding by eating"; nutrition that involves eating particulate (rather than dissolved), often living, food.
-pher, -phor : (G.) to bear, carry, have. Siphonophora: a group of colonial, gelatinous relatives of jellyfish that usually have
one or more siphon-like structures.
photo- : (G.) light. Photophore: a light-producing structure.
phyco- : (G.) seaweed, algae. Phycoerythrin (pronounced: fie-coe-uh-rith-rin): a red pigment found in some algae.
Phycology: the study of algae.
phyll : (G.) leaf. Chlorophyll: the green pigment that gives leaves their color. Phyllopod: a shrimplike animal with flat leaflike swimming appendages.
phylo- (G.) tribe, race. Phylum (pronounced: fie-lum): the most inclusive grouping (highest taxonomic category) of
organisms within a kingdom. Phylogeny: the evolutionary history of a genetically related group of organisms.
phyt : (G.) plant. Rhodophyta: red algae. Phytophagous: plant-eating, usually referring to insects.
plasm, plast : (G.) substance, something formed or molded; often used to refer to a cell or tissue. Cytoplasm: the material
of a cell surrounding the nucleus. Plasmodium: a mobile mass of cellular material with many nuclei; also, the genus of
malarial parasites. Chloroplast: an organelle within a plant cell that contains the chlorophyll.
pod : (G.) foot. Phyllopod: a shrimplike animal with flat leaflike swimming appendages, or the appendage itself.
poly- : (G.) many. Polymorphic: having several forms; usually said of an individual species or gene.
pro- : (L.) before, in front of. Prokaryote: an organism such as a bacterium that lacks a nucleus, which developed later in
evolutionary history.
proto- : (G.) first. Protozoa: a term for what was thought to be a collection of the simplest, most primitive (first) animals
(e.g., amoebas, flagellates).
pseudo- : (G.) false. Pseudopod: "false foot"; a temporary extension of a cell.
rhizo- : (G.) root. Mycorrhizae (pronounced: my-coe-rye-zee): the symbiotic association of fungal filaments with plant
roots.
som, somat : (G.) body, of the body. Chromosomes: threadlike bodies in eukaryotic cells that contain the genetic material.
Ribosomes: RNA (RiboNucleic Acid)-containing granules found in all cells; the sites of protein manufacture.
sperm, spermat : (G.) seed, sperm. Gymnosperm: a group of plants that bear naked seeds (not enclosed in an ovary).
Spermatogenesis: the process of sperm formation.
spor : (G.) seed. Sporangium: a structure in which spores are produced. Heterosporous: having two different kinds of
spores (usually micro- and megaspores).
stom: (G.) mouth. Cytostome: "cell mouth"; a permanent site of food intake in some single-celled microorganisms.
Stomata: small openings for gas exchange on the undersides of leaves.
sym-, syn- : (G.) together, with. Symbiosis: "life together"; a close relationship between two organisms in which at least
one is dependent on, and lives on or in, the other.
trich : (G.) hair. Trichocyst: a sac found in some one-celled organisms that extrudes a hairlike filament using in defense or
anchoring.
troph: (G.) food, nourishment, nutrition. Autotrophy: "self-feeding"; a mode of nutrition in which an organism can produce
most or all of its needed organic compounds itself.
-ule, -ulus : (L.) diminutive; small little. Blastula: "little bud"; an early stage of an animal embryo consisting of a solid or
hollow ball of cells.
uni- : (L.) one. Uninucleate: having one nucleus.
vent, ventr : (L.) belly. Ventral: the underside of an animal.
xanth : (G.) yellow. Xanthophyll: one of a group of yellow, golden or yellow-brown photosynthetic pigments.
Fucoxanthin (pronounced: fyoo-coe-zan-thin): a xanthophyll pigment found in brown algae such as Fucus.
zoo : (G.) animal. Zoospore: an actively swimming (hence, animal-like) asexual reproductive cell. Protozoa: a term for
what was thought to be a collection of the simplest, most primitive (first) animals (e.g., amoebas, flagellates).
zyg : (G.) yoke, pair. Zygote : a cell formed by the union of two gametes; a fertilized egg.