WORD ROOT                                     MEANING

 

a(an)                                               without

acous                                               to hear

aer (aeri, aero)                                  air

algia                                                pain

amphi                                               both sides of, double

annel                                               a small ring

anom                                               abnormal, unusual

ante                                                 before

anth  (antho)                                     flower

anti                                                  against

apt                                                   fit, faster

aqua                                                water

arachn                                              spider, web

arch                                                 first, beginning

arthr (arthro)                                    joint

ase                                                  enzyme

aster       (astero)                             star

auto                                                 self

avi                                                   bird

 

bi                                                    twice

bio                                                   life

brach  (brachi)                                  arm

bronch (bronchi)                                windpipe

 

capit                                                head

captor                                              receiver

carcin                                               cancer

cardi                                                heart

carn  (carni)                                      flesh

caud  (caudo)                                    tail

centi                                                one hundred

centr                                                center

cephal                                              head

chaet                                                bristle, hair

chlor                                                green

chondr                                             cartilage

cide                                                 kill, destroy

cili                                                   an eyelash

circum                                              around

cloaca                                              a sewer

com (con)                                         together

contra                                              opposed, against      

corn                                                 together

corp                                                 body

crani       (cranio)                             skull

crine                                                to secrete

crypt (crypto)                                    hidden

cyano                                               dark blue

cycl (cyclo)                                       circle, round

cyt (cyte, cyto)                                  cell, hollow

 

dactyl                                               finger

de                                                    down, from, off

deca                                                 ten

dent  (denta, dont)                             tooth

derm                                                hide, skin

di                                                    double

digi (digiti)                                       finger, toe

din  (dina,  dino)                               terrible

diplo                                                double

dorm                                                sleep

dors                                                 back

dura                                                 hard

dys                                                  painful, difficult

 

echino                                              spiny

eco                                                  house

ecto                                                 outside

ectomy                                             cut out

endo                                                within

epi                                                   upon

eu                                                    true, good, well

evol                                                 to unroll

ex                                                    out, off

extra                                                outside, beyond

 

fer                                                   to carry, bear

foram                                               a hole, perforation

 

gam                                                 marriage, wife

gastro                                              stomach

gene                                                 birth, origin

geo                                                  earth

glyc (glycol)                                      sweet

gnath                                               jaw

 

haem (hem)                                      blood

hal                                                   breathe

hapl  (haplo)                                     single, simple

hemi                                                half

heli (helia, helio)                               sun

helmin                                              a worm

hetero                                              other, different

hex  (hexa)                                       six

hippo                                               horse

histo                                                tissue

holo                                                 whole, entire

homo (homeo)                                  same, resembling

hydr (hydro)                                     water

hyper                                               above

hypo                                                under

 

ia                                                    condition

ic                                                     pertaining to

ichthy                                               fish

infra                                                 beneath

inter                                                 between

intr                                                  within, inside

is (iso)                                             equal

ism                                                  condition of

-itis                                                 inflammation

 

kary                                                 nucleus

 

lac                                                   milk

later  (latero)                                    side

leuc                                                 white

lingua                                              tongue

lith (litho)                                         stone

lipo                                                  fat

-logy                                                study of, word

luna                                                 moon

lysis                                                 divide, destroy

 

macro                                              large

macul                                               spot

mal                                                  bad, abnormal

mars                                                pouch

maxi                                                large

meg (mega)                                      large, great

melan                                               black

mes  (mesen, meso)                           middle

meta                                                with, after

micr (micro)                                     small

mini                                                 small

mito                                                 thread

moll                                                 soft

mon (mono)                                     single

morph (morpho)                               form

mort                                                 death

muta                                                change

 

nem  (nema)                                     thread

neo                                                  new, recent

nephr                                               kidney

neuro                                               nerve

noct                                                 night

nom                                                 name

nona                                                nine

 

oct (octo)                                         eight

olfact                                               to smell

olig (oligo)                                       few, small

omni                                                all

opercul                                             cover, lid

ose                                                  sugar

osis                                                 condition, increase

osteo                                               bone

ov (ovi)                                            egg

 

 

pal  (palaeo)                                     ancient

palp                                                 touch

par                                                  beside, near

path (patho)                                     disease

ped  (pes)                                         foot

penta                                               five

peri                                                  around

phago                                              eat

pheno                                              show, appear

phil                                                  loving

phob                                                fear

phot (photo)                                     light

phyll                                                leaf

phyt                                                 plant

pino                                                 to drink

plan                                                 flat, wandering

platy                                                flat, broad

pod                                                  foot

poly                                                 many

por                                                  small opening

post                                                 after behind

pre                                                  before

pri                                                   first

pro                                                  before, in front of

pseud (pseudo)                                 false

pyr                                                  fire

 

quadr                                               four

 

re                                                    back, again

rept (repta)                                       creep, crawl

rhin(rhino)                                       nose

rhiz                                                  root

ryncho                                              snout

 

sarc                                                 flesh

saur (sauro)                                      lizard

sect                                                 cut

semi                                                half

-sis                                                  the act of, process of

sperm                                              seed

stat (stato)                                       standing

stom  (stoma)                                   mouth

strat                                                 layered

sub                                                  below

super                                               over

supra                                               above

sym, syn                                          with, together

 

tacti                                                 touch

tax                                                   order, arrange

tele                                                  far, end

terr                                                  earth

tetra                                                 four

therm                                               heat

thigmo                                             touch

tonic                                                tension, pressure

tox                                                   poison

trans                                                across, beyond

tri                                                    three

troph                                               nutrition

tuber                                                knot, swelling

tunc                                                 covering

 

ultr                                                  beyond

uni                                                   one

ur  (ura)                                           tail

 

vacu                                                 empty

vent                                                 belly

vivi                                                  alive

-vor                                                 to devour

 

zoo                                                  animal, life

zyg (zygo)                                        yoke, join