Name: _____________________________________
Date:____________ Period:____
Earth Science Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the total words used, understood, and at the command of a person or a group of
people. Understanding vocabulary is essential when you are trying to communicate something.
To understand and appreciate earth science it is necessary to know the vocabulary of this branch
of science. To help you learn this vocabulary there is a simple system that can be used to learn
the meaning of words. Here’s how the system works:
Many words in science consist of three parts: a prefix, a stem or root, and a suffix. Here’s an
example.
GEO MORPH OLOGY
Prefix
Root
Suffix
You can figure out the meaning of this word if you know the meaning of each of the three parts.
As you will learn, each of the parts has these meaning:
Geo – means “Earth”
Morph – means “form or shape”
Ology – means “study of”
So, the word geomorphology refers to the branch of earth science that “studies the forms and
shapes of the earth’s surface.”
At first if would seem that our task has become more difficult rather than simpler. We now have
three things to memorize – a prefix, root, and suffix – instead of a single word. The thing that
makes this system easier is that many prefixes, roots, and suffixes are used over and over again.
Once you learn them, you can use them to analyze other new words.
General Directions:
Listed on page 2 are groups of prefixes, roots/stems, and suffixes that often occur in scientific
terms in earth science. The other pages contain practice exercises that will help you develop
your vocabulary by using these prefixes, roots, and suffixes.
NOTE: Many of the roots listed can be used as prefixes and/or suffixes. Prefixes and suffixes
can also appear as roots.
Page 1 of 5
Name: _____________________________________
Prefixes that stand for Numbers
Prefix
Meaning
semi-, hemihalf
uni-, monoone
di-, bitwo
trithree
quadra-, tetrafour
quinqu-, pentafive
sex-, hexsix
sept-, heptaseven
octaeight
nonanine
decaten
centi-, hectohundred
millithousand
megamillion (or
very much)
Common Prefixes
Prefix
Meaning
antiagainst
circumaround
contogether
diaacross
epioutside
extrabeyond
forebefore
innot
interbetween
isosame
metachange
multimany
neonew
paleoold, ancient
periaround
polymany
postafter
prebefore (time)
probefore(place)
reagain
retrobackward
subunder, below
superabove, better than
transacross, through
ultramore than
unnot
Common Roots
Prefix
anthropaqua-
Meaning
human
water
Date:____________ Period:____
astra-, astroatmoautobar-, barobiocentrocosmocyclodynamecogeogram-, graphhelioheterohomohydrolitholunamacro, magnmesometermicromorphpetrophonphotoscopseismospherespectstratostructteleterrthermtoxumbrzoo-
star
vapor, gas
self
pressure
life
center
universe
round
force
environment
earth
drawn, written
sun
different
same
water
stone
moon
large, great
middle
measure
small
form, shape
rock
sound
light
see
earthquake
round, layer of the earth
sight, view
horizontal
build
distant
earth
heat
poison
shadow
animal
Common Suffixes
Prefix
Meaning
able-, idle-, ilecapable of
al-, arypertaining to, belonging to
eer-, istperson who is doing something
ichaving to do with
oidlike, resembling
ology, ogy, nomystudy of
izeto cause to happen
cidedeath
ismbelief in
ion-, mentresult of an action
Page 2 of 5
Name: _____________________________________
Date:____________ Period:____
Practice Exercises
Divide each term below into its component parts – prefix, root, and/or suffix – and then write the
meaning of that prefix, root, and/or suffix.
1. thermometer: ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. hemisphere: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. telescope: ___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. microscope: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. hydrodynamic: ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. paleozoology: _______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. cosmology: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8. geothermal: _________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
9. barometer: __________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
10. lithostratigraphic: ___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 3 of 5
Name: _____________________________________
Date:____________ Period:____
For each underlined word in the sentence below, (1) write the meaning of its prefix, root, and/or
suffix, and then (2) write the meaning of that word as a whole as it is used in that sentence.
1. The satellite launched by NASA went into a heliocentric orbit.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Yesterday the seismograph at Hawaii University recorded P waves and S waves.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. I was able to see Venus last night in my telescope. __________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Marble and limestone are both examples of metamorphic rock. ________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. The student observed that the rock was polymineralic and identified it as granite.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. A lab in earth science will involve finding the diameter and circumference of a globe.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. The paleontologist used an ultramicroscope to study the fossils. _______________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Create” your own word. Write each of the parts – prefix, root, and/or suffix – and their
meanings, and then write out your word and its meaning. Finally, use your word in a sentence..
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 4 of 5
Name: _____________________________________
Date:____________ Period:____
Fill in the blanks using words from the following word bank.
centimeter(s)
barometer
microbiology
photometrist
petrologist
atmosphere
lithosphere
hydrosphere
isobar
isotherm
geocentric
subterrestrial
paleoanthropology
1. The ________________________ surrounding the Earth has several layers.
2. Josh measured the length of the string in ____________________________.
3. A ________________________________________ once told me that all rocks originally
came from magma.
4. My cousin, who studies the Incas and Aztecs, is majoring in __________________________
in college.
5. The ________________________________ showed a pressure reading of 1020 millibars.
6. The __________________________________ includes the crust and the upper mantle of
Earth.
7. We pulled the excavated carcass of the wooly mammoth from _________________________
depths, almost 300 feet down!
8. ___________________________________ includes the study of bacteria, dust mites,
amoebas, and other small organisms.
9. Ptolemy’s proposal of the _____________________________ model was proven to be
incorrect because the earth is not the center of the universe.
10. The ___________________________ on the weather map showed that Chicago and
Cincinnati have the same pressure readings.
11. A ______________________________ would be employed by a light bulb manufacturing
company to assess the correct intensity of light radiation from their bulbs.
12. Fishes, whales, and sharks live in the _______________________________.
13. The meteorologist pointed to a(n) __________________________ on the map that
connected Raleigh and Louisville, which are both at 60 degrees F.
Page 5 of 5