An Introduct ion to Mo rphology and Etymo lo gy 1
The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
Helpful Definit ions :
Etymology:
Study of the origin and history of words.
Morphology:
Study of the structure of words in a language.
Morpheme:
The smallest meaningful part of a word.
Root:
A root is that part of a word expressing its basic meaning. It can occur in any
word position. A group of words with the same root is called a word family.
Prefix:
A word part (or morpheme) that is not an independent word but is attached to
the beginning of a word to modify its meaning.
Suffix:
A word part (or morpheme) that is not an independent word but is attached to
the end of a word to modify its meaning.
Affix:
Refers to both prefixes and suffixes (i.e. word parts or morphemes that are
added to words to modify their meaning).
Ba ck g ro un d I nfor mat ion on Mo rp ho lo g y:
While estimates vary, researchers tend to agree that school-age children learn on average
about 3,000 new words per year (Beck and McKeown, 1991). Of these words, only a relatively
few are learned through instruction (perhaps 300 a year). Therefore, since most unfamiliar
words are learned incidentally, rather than from specific instruction, it is important that
students are taught word learning strategies, including the use of context and morphology.
Appropriate vocabulary growth depends on the ability of a student to independently derive the
meaning of new words by using word-learning strategies.
One of most useful and critical word learning strategies for students is morphology: the study
of word parts for the purpose of deriving the meaning of words. The importance of
morphology in vocabulary growth cannot be overstated. One study found that students
between grades one through five learned about 4,000 base words and about 14,000 derived
words (Anglin, 1993). This remarkable increase in derived words highlights the importance of
morphology (word parts) for vocabulary growth. Numerous studies confirm the importance of
morphology for vocabulary growth, finding a very strong correlation between morphological
awareness and vocabulary knowledge (Singson, Mahony, and Mann, 2000; Carlisle and Fleming,
2003).
Furthermore, researchers estimate that over half of the new words students encounter in the
texts they read for school are derived forms whose meaning is accessible through analysis of
word parts. In grades three through nine these semantically transparent or derived words total
over 139,000 words (Nagy and Anderson, 1984). The rate of derived words grows as
1
The paper was written by Paul Weill, Curriculum Coordinator, Springfield Public Schools.
1
students get older. This is because as students get older, and their reading takes them into
increasingly lower ranges of word frequency, the proportion of derived words they encounter
increases.
Although there are an extensive number of word parts, it is estimated that about 80% of
English words are derived from Greek and Latin root words, roots and affixes. Moreover, Greek
and Latin words are found extensively in the content areas—especially math and science.
Therefore, teaching Latin and Greek roots and affixes and morphological word learning
strategies is an excellent way to increase vocabulary.
Of course, there are many word parts to learn. Fortunately, there are some roots and affixes
that are used more widely than others to form words. These common roots and affixes should
be the focus of instruction. For example White, Sowell and Yanagihara, (1989) found the
following:
The three m ost frequent p refixe s account for over half of all prefixed words in English.
un- (not)
26%
re- (again, back)
14%
in-, im-, ir-, il- (not) 11%
Total: 51%
The three m ost frequent
English.
-s, -es (more than one)
-ed (past tense verbs)
-ing (present participle)
Total:
su ffix es account for nearly two-thirds of all suffixed words in
31%
20%
14%
65%
Ba ck g ro un d I nfor mat ion on Et ymo log y:
Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words. It is not something that many K-12
students know about. If they know anything about etymology, they don’t know the word for
what they are doing or they confuse it with entomology, the study of insects. Etymology is
often seen as something only for the tweedy types at universities.
This is unfortunate, because etymology can be very interesting, motivating and useful for
elementary and secondary students. Knowing where words come from and how they have
evolved is fascinating and is one way to motivate students to explore and play with words,
which helps to increase vocabulary. The history or etymology of a word provides a cultural
context that can help imprint new words in memory. Etymologies can serve as an excellent
way to help deepen students’ understanding of words.
Words are what we use to communicate. They are the essential building blocks of language.
We can only think the thoughts that we have words for. All languages are made up of words,
and the number of languages in the world is remarkable. Currently, there are more than five
thousand different languages. However, about 90 percent of the world’s populations speak
one of approximately 200 languages (Greenberg and Ruhlen, 1999).
The list below shows the approximate number of people who call a language their native, or
first, language.
2
Ord er
Top T we lve L an gu ag es
Lan g ua ge
Nu mb er o f S pea kers
1
Mandarin
850 million
2
Hindi
350 million
3
Spanish
340 million
4
English
320 million
5
Arabic
200 million
6
Bengali
200 million
7
Portuguese
160 million
8
Russian
160 million
9
Japanese
110 million
10
German
100 million
11
French
85 million
12
Cantonese
85 million
Note: If second-language speakers were considered, the numbers for some languages would be
quite different. The number of English and French speakers, for example, would double.
We typically don’t wonder where languages come from because they just seem to be there:
French in France, English in England, Chinese in China, Japanese in Japan, and so forth. Yet only
a few thousand years ago, none of these languages were spoken in their respective countries
and indeed none of these languages existed anywhere in the world. Where did they all come
from?
In some cases, the answer is clear and well known. We know that Spanish is simply a later
version of the Latin language that was spoken in Rome two thousand years ago. Latin spread
with the Roman conquest of Europe and, following the breakup of the Roman Empire, the
regional dialects of Latin gradually evolved into the modern Romance languages: Sardinian,
Rumanian, Italian, French, Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese. A language family, such as the
Romance family, is a group of languages that have all evolved from a single earlier language, in
this case Latin.
Linguists, folks who study languages and words, classify languages into groups based on
common origins. These groups, called language families, follow the model of a “family tree.”
For example, English and German can be considered “sister” language because they are both
descended from Germanic. English and French, on the other hand, are more distant relatives;
they are not directly descended from the same language, but they share a common ancestor,
Indo-European. See the language charts below for more details.
An English judge stationed in India at the end of the eighteenth century, Sir William Jones had
the revelation that Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, had sprung from a
common source. Jones also proposed that the Celtic and Germanic languages, along with Old
Persian, probably belonged to the same language family. We now know that this family, called
Indo-European, encompasses most of the languages of Europe and extends into the Middle East
and southwestern Asia.
While others had noticed similarities among Sanskrit and various European languages, it took
Jones — who made systematic comparisons of vocabulary and grammar, and who understood
3
that languages evolve in an orderly fashion — to supply compelling evidence of the IndoEuropean language family and its extinct ancestor. His comparative approach became one of
the key tools of linguistic analysis (See the language charts below for more details.).
English was first spoken in Britain in the 5th Century. English is a Germanic Language of the
Indo-European Family. English, however, is comprised of many languages. In fact, about 80% of
English words have their origin in another language, especially Latin and Greek. English today is
by far the most widespread of the world's languages. More people actually speak Mandarin
Chinese, Hindi and Spanish but Mandarin is generally only spoken in one part of the world
whereas English is spoken all over the world. English is the official language of over 45
countries, which is far more than countries where the official language is Hindi or Spanish.
English is the language of science, aviation, computing, diplomacy and tourism. Half of all
business deals are conducted in English. Two thirds of all scientific papers are written in
English. Over 79% of all mail is written and addressed in English.
Of all the world's languages, English has the largest vocabulary, the greatest number of words.
The Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words; and there are about 500,000 more
words that are technical and scientific terms that remain uncatalogued. Almost everyday more
words are added. By comparison, German has a vocabulary of about 185,000 and French has
fewer than 100,000 words.
Since English has so many words, it is a great challenge for students to learn English
vocabulary. Fortunately, the average English speaker knows only about 20,000 words and uses
about 2,000 different words in a week. However, precision and nuance with the English
language improves with increases in working vocabulary.
English also doesn’t consistently follow spelling rules or pronunciation conventions so this
makes it a challenge to spell correctly. For example, "ough" spells "tough", "trough", and
"although", which are all pronounced differently. Another reason that it is very difficult to spell
in English is that 70 percent of words in English require a visual memory to spell correctly. F.
Scott Fitzgerald, a great American novelist in the early 1900’s, had over 700 misspelled words
in his final draft of his novel, The Great Gatsby. He was a great writer but not a great speller
because he had a poor visual memory of how words were spelled that did not follow basic
spelling rules.
4
5
6
This world map shows the approximate distribution of Indo-European(IE) languages around the world. Within the red borders, the IE languages
are the predominant or official languages. In addition to the nations within the red borders, most of the African nations have an Indo-European
language (chiefly English or French) as a second official language. The map is only an approximation, but it gives you a good idea of where IE
languages are spoken on the Earth. There are, of course other languages spoken within the IE area, such as American Indian languages,
Basque, Hawaiian, the Australian aboriginal languages, and many others. Also note (hard to see on the map) that there is a red border around
Hungary, which excludes that nation. Hungarian is not an IE language, although it is completely surrounded by IE-speaking nations. The same
applies to Finland and Estonia
7
Hist or y o f t he E n glish La n gua ge
The figure below shows the timeline of the history of the English language. The earliest known residents of the British
Isles were the Celts, who spoke Celtic languages—a separate branch of the Indo-European language family tree. Over the
centuries the British Isles were invaded and conquered by various peoples, who brought their languages and customs
with them as they settled in their new lives. There is now very little Celtic influence left in English. The earliest time when
we can say that English was spoken was in the 5th century CE (Common Era—a politically correct term used to replace
AD).
8
HOW WORDS ARE CREATED
2
Words come into English language in a number of ways. They include:
1. By imitation of sounds (onomatopoeia) such as:
• meow,
• bang,
• crackle,
• zip, and
• ring.
2. Through extended meanings where the verb fly becomes:
•
the name of an insect,
• a baseball that is hit high, or
• the space over a theater stage.
3. As derivations such as:
• from study comes student,
• from moon comes month
4. Through compound words such as:
• notebook, bedroom and mailbox are some obvious examples
• elbow (ell + bow) and
• lackadaisical (from the expression 'lackaday' which itself derives from 'alack the day').
5. From a root plus an affix such as:
• prefix + root, i.e. pro- (forward or forth) + duce (lead) = produce ("bring forth")
• Root + suffix, i.e. wonder + -full = wonderful
6. Through changing pronunciation such as:
• breakfast,
• cupboard,
• extraordinary
7. Through changing spelling, for example:
• Alone is from 'all one'.
• Felt was once used to strain liquid, so the piece of felt used as the strainer became
known as a felter, which later changed to filter.
• "God be with you" was once a valediction that, over the centuries, came to be
pronounced and spelled as good-bye.
8. From names (eponyms3)
• People's names i.e. the Teddy Bear is named after Teddy Roosevelt and the electrical
volt after Alessandro Volta.
• Place names, i.e. frankfurters are named after Frankfurt, Germany, and jeans after Genoa,
Italy.
• Trade names: Kleenex, Band-aid, Jello, Xerox, Hoover
9. From the shortening or truncating of words
• telephone becomes phone,
• photograph becomes photo,
• megabyte becomes meg
10.From acronyms
2
3
adapted from http://www.takeourword.com/theory.html#How Issue 208 of the bi-weekly Word-origin Webzine
An eponym is a word for whom or which something is or is believed to be named
9
• sonar = S O und N Avigation Ranging,
• laser = Light Amplification by Stimulated E mission of Radiation
11.From a blending of two or more distinct forms (portmanteau words)
• motor + hotel = motel
• smoke + fog = smog
12.From foreign words
• influenza (Italian)
• rendezvous (French)
• chow (Chinese)
• opal (Sanskrit)
13.Invented words
• quiz
The story goes that a Dublin theatre proprietor by the name of Richard Daly made a bet that he
could, within forty-eight hours, make a nonsense word known throughout the city, and that the
public would give a meaning to it. After the performance one evening, he gave his staff cards
with the word 'quiz' written on them, and told them to write the word on walls around the city.
The next day the strange word was the talk of the town, and within a short time it had become
part of the language. This picturesque tale appeared as an anecdote in 1836, but the most
detailed account (in F. T. Porter's Gleanings and Reminiscences, 1875) gives the date of the
exploit as 1791. The word, however, was already in use by then, meaning 'an odd or eccentric
person', and had been used in this sense by Fanny Burney in her diary on 24 June 1782. 'Quiz'
was also used as a name for a curious toy, something like a yo-yo and also called a bandalore,
which was popular around 1790. The word is nevertheless hard to account for, and so is its later
meaning of 'to question, to interrogate', which emerged in the mid-19th century and gave rise to
the most common use of the term today, for an entertainment based on questions and answers
(1782, source of quizzical).
•
quark
coined in 1963 by U.S. physicist Murray Gell-Mann (b. 1929), who associated it with a word in
Joyce's Finnegans Wake, read variously as E quark croak and G Quark curd, (slang) rubbish, tripe.
Further details are found in his book T he Q ua r k a nd the J a gua r published in paperback in
1995. From Page 180: “In 1963, when I assigned the name "quark" to the fundamental
constituents of the nucleon, I had the sound first, without the spelling, which could have been
"kwork". Then, in one of my occasional perusals of Finne ga ns Wa ke, by James Joyce, I came
across the word "quark" in the phrase "Three quarks for Muster Mark". Since "quark" (meaning,
for one thing, the cry of the gull) was clearly intended to rhyme with "Mark," as well as "bark"
and other such words, I had to find an excuse to pronounce it as "kwork".”
10
ROOTS AND AFFIXES SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
It is estimated that 75 to 80 percent of the English language is made up of words and word parts that are found originally in Anglo-Saxon (Old
English), Greek and Latin. Because most modern English words originated in other languages, it is very important that students be taught
frequently occurring affixes and roots.
The Lubbock, Texas Independent School District, developed the following lists. 4 The district was motivated to ensure that students were taught
all of the prefixes, suffixes, and roots over the course of his/her academic career. The district also wanted to focus on what would be
developmentally appropriate. Therefore, the reader will notice that the list is very heavy in 4th and 5th grade where it is most appropriate for the
majority of these to be taught. As for 3rd grade, only one affix is listed with the intent that 3rd grade teachers will systematically review to assure
mastery of the 1st and 2nd grade lists.
It is the intent that the following affixes and roots should be taught at the following grade levels. It should be noted that generally, prefixes and
suffixes change the meanings of roots, but it is usually the suffix that denotes the part of speech.
Grade One
Prefix Suffix
-s,-es
-ing
-ed
Origin
AS
AS
AS
Additional Information
Grade Two (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Definition
Examples
unnot/opposite
unlock, unsafe
reagain/back
reread, rewrite, return
-er
person connected with teacher, writer, baker
-er
a comparative degree bigger, colder, taller
-est
superlative degree
biggest, coldest, tallest
-ly
characteristic of
badly, friendly, quickly
Origin
AS
L
AS
AS
AS
AS
Additional Information
Grade Three (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Definition
Examples
-y
characterized by , like cloudy, fishy
Origin
AS
Additional Information
4
Definition
plural, more than one
action/process
past action/ process
Examples
hats, pigs, boxes, wishes
helping, skipping, running, seeing, thinking
jumped, helped
Present participle of verb
Past tense verb
Usually an adjective
Usually an adverb
The Lubbock, Texas Independent School District has granted Springfield School District to use these materials. For more information on their work, contact the district at 1628
19th Street, Lubbock, TX 79401.
Grade Four (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Definition
Examples
undertoo little, below
underfed, underground
overtoo much, above overdone, overhead
disnot, opposite of
dislike, distrust
nonnot
nonfat, nonsense
prebefore
preplan, pretest
innot
inactive, insane,
inexpensive
bitwo
bicycle, binocular
trithree
tricycle, triangle
quadfour
quadrilateral, quadrant
octeight
octagon, octopus
-ion -ation
act of/state of/
attention, vision, invitation
-sion -tion
result of
-able -ible
can be done
enjoyable, sensible, likable
-ness
-less
-er -or
-ful
condition/state of
without
one who/
that which
full of
darkness, fairness
careless, helpless
baker, boxer, conductor,
survivor
beautiful, painful
Origin
AS
AS
L
L
L
L
L
L/GR
L
L/GR
AS
L
AS
AS
L
AS
Additional Information
Noun (See 6th grade for explanation)
-able ending words have roots that can stand alone; i.e. enjoy/able
-ible ending words have roots that can not stand alone; i.e. sensib/ile
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
Use –or with Latin roots for nouns (inventor, elevator)
Usually an adjective
Grade Five (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Root
Definition
Examples
semihalf
semicircle, semicolon
superabove, on top,
superfine, superhuman,
beyond
supersonic
multimany, much
multicolor, multifamily
polymany, much
polygon, polysyllable
teledistant/far
television, telephone, telescope
in- (ilnot
inability, impatient, irregular,
im- ir-)
illegal
in- (ilim- ir-)
in/ on/
toward, infer, illustrate, improve,
irrigate
Origin
L
L
L
GR
GR
L
Additional Information
il- used before roots beginning with l (illegible)
im- used before roots beginning with b, m, p (immature,
imbalance,
impatient);
ir- used before roots beginning with r (irregular)
Same prefix usage is applied as above
Prefix
mis-
Suffix
Root
intermidsubdecadecidi- diakilomillimillecenti-
Definition
bad or badly, wrong
or wrongly
between
middle
under, beneath,
below, secondary
ten
two, through, across
1,000
1,000
100
one having a certain
skill, relating to,
belonging to
act, process
made of, to make
condition of
condition of, skill
-ian, -an
-ment
-en
-dom
-ship
-ness
-ist
-ess
max(i)
meter/
metr
photo
state of
one who does a
specific action
feminine
great
measure
light
port
scope
to carry
to watch, see
tract
form
to draw, pull
to shape
Examples
misbehave, misread, misspell
Origin
L
Additional Information
intercept, interview, interstate
midnight, midweek
subway, subsoil, substitute
L
AS
L
decathlon, decade, decimal,
decimeter
digraph, dialogue, diagonal
kilogram, kilowatt, kilometer
millennium, millimeter
L/GR
centimeter, centipede
electrician, magician, American,
suburban
L
L
enjoyment, replacement
wooden, dampen, tighten
boredom, freedom, kingdom
championship, friendship,
hardship, leadership
fitness, happiness
artist, tourist
L
AS
AS
AS
Usually a noun
AS
L/GR
Usually a noun
actress, lioness
maximum, maximize
diameter, odometer, metric,
perimeter
photograph, telephoto,
photocopy
portable, transport
horoscope, microscope,
telescope
attract, distract, retract
conform, reform, transform
L/GR
L
GR
Usually a noun
GR
GR
L
GR
L
GR
L
L
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
Grade Six (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Root Definition
ento cause to be, to
emput into or onto, to
go into or onto
forebefore, earlier
dereduce down, away
from
transacross, change,
through
antiopposite, against
exout of, away, from
autoself
biolife
minismall
Examples
encounter, enable, employ,
embark, encircle
Origin
L
forearm, foreword
defeat, deform, decrease
AS
L
transformation, transportation,
transfer
antibiotic, antifreeze
extract, exhale, extend
autograph, automatic
biography, biological
miniature, minimum
L
small, minute
one, single
state of, quality of
related to,
characterized by
act of, state of,
result of
microbiology, microscope
unicorn, unicycle, uniform
prosperity, equality
colonial, biennial, dental,
betrayal
tension, attention, elevation,
union
GR
L
L
L
AS
The real suffix is–ion. Putting s or t in front of –ion is
simply determined by the spelling of the root.
Usually a noun
relating to,
characteristic of
an action, condition
childish, foolish
AS
Usually an adjective
student, contestant, immigrant
L
Often a noun.
The suffix –ant often indicates a person noun.
causing a specific
action
obedient, absorbent, abundant,
elegant
L
Often an adjective.
-ent and –ant sound alike because of the schwa. –ent is
used somewhat more often than –ant.
-hood
the state, the
condition, the quality
boyhood, likelihood
AS
Usually a noun
History of the suffix: –hood
• Old English: -had
• Middle English: -hod
• Modern English: -hood
logy/ ology
- science of, study of
biology, chronology, theology,
geology
GR
microuni-ity
-al -ial
-ion ation,
sion tion
-ish
-ent, ant
-ent -ant
GR
L/GR
GR
GR
L
Additional Information
From the Latin word miniature… Modern generations
shortened miniature to mini-.
Usually a noun
Usually an adjective
Grade Six continued
Prefix Suffix
Root
aqua
Examples
aquarium, aquamarine,
aqualung
action, react, transact
Origin
L
emit, transmit
anniversary, semiannual,
millennium
L
L
chief, ruler
lead
archenemy, matriarch
induce, conduct
GR
L
written, drawn
autograph, paragraph, telegram
GR
earth, ground, soil
hand
name, word
geography, geology
manicure, manually
antonym, synonym, homonym
GR
L
GR
voice, sound
telephone, symphony
GR
rupt
break, burst
bankrupt, rupture, disruptive
L
scrib,
script
therm
to write
describe, manuscript, transcript
L
heat
GR
tox
poison
thermometer, thermostat,
thermal
toxic, toxicology
act
mit
anni,
annu,
enni
arch
duct,
duc
gram,
graph
geo
man
nym.
onym
phon
Definition
water
put in motion,
process of doing
to send
year
Additional Information
L
L
Usually a noun
Erupt means to explode. (The volcano erupted.) Irrupt means
to rush or burst in. (The police irrupted into the hideout.)
Verbs usually use scribe, as in prescribe; nouns usually use
script, as in prescription.
Grade Seven (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix Suffix
Root
Definition
Examples
antein front of, before
antecedent, antebellum
abaacoconcom
pro-
Origin
L
Additional Information
Fun information – antepenultimate means next to the
next to the last…this word can usually be found on
the SAT.
from, away
on, in, to
without, not
together, with
absent, absorb, abnormal
across, aboard, aside
atypical, amoral, asocial
cooperate, concede, combine
L
AS/L
AS/L
L
forward, before,
in support of
within
great, huge
after, following
full of,
characterized by
inclined, tending
toward an action
proceed, pronoun, prohibit
L/GR
intranet, intramural
megabyte, megaphone
postpone, postwar
adventurous, nervous,
mysterious, courteous
festive, talkative, active,
sensitive
L
GR
L
L
-ence ance
act, condition of
persistence, excellence,
assistance, importance
L
-ic
relating to,
characterized by
to make, to cause
to become
to make
result of an action,
collection
characterized by a
specified quality,
condition, or action
time
time
air
energetic, historic
L/GR
Words that end with –de (intrude) change the –de to
s then add –ive (intrusive).
Words that end with silent e (create) drop the e then
add –ive (creative).
Usually a noun
-ence and –ance sound alike because of the schwa.
–ence is used somewhat more often than –ance.
Usually an adjective
fertilize, criticize, apologize
L/GR
Usually a verb
satisfy, magnify
manage, drainage, acreage
L
L
Usually a verb
awesome, lonesome
AS
Primarily used with Anglo-Saxon base words.
chronology, synchronize
temporary, temperature
aerial, aerospace
GR
L
GR
intramegapost-ous –ious
-eous
-ive –itive
-ative
-ize
-fy -ify
-age
-some
chron
temp
aer, aero
L
Concrete – meaning to harden or to grow together.
Some words with pro- as a prefix are often
hyphenated, so be sure to check the dictionary.
Usually an adjective
Grade Seven continued
Prefix Suffix
Root
cede,
ceed
cept,
ceive
dict
fract, frag
gen
grat
ject
liber
leg, lect,
lig
mater,
matr,
matri
pater,
patr
mot, mob
opt
ped, pod
ped
spect/
spec
pop
pend
Definition
to go, yield,
surrender
to take, catch,
seize, hold
to say, tell
to break
race, kind, or
species, birth
thanks, pleasing
to throw
free
law, to choose, to
pick, to read, to
speak
mother
Examples
proceed, secede, precede,
concede
receive accept, deceive
Origin
L
Additional Information
L
Additional roots with same definition: cap (captive), ceit
(conceit), cep (concept), cip (municipal)
diction, dictator
fracture, fraction, fragment
gender, genetics, genesis
L
L
L
congratulations, gratify
inject, objection
liberty, liberate
legend, legal, intelligent,
elect, lecture
L
L
L
L
maternal, matrimony,
matriarch
L
father
paternal, patriot, patriarch
L
to move
eye, to make a
choice
foot
child
to see, watch,
observe
people
to hang, weigh
motivate, mobilize
optometry, optic, optional
L
L
pedal, pedestrian, tripod
pediatrician
prospect, respect, specimen
L
GR
L
population, popular
suspend, pendulum
L
L
The roots lect, lect, and lig are related to the Greek
combining form logos, meaning speech or word.
Grade Eight (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix
Suffix Root
Definition
hyperover, above, excessive
hypobelow, less than normal
hypomniall
homosame
heterodifferent, other
ultra-cide
-ery
-ary
-ism
-ium
-tude
aud
cred
archae,
arche, archi
belli
claim,/ clam
hemo, hema
luna
mar
mort
path
pel
struc, struct
vis, vid
voc, voke
cogn
loc, loqu
Examples
hyperactive, hypercritical
hypothermia, hypnosis
Origin
GR
GR
Additional Information
omnipresent, omniscient
homogeneous, homonym
heterochromatic, heterogeneous
L
L
GR
beyond in degree, extreme
kill
relating to, quality, place
where
relating to, place where,
one who
act/ belief, practice of
chemical element, group
condition, state, quality of
to hear, listen
to believe
primitive, ancient
ultramarine, ultraviolet
germicide, pesticide
imagery, pottery, bakery
L
L
AS
Usually a noun
dictionary, infirmary, cautionary,
dietary, missionary
patriotism, idealism, absenteeism
helium, aquarium
altitude, gratitude
audible, audition
credit, incredible
archaeologist, archives, archetype
L
Noun or adjective
L/GR
GR
L
L
L
GR
Usually a noun
war
to declare, call out, cry out
blood
moon
sea
death
feeling, suffering, disease
to drive, push
to build
belligerent, bellicose
exclaim, clamor, clamorous
hematology, hemophilia
lunar, lunatic
maritime, submarine
mortuary, mortality
apathetic, pathology
expel, propeller
construct, destruction, instructor
L
L
GR
L
L
L
GR
L
L
to see
to call
to know
to speak, talk, say
vision, evidence
advocate, revoke
cognition, recognize
colloquial, ventriloquist, loquacious
L
L
L
L
Heteronyms: words with the same
spelling, but different meanings
(dove – the bird; dove – did dive)
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
Usually a noun
See Affix Matrix for the root struct on
final page of this document.
Grade Nine (Please review affixes from prior grade.)
Prefix
Suffix Root
Definition
bene
well, good
cardi
heart
ego
self
don, donat
give, gift
luc, lum
light
mania
madness, frenzy, abnormal
desire, obsession
nate, nat
born
neg
no, deny
neo
new
nov
new
phys
nature
phobia,
irrational fear or hatred, one
phobic,
who fears, hates
phobe
psych
mind, soul
reg
guide, rule
sci
to know, learn
sol
tact, tang
terr
vac
ver/ veri
alone
to touch
land
empty
true, genuine
Examples
benediction, beneficial
cardiac, cardiology
egocentric, egotistical, egoism
donate, donation
translucent, illuminate
maniac, kleptomania
Origin
L
L
L
L
L
GR
native, innate
negative, negate
neonatal, neocortex
novice, novitiate
physics, physical
aquaphobia, claustrophobic,
technophobe
L
L
GR
L
GR
GR
psychic, psychopath
regime, regent
science, conscience
neuroscience
solitary, soliloquy
contact, tangible
terrain, territory
vacate, evacuate
verdict, veritable
GR
L
L
L
L
L
L
L
Additional Information
There are names for more than 500
phobias, most of which come from the
field of medicine.
Affix Matrix
re
de
s
ed
ing
con
de
in
ob
sub
super
infra
struct
ive
or
ion
ure
ly
s
s
ed
ing
al
ly
The A rts G reek and Latin R oots and Affix es
Name
Prefix
Name
Suffix
Name Root
Origin
Definition Meaning
Example
Greek
feeling, sensation
aesthetics, esthetical
calli-
Greek
beautiful
calligraphy
can-, cant-
Latin
sing
canto, cantata, cantor
cand-
Latin
glowing, iridescent
candid, incandescent, candle, candela
ceram-
Greek
clay
ceramics
choreo-
Greek
related to dance
choreography, choreograph, choreographer
cine-
Greek
motion
cinema
color-
Latin
color
coloration
cub-
Greek
cube
cubic, cube, cuboid
fant-
Greek
to show
fantastic, fantasy
flor-
Latin
flower
floral, florid
graph-
Greek
draw, write
graphic, graphology
laud-, laus-, plaus-
Greek
Greek
Latin
half
movement, motion
praise
hemisphere
elekinesis, kinetic energy, kinesthetic
aplaud, laud
lev-
Latin
light, lift
elevator, levitation
log-
Greek
thought, word
monologue, logic, morphological
loqu-, locut-
Latin
speak
allocution, eloquent, loquacious
lud-, lus-
Latin
play
allude, illusion
lumin-
Latin
light
illumination, luminous
manu-
Latin
hand
manual, manuscript
mimmulg-, muls-
Greek
Latin
mimic
milk
mime, mimic
emulsion
mur-
Latin
wall
immured, mural
myth-
Greek
story
mythic, mythology
oct-
Greek
eight
octagon, octahedron
aesth-,
esth-
hemikine-
21
The Art s Gr ee k a nd Lati n R o ots a nd Affi xe s co nti nue d
Name
Prefix
Name
Suffix
Name Root
Origin
Definition Meaning
Example
onym
onom
Greek
name
onomatopoeia, pseudonym
phon-
Greek
sound
microphone, phonograph
phos-, phot-
Greek
light
photograph
prim-
Latin
first
primary, primeval, primitive
pup-
Latin
doll
pupa, puppet
quadrscrib-, script-
Latin
Latin
four
write
quadrangle, quadrillion
inscribe, scripture
sculp-
Latin
carve
sculpture, sculptor
sign-
Latin
sign
design, designate, signal
spati-
Latin
space
spatial
spec-, spic-, spectsyn-, sy-, syl-, sym-
Latin
Greek
look
with
conspicuous, inspection, specimen
symbol, system
terrtrans-, tra-, tran-
Latin
Latin
dry land
across
terrace, terrain, terracotta
tradition, transcend, transportation
verb-
Latin
word
verbal, verbatim, verbosity
vid-, vis-
Latin
see
video, vision
voc-
Latin
voice
vocal, vocation, provocative
22
Health G reek and Latin R oots a nd Affix es
Nam e Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
endoanti
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n Me aning
Ex am pl e
Greek
within
endogamy, endocardium, endocrine, endocarp, endoderm
Greek
against opposite
antibiotic, antibody, antiseptic
cardi/o
Greek
heart
cardiac, cardiogenic, cardiologist
cerebr/o
Latin
brain
cerebral, cerebrate, cerebrospinal
cranio
Greek
skull
craniology, cranium, cranial
dent, dont
Latin
tooth
dental, dentist, dentures
derm/a
Greek
skin
dermatologist, pachyderm (elephant, rhinoceros) dermatitis
gastr/o
Greek
stomach
gastric, gastronomy, gastritis
gyn/o/e
Greek
woman, female
gynecology, gynephobia, gynecoid
hem/o/a
Greek
hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, hemoglobin
hyper
Greek
hyp/o
Greek
blood
too much, over,
excessive, beyond
under
Greek
white, colorless
leukemia, leukocyte, leucine
Greek
muscle
myocardium, myasthenia, myosin
Latin
born
innate, natal, natural
necr/o
Greek
dead, death
necrophil, necrosis, necrology
nephr/o
Greek
kidney
nephritis, nephrotomy, nephron
neur/o
Greek
nerve
neuralgia, neurologist, neurotic
ocu
Latin
eye
binoculars, monocula
ortho
Greek
straight
orthodontist, orthopedic, orthography
osteo
Greek
osteoarthritis, osteopathy, osteology
pneum/o
Greek
tox
Greek
bone
breathing, lung, air,
spirit
poison
zyg/o
Greek
pair
zygote, zygomorphic
leuk/o, leuc/o
my/o
nat
hyperactive, hypercritical, hypertension
hypoglycemia, hypothermia, hypothesis
pneumonia, pneumatic, dyspnea
detoxification, toxic, toxicology, intoxicated
23
Language Art s G reek and Lat in Roots and A ffixes
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n
Mea ni ng
Ex am pl e
ante-
Latin
before, in front
antebellum, anticedent, antechamber,
auto-
Greek, R
of or by oneself
autocrat, automatic, autobiography, autodial, auto-focus, autograph
bene-
Latin,
Old
English
Latin
good, well
benefit, benediction, benefactor, benevolent,
out of,
excavate, ex libris, ex-wife, ex-husband,
Latin
to make or do
factory, affect, benefactor, deface, defect. effect. affect, facilitate,
factor, infect, manufacture
Latin
by hand
manual, manuscript, manufacture, manus, manumission
Latin
to send
admit, dismiss, emit, intermission, missile, mission, omit, remit, submit,
transmit
neo-
Greek
new
neophyte, neo-classical, neo-conservative, Neolithic, neoliberalism,
neologize, neoimpressionalism, neofascism, neocortex
pan-
Greek
all of
pantheon, pandemic, panacea, pandemonium, pan-American, panAfrican, pan-European
pre-
Latin
before
precede, preadolescent, preamble, prearrange, pre-atomic, prebuilt,
Precambrian, precancerous,
Lation,
Old
English
Latin
to carry
export, porter, portage, deport, import, portable, portfolio, report,
support, transport
before, forward, in
favor of, in place of
proponent, pro and con, proactive, pro bono, pro forma, pro tem,
proceed,
exfac, fact,
fic, fect
man(u)mis, mit
port
pro-
24
Lan g ua ge Arts Gre ek a nd Lat in R oo ts a nd Affix es co nt in ued
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n
Mea ni ng
Ex am pl e
proto-
Greek
first
prototype, protocol, protozoa, protagonist, protoplasm,
retro-
Latin
back, backward,
behind
retrospect, retrograde, retroactive, retrograde, retrospect, retrofit,
retrovirus
Latin
to look
inspect, spectacle, circumspect, introspection, perspective, respect,
retrospective, spectator, speculate
across, over,
beyond
transatlantic, transact, transfer, transient, translate, transmit,
transport, transplant
spec
trans
graph
Greek
write
monograph, demographics, graphic, calligraphy, photograph, lithograph
logia
Latin,
Greek
the study of
theology, biology, geology, anthropology, toxicology, meteorology,
Greek
straight, correct
orthodox, orthodontia, orthography, orthopedics, orthoscopic,
Latin
agitate, confuse
disturb, disturbed, disturbance, turbulent, turbulence
Latin
separate
divide, divercate, diverge, divergent, diversity, diversify, diversion
ques,
quæstio
Latin
ask, seek
question, questionnaire, questionable, unquestionable, query,
mort,
mors
Latin
death
mortal, immortal, mortician, mortify, mortuary, mortality, mortal sin,
break
disrupt, abrupt, bankrupt, corrupt, corruptible, disruption, interrupt,
interruption, rupture,
lead, take, or bring
together
conduct, abduct, aqueduct, conducive, deduce, deductible, deduction,
introduce, introduction, produce, reduce
orthoturb
div-
rupt
duc, duct
Latin
25
Math Greek and Lat in Ro ots an d Affix es
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n
Mea ni ng
Ex am pl e
mono,
uni
Latin<
Greek
one
monopoly, monotype, monologue, mononucleosis, monorail, monotheist
bi, di
Latin
two, twice, double
divide, diverge, diglycerides, bifurcate, biweekly, bivalve, biannual
three
triangle, trinity, trilateral, tribune, trilogy, tricycle
tri
Greek
quat,
quad
Latin
four
quadrangle, quadruplets, quaternary, quarter, quadrillion
quint,
penta
Latin<
Greek
five
quintet, quintuplets, pentagon, pentane, pentameter, quintillion
hex, ses,
sex
Greek &
Latin
six
hexagon, hexameter, sestet, sextuplets, sextillion
sept
Latin
seven
septet, septennial, septillion
oct
Latin
Greek
eight
octopus, octagon, octogenarian, octave, octillion
non
Latin
nine
nonagon, nonagenarian, nonillion
dec
Greek
ten
decimal, decade, decalogue, decimate, decillion
cent
Latin
hundred
centennial, century, centipede, centillion
mill, kilo
Greek
thousand
millennium, kilobyte, kiloton
mega
Greek
million
megabyte, megaton, megaflop
giga
Greek
billion
gigabyte, gigaflop
milli
Latin
thousandth
millisecond, milligram, millivolt
micro
Greek
millionth
microgram, microvolt
nano
Greek
billionth
nanosecond, nanobucks
hemi-,
semi-
Greek,
Latin
half, partial
hemisphere, hemistich, hemiplegia, hemicycle, semiannual, semiarid,
semiautomatic, semicircle
Latin
form or shape
uniform, transform, conform, formulate, formula, formless, formidable,
form
26
Science Lat in and G reek R oots and Affix es
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n Me aning
Ex am pl e
form
Latin
form or shape
uniform, transform, conform, formulate, formula, formless,
formidable,
a or an
Greek
not, non or without
amoral, anesthetic, apolitical, asocial, anabolic, ablate
meso
Greek
middle, intermediate
mesomorphic, mesolithic, mesozoic, mesophyll
endo
Greek
inner, inside
endoplasm, endomorph, endobiotic, endometria
aero
Greek
aerobic, aerodrome, aerodynamic, aerofoil, aeroplane
anti
Greek
air, oxygen, needing air
or oxygen.
against
antibacterial, antiabortion, antimatter, anticlockwise
amphi
Greek
on both sides, double,
around
amphibian. Amphibiotic, amphitheater, amphipod
aqua
Latin
water
aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct, aquaculture
auto
Greek
self
autobiography, automobile, autocracy, automaton
bi
Latin
two, twice, double
bicolored, bilateral, bimodal. Bilingual
Latin
life
biography, bioactive, biology, antibiotic
Greek
green
chlorophyll, chlorobenzene, chloroform
Greek
color
chromatic, monochrome, polychrome
Latin
kill
patricide, infanticide, herbicide. Suicide, homicide
Greek
cell
cytoplasm, cytosol, cytogenetics, cytotoxic
Greek
skin
dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic, dermatitis
dia
Greek
across, separate, apart
diameter, diameter, diagonal, dialogue, dialect, diagnosis, diagram
di
Greek
two, double
divide, diverge, diglycerides,
ecto
Greek
on the outside, outer,
external
ectoder, ectoderm, ectoplasm, ectopic, ectothermal
endo
Greek
within, inside, internal
endoscope, endoblast, endocranium, endoplasm
bio
chlora
chrom
cide
cyto
derm
Scie n ce L atin a nd G reek R oo ts a nd Affixes co ntinu ed
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n Me aning
Ex am pl e
Greek
blood
hemoglobin, hemophilia, hemorrhage
Greek
over, above, excessive
hyperactive, hyperbole, hyperostosis, hypermorphosis
hypo
Greek
under, below
hypoallergenic, hypodermic, hypodermis, hypoglycemia
intra
Latin
within, inside
intracellular, intracranial, intramural, intranet
Greek
inflammation disease
bronchitis, bursitis, cellulitis, tonsillitis,
Latin
side, a part or object at
the side of something
bilateral, equilateral, multilateral, unilateral
Greek
study of
biology, geology, etymology, cardiology
Greek
measure
geometric, thermometer, odometer, accelerometer
one, single
monologue, monotheism, monarchy, monogamy
form, structure
metamorphosis, amorphous, morphology, morphine
micro
small
microburst, microchips, microorganism, microparticle, microscope,
microeconomics
macro
large
macrocosm, macroeconomics, macrobiotic, macrocytes
multi
many, multiple, more
than one or two
multicultural, multicolored, multilateral, multilocular
Greek
exaggerated fear or
dislike
photophobia, claustrophobia, agoraphobia, hydrophobia
photo
Greek
light, radiant energy
photochemical, photochromic, photobiotic
syn
Greek
together
synthesis, synchronous, synergy, snyopsis, photosynthesis
tele
Greek
distance, from afar
television, telephone, telegraph, telemetry, telepathy
therm,
thermo
Greek
heat
thermal, thermometer, thermocouple, thermodynamic, thermoelectric
vita
Latin
life
vital, vitality, vitamins, revitalize
hemo
hyper
itis
lateral
logy
meter
mono
morph
phobia
Social Studies Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n
Mea ni ng
Ex am pl e
anthropo-
Greek
human being
anthropology, anthropoid, anthropogenesis, anthropomorphic,
contra-
Latin
against, opposite,
contrasting
people
contradict, contraband, contraception, controversy, contrary
democracy, plutocracy, aristocracy, timocracy, theocracy,
democrat, autocrat, technocrat
monarchy, anarchy, patriarch, matriarch,
demos
Greek
crat, cracy
Greek
archy
Latin
form of
government
leader, chief, ruler
demo
Greek
common people
democrat, democracy, democratic, democratize,
aristo
Greek
best
aristocrat, aristocracy, aristocratic
geo
Greek
earth
Latin,
Greek
Latin
knowing/ learned
inquiry
body
geography, geothermal, geology, geologic time, geometry,
geomorphology, geophysics, geopolitics
history, historical, historian, historic
Latin
around, being round
liber
Latin
free
cede,
ceed, cess
Latin
go, yield, give
away, give up
polis,
politia
mobilis,
mob, mot,
mov
Greek,
Latin
Latin
city, civil
administration
move
historia,
histor
corp,
corpor
circum
democracy, demographics, endemic, pandemic,
corporation, corpus, corporal, incorporate, habeas corpus,
corpulent, corps,
circumnavigate, circumlocution, circumscribe, circumspect,
circumference, circumbendibus, cimcumflex
liberty, liberate, libertine, liberal,
secede, accede, concede, intercede, recede, exceed, proceed,
succeed, abscess, excess, process, success, accession, concession,
intercession, precession, ancestor
police, metropolitan, interpol, policy, polis, politics, political,
politician,
move, automobile, demote, locomotion, mobile, mobility, motion,
motivate, promote, removal,
29
So cial St ud ies G reek an d L atin Ro ots a nd Affix es co nt in ued
Nam e
Pr e fix
Nam e
S uffi x
Nam e
Ro ot
Ori gi n
De fi niti o n
Mea ni ng
Ex am pl e
jud,
judicare
Latin
judge
judgment, adjudicate, judge, judicial, adjudicate, judiciary, judicious
pertaining to a
place
form of theory or
practice of
distinctive
character
circle, ring
locate, local, locality, loc. cit. location, locator, LAN (local area
network)
fascism, feminism, baptism, Puritanism, Hellenism, paganism,
socialism, capitalism
many, multiple,
more than one or
two
globe, ball
polybasic, polychromatic, polycrystalline, polyphase, polypropylene
half, partial
hemisphere, hemistich, hemiplegia, hemicycle, semiannual, semiarid,
semiautomatic, semicircle
loc, locat
Latin
ism
Greek
cycl
poly
Greek
sphere
hemi-, semi-
Greek
Greek,
Latin
Greek,
Latin
recycle, cyclone, cyclops, bicycle, tricycle, encyclical,
hemisphere, troposphere, stratosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere,
30