Root Words – Common Prefixes and Suffixes
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The following is a list of common Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes used to make up many words in
science. Many words you will come across in this class, as well is in newspapers and the news are made
up of these words. If you understand what these root words means, you will be able to understand these
“big, complicated” words.
At the end of each week, you will be quizzed over ten words. We will follow the list, so the first quiz
will cover words 1-10, the second week will cover words 11-20, the third week words 21-30, etc.
You will be responsible for knowing the root word and the meaning.
Week-1
Root Word
Meaning
A/An
Without
Ab
Away from
Ad/af
Near, toward
Alb
White
Algia
Pain
Amphi
Both
Anti
Against
Aqua
Water
Archae
Ancient
Arthr
Joint
Week-4
Root Word
Meaning
Dent, Dont
Tooth
Derm
Skin
Dendr
Tree
Di
Two
Dis, Dys
Bad
Eco
Household
Ecto
Outer
Ectomy
Removal
Emia
Blood
Endo
Inner
Root Word
Ase
Auto
Bi
Bio
Blast
Brachi
Card
Carn
Caryo
Cephalo
Week-2
Meaning
Enzyme
Self
Two, twice
Life
Germinate
Arm
Heart
Flesh
Nucleus of a cell
Head
Week-5
Root Word
Meaning
Enter
Intestine
Epi
On, at, beside
Erythro
Red
Eu
True
Ex
Out
Fer
Bearer
Gastro
Stomach
Gen
Producing
Gymno
Naked
Hemo
Blood
Week-7
Root Word
Meaning
Iso
Same
Itis
Inflammation of
Kin
Motion
Lac
Milk
Leuco, leuko
White
Logy
Study
Lysis
Dissolving
Macro
Large
Mal
Bad
Mega
Very Large
Week-3
Root Word
Meaning
Chloro
Green
Chromo
Color
Chondr
Cartilage
Cide
Kill
Coel
Cavity
Co
With
Costa
Rib
Cyst
Capsule
Cyto, Cyte
Cell
Decid
To cut off
Week-6
Root Word
Herb
Hepato
Hetero
Homo, homeo
Hyper
Hypo
Ia, iasis
Ichthyo, Ichthys
Inter
Intra
Week-8
Root Word
Meaning
Meso
Middle
Meta
Beyond, after
Micro
Small
Mito
Thread
Mono
One
Morpho
Shape, form
Myo
Muscle
Nema
Thread
Nephr
Kidney
Neuro
Nerve
Meaning
Non-woody
Liver
Other
Same
Above, excessive
Below, not enough
Disease
Fish
Between
Within
Week-9
Root Word
Meaning
Oma
Tumor, swelling
Omni
All
Ophth
Eye
Orni
Bird
Ortho
Straight
Osis
Act, condition
Osteo
Bone
Oto
Ear
Ovi, oo
Egg
Para
Beside
Week-10
Root Word Meaning
Patho
Disease
Ped, pod
Foot
Peri
Around
Phago
Eating
Pheno
To show
Photo
Light
Phyll
Leaf
Phyto
Plant
Pino
To drink
Plasma
Form
Root Word
Plast
Poly
Post
Proto
Pseudo
Pter
Pulmo
Renal
Rhea, rrhea
Rhino
Week-13
Root Word
Meaning
Xeros
Dry
Zo
Animal
Zyg
United
Melan, melano
Black
Cyano
Blue
Grise
Gray
Pyrrho
Red-orange
Iodo, iono
Violet
Xantho
Yellow
Cupri
Copper
Week-16
Root Word
Meaning
Lito
Smooth
Echino
Spiny
Super, supra
Above
Retr, retro
Backward
Post, postero
Back
Infra
Below
Tele
Far
Antero
Front
Contra
Opposite
Deutero
Second
Week-11
Meaning
Particle
Many
After, behind
First
False
Wing
Lung
Kidney
Flow, discharge
Nose
Root Word
Sal
Sclero
Soma
Stom
Sym, syn
Therm
Trop
Troph
Viv
Vore
Week-14
Root Word
Meaning
Chryso
Gold
Ferr, Ferro
Iron
Citrin, citro
Lemon
Cirrho
Orange
Irido
Rainbow
Hyalo
Glassy
Argo
Shining
Nano
Dwarf
Colosso
Giant
Baro
Bary, heavy
Root Word
Terti
Hemi
Uni
Sesqui
Duo
Diplo
Tri
Tetra
Pento
Hexa
Week-17
Meaning
Third
One-half
One
One and one-half
Two
Double
Three
Four
Five
Six
Week-12
Meaning
Salt
Hard
Body
Mouth
Binding together
Heat
Turn
Nourishment
Living
To devour
Week-15
Root Word
Meaning
Megisto
Largest
Aniso
Unequal
Platy
Flat
Cyclo
Round
Gyro
Round
Gracil
Slender
Spirali
Spiral
Quadrat
Square
Trigono
Triangle
Undulat
Wavy
Root Word
Hepta
Octo
Ennea
Deca
Hendeca
Dodeca
Centi
Kilo
Milli
Haplo
Week-18
Meaning
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
One hundred
One thousand
One thousandth
Single
Week-19
Root Word
Meaning
Holo
Whole
Avi, Avis
Bird
Ornis, ornitho
Bird
Feli, felis
Cat
Bos, Bov
Cow
Cani, Canis
Dog
Musca
Fly
Rana, rani
Frog
Equi
Horse
Entomo
Insect
Week-20
Root Word
Sauro, saurus
Homini
Myo, mys
Hyo, hys
Herpeto
Concho
Ophio, ophis
Arachna
Chelono, chelys
Veri, vermi
Week-22
Root Word
Meaning
Glotta
Tongue
Carpo
Wrist
Histo
Tissue
Pterido
Fern
Myco
Fungus
Byro
Moss
Thamno
Shrub
Arbor
Tree
Acini
Berry
Flora, flori
Flower
Meaning
Lizard
Man
Mouse
Pig
Reptile
Shellfish
Snake
Spider
Turtle
Worm
Week-21
Root Word
Meaning
Dors, dorsi
Back
Ventr, ventro
Belly
Encephalo
Brain
Pteryla, pterylo
Feather
Aden, adeno
Gland
Capill
Hair
Mani, Manus
Hand
Capit
Head
Nephro
Kidney
Pneuma
Lung
Week-23
Root Word
Meaning
Pomo
Fruit
Rhiza
Root
Spora, sporo
Seed
Arid
Dry
Geo
Earth
Luci
Light
Philo
Love
Nata
Swim