SCIENTIFIC ROOT WORDS,
PREFIXES, AND SUFFIXES
http://www.succeedinscience.com/apbio/assi
gnments/generalinfo/rootwords.pdf
(original modified by Van Kirk)
a-; an- not; without; lacking; deficient
-able capable of
aero- air
alto- high
ambi- both
anemo- wind
anti- against; opposite
aqu- water
-ary; -arium place for something
aster-; astr- star
-ate (verb form) - the act of...
-ation (noun form) - the act of...
atmo- vapor
auto- self
baro- weight
bene- well; good
bi- (Latin) two; twice
bi-; bio- (Greek) life; living
calor- heat
carn- meat; flesh
centi- hundredth
chlor- green
chron- time
circa-; circum- around; about
cirru- hairlike curls
co- with; together
contra- against
corp- body
cosmo- world; order; form
counter- against
cresc-; cret- begin to grow
-cul-; -cule small; diminutive
cumul- heaped
-cycle; cycl- ring; circle
de- away from; down
demi- half
dent- tooth
derm- skin
di-; dipl- (Latin) two; double
di-; dia- (Greek) through; across; apart
dia- (Latin) day
dis- apart; out
dorm- sleep
dors- back
du-; duo- two
-duct lead
dynam- power
dys- bad; abnormal; difficult
ecto- outside of
-emia blood
en-; endo-; ent- in; into; within
-en made of
entom- insects
-eous nature of; like
-err- wander; go astray
-escent becoming
eu- well; good; true; normal
ex- out of; away from
extra- beyond; outside
-flect; -flex bend
flor- flower
flu-; fluct-; flux flow
fract- break
geo- land; earth
-glob- ball; round
-gon angle; corner
hem- blood
hemi- half
herb- grass; plants
hetero- different; other
hex- six
hibern- winter
homo- (Latin) man; human
homo- (Greek) same; alike
hydr- water
hyper- above; beyond; over
hypo- below; under; less
in-; il-; im-; ir- not
in-; il-; im-; ir- to; toward; into
-ine of or pertaining to
inter- between
intra- within; inside
-ism a state or condition
iso- equal; same
-ist person who deals with...
-itis inflammation; disease
-ium refers to a part of the body
kilo- thousand
lat- side
-less without
lingu- tongue
loc- place
-log- word; speech
-logist one who studies...
-logy study of...
lumin- light
macr- large
med- middle
meg- million; great
-meter; -metry measurement
micro- small; millionth
milli- thousandth
mis- wrong; incorrect
mono- one; single
mort- death
multi- many
neo- new; recent
neur- nerve
noct-; nox- night
non- not
ob- against
oct- eight
omni- all
-osis abnormal condition
oto- ear
-ous full of
ov- egg
pan- all
par-; para- beside; near; equal
-ped- foot
-ped- child
pent- five
peri- around
permea- pass; go
-phil- loving; fond of
phon-; -phone sound
photo- light
-phyll leaf
-pod foot
poly- many; several
port- carry
post- after; behind
pre- before; ahead of time
prim- first
pro- forward; favoring; before
pseudo- false; deceptive
psych- mind
quadr- four
quin- five
re- again; back
sci- know
-scop- look; device for seeing
-scribe; -script write
semi- half; partly
sept- partition; seven
-sis condition; state
sol- sun
son- sound
spec-; spic- look at
-sperm- seed
-spher- ball; round
spir-; -spire breathe
stell- stars
strat- layer
sub- under; below
super-; sur- over; above; on top
sym-; syn- together
tele- far off; distant
terr- earth; land
tetr- four
-therm- heat
trans- across
tri- three
ultra- beyond
uni- one
ven-; vent- come
vig- strong
vit-; viv- life
-vor- devour; eat