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|
Root |
Meanings |
Sample Words and Definitions |
 |
a/n |
not, without
|
abyss - without bottom; achromatic - without color; anhydrous - without water
|
|
a |
on |
afire - on fire; ashore - on the shore; aside - on the side
|
|
ab/s, a |
from, away, off
|
abduct - carry away by force; abnormal - away from normal, not normal; absent - away, not present; aversion - the act of turning away from; abbreviate: to shorten.
|
|
ac, ad |
to, toward, near
|
accelerate - to increase the speed of; accessible - easily entered, approached, or obtained; admittance - allowing into;
|
|
acro |
top, height, tip, beginning
|
acrobat - a "high walker"; acronym - a word formed from the first (capital) letters of a word; acrophobia - fear of height
|
|
act |
do |
activity - something that a person does; react - to do something in response; interaction - communication between two or more things
|
|
aer/o |
air |
aerate - to let air reach something; aerial - relating to the air; aerospace - the air space
|
|
agr/i/o |
farming
|
agriculture - management of the land, agribusiness - making money by utilizing land; agrarian - relating to the management of land
|
|
|
alg/o |
pain |
neuralgia - pain caused by a nerve; analgesic - a drug that makes one pain free; nostalgia - aching for the familiar
|
|
ambi, amphi |
both, on both sides, around
|
ambidextrous - able to use both hands equally; ambiguous - having more than one meaning; ambivalence - conflicting or opposite feelings toward a person or thing
|
|
ambul |
walk, move
|
amble - to walk in a slow, relaxed way; ambulant - walking or moving around; ambulance - a vehicle that moves a patient
|
|
ami/o |
love |
amiable - friendly, pleasant, lovable; amity - friendly and peaceful relations; amorous - showing romantic love
|
|
ana |
up, back, against,
again, throughout
|
analysis - a close examination of something; anatomy - the structure of something as visible when cut up for analysis; anachronism - not being in the right place in time
|
|
andr/o |
man, male
|
androgynous - being both male and female; android - resembling a human; misandry - hatred towards men
|
|
anim |
life, spirit
|
animal - a living organism; animate - to make alive; equanimity - of balanced spirit
|
|
ann enn |
year |
anniversary - a date observed once a year; annual - happening once a year; millennium - 1,000 years
|
|
ante |
before, in front
|
antecede - to come before something in time;
antemeridian - before noon; anteroom- a small room before the main room
|
|
|
anth/o |
flower |
chrysanthemum and amaranth - names of flowers; anthology - a collection of treasured writings; anthozoan - half plant, half animal, like
anemones and corals.
|
|
anthrop/o |
human |
anthropology - the study of mankind; anthropomorphism - giving human form to non-human things; philanthropy - the love to mankind (expressed through good deeds)
|
|
anti |
against, opposite of
|
antibody - a substance that destroys micro-organisms; antiseptic - preventing infection; antisocial - opposing social norm
|
|
apo, apho |
away, off, separate
|
aphorism - a short expression of a general truth; apology - an explicit expression of regret, apostrophe - a small dash used in place of an omitted letter
|
|
aqu/a |
water |
aquarium - a water container for fish; aquatic- relating to water; aqueduct - a pipeline for water
|
|
arbor |
tree |
arborist - someone working with trees; arbor - a shady area formed by trees;
arborous - having many trees
|
|
arch/i
/e/o/ae
|
chief, most important, rule
|
archbishop - the highest ranking bishop; archenemy - chief or worst enemy; matriarch - a female who rules a group; monarch - a king or queen
|
|
|
archa/e,
archi
|
primitive, ancient
|
archaeology - the study of ancient cultures; archaic - belonging to an earlier period; archive - a collection of historical materials
|
|
arthr/o |
joint |
arthroscope - a tool to see inside a joint; arthritis - inflammation of a joint; arthropod - invertebrates with jointed legs, like spiders, crustaceans, insects
|
|
art |
skill |
artifact - object made by a person's skill; artisan - a person skilled in a craft; artist - a person who creates skillfully
|
|
astro,
aster
|
star, stars, outer space
|
astronaut - a person traveling to the stars; astronomer - someone who studies the stars; asterisk - a star-shaped sign used as a reference tool
|
|
aud/i/io |
hear |
audible - loud enough to be heard; audience - people who listen to a program; audiovisual - relating to sound and vision
|
|
auto |
self, same, one
|
autocrat - a person who governs with absolute power; autograph - a person's own signature; automatic - moving by itself
|
|
avi/a |
bird |
aviary - a large enclosure for birds; aviatrix - a female airplane pilot; aviation - the art of designing or operating aircraft
|
|
|
bar/o |
pressure, weight
|
baric - pertaining to pressure, esp. of the atmosphere;
milliard - metric unit, equal to 1/1000th of a bar; baryon - heavy elementary particle
|
|
bell/i |
war |
bellicose - warlike; belligerent - hostile, ready to fight; rebel - person who opposes and fights
|
|
bene |
good, well
|
benefactor - person who gives money to a cause; beneficial - producing a good effect; benevolent - showing kindness or goodwill
|
|
bi/n |
two, twice, once in every two
|
biannual - happening twice a year; binoculars - optical device with two lenses; bilateral - of or involving two sides
|
|
bibli/o |
book |
bibliography - a list of books used as sources; bibliomania - an extreme love of books; bibliophile - a person who loves books
|
|
bio |
life, living matter
|
biography- a life story written by another person; biology - the science of life; biosphere - Earth's surface inhabited by living things
|
|
blast/o |
cell, primitive, immature cell
|
blastula - an early stage of embryonic development; fibroblast - a cell that forms connective tissue; blastoderm - the layer surrounding the inside of an egg
|
|
|
capt, cept |
take, hold
|
intercept - to stop or interrupt; recapture - taking something back; captivating - taking hold of
|
|
cardi/o |
heart |
cardiac - relating to the heart; cardiogenic - resulting from heart disease; cardiologist - a heart doctor
|
|
carn/i |
flesh, meat
|
carnivorous - flesh-eating; carnal - pertaining to the body or flesh; incarnate - given bodily form
|
|
cata |
down, against
completely, intensive,
according to |
cataclysm - a flood or other disaster, catalog - a complete listing; catastrophe - turning for the worst, a substantial disaster
|
|
caust,
caut
|
to burn
|
cauterize - to burn with a hot instrument; caustic - capable of burning or eating away; holocaust - total devastation, especially by fire
|
|
cede,
ceed,
cess
|
go, yield
|
exceed - to go beyond the limits; recede - to go back; accessible - easily entered, approached,
or obtained;
|
|
ceive,
cept
|
take |
accept - to take a thing that is offered; perceive - to take notice of something; receive - to take something given
|
|
celer |
fast |
accelerate - to increase the speed of; decelerate - to reduce the speed of
|
|
cent/i |
hundred, hundredth
|
centennial- the 100th anniversary; centimeter - 1/100 of a meter; century - 100 years
|
|
centr/o/i |
center |
egocentric - self-centered; eccentric - not having a common center, not according to norm; centrifugal - moving outward from a center
|
|
|
cephal/o |
head |
encephalitis - inflammation of the brain; cephalic - pertaining to the head; cephalopod - marine
mollusks like octopus and squid who have tentacles growing from their head
|
|
cerebr/o |
brain
|
cerebral - pertaining to the brain; cerebrate - to use the brain; cerebrospinal - pertaining to the brain and the spinal cord
|
|
cert |
sure |
ascertain- to find out something with certainty; certain - being absolutely sure; certify - to state that something is true
|
|
chrom/o chromat/o, chros |
color, pigment
|
achromatic - without color; chromium - a blue-white metallic chemical element, chromatics - the study of color
|
|
chron/o |
time |
chronic - lasting for a long time; chronological - arranging events in time order, synchronize - happening at the same time
|
|
chrys/o |
gold, yellow
|
chrysanthemum and helichrysum - golden/yellow flowers; chrysolite - a yellowish gem
|
|
cide, cise |
cut, kill
|
homicide - murder; incisor - a sharp tooth for cutting food; insecticide - a chemical used to kill insects
|
|
circum,
circle
|
around, about
|
circumnavigate - to sail around; circumscribe - to draw around; circumspect - looking around
|
|
claim, clam |
shout, speak out
|
clamor - to shout and make noise; exclaim - to cry out loudly and suddenly; proclamation - something announced officially in public
|
|
|
clar |
clear |
clarification - an explanation; clarify - to make something clear; declare - to state something clearly
|
|
clud, clus |
close |
conclusion - the end or last part; exclusion - shutting out, rejecting; seclude - to keep away from; to isolate
|
|
cline |
lean |
inclination - a leaning toward; incline - a surface that slopes or leans; recline - to lean back and relax
|
|
co |
with, together, joint
|
coauthor - writer who collaborates with another author; coeducation - educating males and females together; cohousing - planning your neighborhood in an intentional neighborly fashion
|
|
col |
together, jointly
|
Collaborate - to work together; collision - smashing together; colloquial - words formed by everday interaction
|
|
com |
together, common
|
commemorate - to memorize together; composition - an arrangement or putting together of parts; commune - living together while owning things in common
|
|
cogn/i |
know |
cognition - process of acquiring knowledge; incognito - disguised so no one knows you; recognize - to discover that one knows
|
|
con |
with, jointly
|
concur - to agree with someone; contemporary - of the same time period as others; convention - a gathering of people with a common interest
|
|
contra/o |
against, opposite
|
contradict to argue against, Contraflow, contraception, contrary not in agreement, controversy disagreement
|
|
|
corp/o |
body |
corporation - a company recognized by law as a single body; corpse - a dead body; corporal - pertaining to the body
|
|
cosm/o |
universe
|
cosmonaut - a Russian astronaut; cosmos - the universe; microcosm - a miniature universe
|
|
counter |
opposite, contrary, opposing
|
counteract - to oppose the effects of an action; countermand - to cancel a previous order; counteroffensive - attack against an attack
|
|
cranio |
skull |
craniology - the study of skull characteristics; cranium - skull of vertebrates; cranial - pertaining to the skull
|
|
cred |
believe
|
credence - belief that something is true or valid; credulous - believing things too easily, gullible; incredible - unbelievable
|
|
crypto |
hidden, secret
|
cryptic - of hidden meaning; cryptography - science of secret codes; encrypt - encode into secret code
|
|
cumul |
mass, heap
|
accumulate - to gather or pile up; cumulative - gradually building up
|
|
cycl |
circle, ring
|
bicycle - a vehicle with two wheels; cycle - a sequence that is repeated; cyclone - a storm with circling winds
|
|
|
de |
reduce, away, down, remove
|
decelerate - to slow down, reduce speed; dethrone - to remove from power; debug - to remove bugs
|
|
dec/a,
deka
|
ten |
decade - 10 years; decathlon - athletic contest that includes 10 disciplines in which each participant competes; December - formerly the 10th month of the Roman calendar
|
|
deci |
one tenth
|
deciliter - a tenth of a liter; decimate - reduce dramatically; decibel - one tenth of the sound volume unit bel
|
|
dem/o |
people |
democracy - government of the people; demographic - the study of people; epidemic - spreading among people in a region
|
|
demi |
half, less than
|
demitasse - a small cup of coffee; demimonde - someone of little respected life style
|
|
dendr/o/i |
tree |
philodendron - a climbing plant that grows on trees; dendrochronology - dating events by studying growth rings in trees; dendriform - in the shape of a tree
|
|
dent, dont |
tooth |
dental - relating to teeth; dentist - a doctor for the teeth; dentures - a set of false teeth
|
|
derm/a |
skin |
dermatologist - a doctor for the skin; pachyderm - a class of animals with very thick skin (elephant,
rhinoceros); dermatitis - inflammation of the skin
|
|
di/plo |
two, twice
|
dichromatic - displaying two colors; diploma - a certificate, literally "a letter folded double"; dilemma - a situation that requires a choice between two alternatives.
|
|
|
di/s |
apart, away,
not, to the opposite
|
digression - a departure from the main issue, subject; disappear - to move out of sight; dissect - to cut apart piece by piece.
|
|
dia |
through, between,
apart, across
|
diabetes - disease characterized by excessive thirst and discharge of urine; diagnosis - understanding a condition by going through a detailed review of symptoms; dialog - conversation between two people.
|
|
dict |
speak |
contradict - to express the opposite of; prediction - a statement foretelling the future; dictate - to speak out loud for another person to write down.
|
|
domin |
master |
dominate - to be the master of; domineering - excessively controlling; predominate - to have more power than others
|
|
don/at |
give |
donation - a contribution or gift; donor - someone who gives something; pardon - to give forgiveness for an offense
|
|
duc/t |
lead |
conduct - to lead musicians in playing music; educate - to lead to knowledge; deduction - a subtraction of an amount.
|
|
du/o |
two, twice
|
duplicate - make an identical copy; duet - a musical composition for two voices or instruments; duo - a pair normally thought of as being together.
|
|
dur |
harden, to last, lasting
|
durable - having the quality of lasting; duration - the length of time something lasts; enduring - able to last.
|
|
dyn/a/am |
power, energy, strength
|
dynamo - a generator of energy; dynamic - having physical energy/power; dynamite - a powerful explosive.
|
|
dys |
abnormal, bad
|
dyspepsia - abnormal indigestion; dystopia - an imaginary place of total misery; dyslexia - impairment of the ability to handle words.
|
|
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e- |
out, away
|
eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully; emissary - a representative of a country or group sent on a mission; eject - throw out forcefully.
|
|
ego |
self |
egoistic - self-centered; alter ego - a higher aspect of oneself; egomania - excessive preoccupation with oneself.
|
|
em, en |
into, cover with, cause
|
empathy - intention to feel like another person; empower - put into power; engorge - make larger.
|
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endo |
within, inside
|
endotherm - a creature that can keep its inside temperature fairly constant; endocrine - relating to glands that secrete directly into the blood or lymph; endogamy - the custom to marry within one's clan, tribe etc.
|
|
enn/i, anni |
years |
bicentennial - of or relating to an age or period of 200 years; centennial - of or relating to an age or period of 100 years; perennial -lasting through many years.
|
|
en, in |
inside, inwards
|
envision - to picture in the mind; enclose - lock inside; inwards - towards the inside.
|
|
ep/i |
on, upon, over,
among, at, after,
to, outside
|
epidemic - the rapid spread of something negative; epilogue - a short speech delivered after a play; epicenter - the center of an earthquake.
|
|
equ/i |
equal, equally
|
equidistant - an equal distance from two points; equanimity - calm temperament, evenness of temper; equation - a statement of equality.
|
|
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erg/o |
work |
ergonomics - study of the working environment; energy - the power to accomplish work; energetics - science that looks at energy and its transformation.
|
|
esth/aesth |
feeling, sensation, beauty
|
esthetician - someone who beautifies; aesthetic - pertaining to a sense of beauty; kinesthesia - the sensation of bodily movement.
|
|
ethno |
race, people
|
ethnic - pertaining to a defined group of people; ethnocentric - focusing on the ethnicity of people; ethnology - the science of people and races.
|
|
eu |
good, well
|
euphemism - replacing an offensive word with an inoffensive one; euphonious - having a pleasant sound; euphoria - feeling of well-being.
|
|
ex |
from, out,
|
excavate - to dig out; exhale - to breathe out; extract - to pull out.
|
|
extra, extro |
outside, beyond
|
extraordinary - beyond ordinary; extraterrestrial - outside the Earth; extrovert - an outgoing person.
|
|
fac/t |
make, do
|
artifact - an object made by a person; factory - a place where things are made; malefact - a person who does wrong.
|
|
|
fer |
bear, bring, carry
|
confer - to bring an honor to someone; ferry - a boat that carries passengers; transfer - to move to another place.
|
|
fid |
faith |
confide - place trust in someone, fidelity - faithfulness; fiduciary - a trustee;
|
|
flect |
bend |
deflect - to bend course because of hitting something; inflection - a bending in the voice's tone or pitch; flexible - easily bending.
|
|
flor/a,
fleur
|
flower |
florist - someone working with flowers; floral - flowerlike; flora - the plant life of a particular time or area
|
|
for |
completely (used to intensify
the meaning of a word) |
forsaken or forfeited - completely lost; forgiven - completely given (a release of debt).
|
|
fore |
in front of, previous, earlier
|
forebear - ancestor; forebode - to give an advance warning of something bad; forecast - a preview of events to be.
|
|
fract, frag |
break |
fracture - a break; fragile - easy to break; fragment or fraction - a part or element of a larger whole;
|
|
fug |
flee, run away, escape
|
fugitive - a person who is running away; refuge - a sheltered place to flee to; refugee - a person seeking protection
|
|
funct |
perform, work
|
defunct - no longer working or alive; function - to work or perform a role normally; malfunction - to fail to work correctly.
|
|
|
fus |
pour |
confusion - being flooded with too much information that is hard to make sense of; fuse - to melt by heating; infuse - to put into.
|
|
gastr/o |
stomach
|
gastric - pertaining to the stomach; gastronomy - serving the stomach by providing good food; gastritis - inflammation of the stomach.
|
|
gen/o/e/
genesis
|
birth, production,
formation, kind
|
genealogy - the study of the history of a family; generation - all the people born at approximately the same time; genetic -relating to heredity encoded in the genes.
|
|
geo |
earth, soil, global
|
geography - study of the earth's surface; geology - study of the structure of the earth; geoponics - soil based agriculture.
|
|
ger |
old age
|
geriatrics - medicine pertaining to the elderly; gerontocracy - the rule of the elders; gerontology - the science of aging.
|
|
giga |
a billion
|
gigabyte - unit of computer storage space; gigahertz - unit of frequency (one billion Hz/sec); gigawatt unit of electric power (one billion watts).
|
|
gon |
angle |
decagon - a polygon with 10 angles; diagonal - a slanting line running across a space; octagon - a geometrical figure with 8 angles.
|
|
gram |
letter, written
|
diagram - a simple drawing; grammar - rules of how to write words in sentences; telegram - a message sent by telegraph.
|
|
|
graph/y |
writing, recording, written
|
Graphology - the study of handwritings; autograph - written with one's own hand; seismograph - a machine noting strength and duration of earthquakes.
|
|
grat |
pleasing
|
gratify - to please someone; grateful - feeling thankful; gratuity - a tip, token of appreciation.
|
|
gyn/o/e |
woman, female
|
gynecology - the science of female reproductive health; gynephobia - fear of women; gynecoid - resembling a woman.
|
|
|
gress, grad/e/i |
to step, to go
|
digression - a departure from the main issue, subject, etc.; progress - movement forward or onward; gradual - step by step.
|
|
|
hect/o, hecat |
hundred
|
hectoliter - 100 liters; hectare - metric unit equaling 100 ares or 10,000 square meters; hectometer - 100 meters.
|
|
|
helic/o |
spiral, circular
|
helicopter - an aircraft with horizontal rotating wing; helix - a spiral form; helicon - a circular tuba.
|
|
|
heli/o |
sun |
heliotropism - movement or growth in relating to the sun; heliograph - apparatus used to send message with the help of sunlight; helianthus - genus of plants including sunflowers.
|
|
hemi |
half, partial
|
hemicycle - a semicircular structure; hemisphere - one half of the earth; hemistich - half a line of poetry.
|
|
|
hem/o/a |
blood |
hemorrhage - clotting of the blood; hemorrhoids - swelling of the blood vessels; hemoglobin - red blood particle.
|
|
hepa |
liver |
hepatitis - inflammation of the liver; hepatoma - a tumor of the liver; hepatotoxic - toxic and damaging to the liver.
|
|
hept/a |
seven |
heptagon - a shape with seven angles and seven sides; Heptateuch - the first seven books of the Old Testament; heptameter - a line of verse consisting of seven metrical feet.
|
|
herbi |
grass, plant
|
herbicide - any chemical used to kill unwanted plants, etc.; herbivorous - plant-eating; herbal - relating to plants.
|
|
hetero |
different, other
|
heterogeneous - made up of unrelated parts; heteronyms - words with same spelling but different meanings; heterodox - not conforming to traditional beliefs.
|
|
hex/a |
six |
hexagon - a shape with six angles/sides; hexameter - a verse measured in six; hexapod - having six legs.
|
|
histo |
tissue |
histology - study of the microscopic structure of tissues; histochemistry - study of the chemical constitution of cells and tissues.
|
|
homo,
homeo
|
like, alike, same
|
homogeneous - of the same nature or kind; homonym - sounding alike; homeopath - a therapy that is based on treating "same with same" |
|
|
hydr/o |
liquid, water
|
hydrate - to add water to; hydrophobia - intense fear of water; hydroponics - growing plants in liquid nutrient solution; hydraulic - operated by force created by a liquid.
|
|
hygr/o |
moisture, humidity
|
hygrometer - tool used to measure humidity; hygrograph - instrument for recording variations in atmospheric humidity.
|
|
hyper |
too much, over,
excessive, beyond
|
hyperactive - very restless; hypercritical - too critical; hypertension - above normal pressure.
|
|
hyp/o |
under |
hypoglycemia - an abnormally low level of sugar in the blood; hypothermia - abnormally low body temperature; hypothesis - a theory that is unproven but used under the assumption that it is true.
|
|
iatr/o |
medical care
|
geriatrics - medical care of the elderly; pediatrician - a doctor who treats children; podiatry - medical care for feet.
|
|
icon/o |
image |
icon - an (often religious) image, in modern usage a simplified graphic of high symbolic content; iconology - science of symbols and icons; iconoclast - someone who destroys religious images and traditional beliefs.
|
|
idio |
peculiar, personal, distinct
|
idiomatic - Peculiar to a particular language; idiosyncracy - a physical or mental characteristic typical or a particular person; idiot - someone who is distinctly foolish or stupid.
|
|
|
il, in |
in, into
|
illuminate - to give light to; innovation - a new idea, method, or device; inspection - the act of examining or reviewing.
|
|
ig, il, im,
in, ir
|
not, without
|
illegal - not legal; impossible - not possible; inappropriate - not appropriate; irresponsible - not responsible.
|
|
imag |
likeness
|
image - a likeness of someone; imaginative - able to think up new ideas or images; imagine - to form a picture or likeness in the mind.
|
|
infra |
beneath, below
|
infrastructure - underlying framework of a system; infrared - below the regular light spectrum.
|
|
inter |
between, among, jointly
|
international - involving two or more countries; intersection - place where roads come together; intercept - to stop or interrupt the course of.
|
|
intra,
intro
|
within, inside
|
intrastate - existing in one state; intravenous - inside or into a vein; introvert - shy person who keeps within him/herself.
|
|
ir |
not |
irredeemable - not redeemable; irreformable - not reformable; irrational - not rational.
|
|
iso |
equal |
isobar - a line on a map connecting points of equal barometric pressure; isometric - having equality of measure; isothermal - having equal or constant temperature.
|
|
ject |
throw |
eject - to throw someone/something out; interject - to throw a remark into a discussion; project - to cast or throw something.
|
|
|
jud |
law |
judgment - a decision of a court of law; judicial - having to do with judges or courts of law; judiciary - a system of courts of law.
|
|
junct |
join |
conjunction - a word that joins parts of sentences; disjunction - a disconnection; junction - a place where two things join.
|
|
juven |
young |
juvenile - youthful or childish; rejuvenate - to bring back to youthful strength or appearance.
|
|
kilo |
thousand
|
kilobyte - 1,000 bytes; kilometer - 1,000 meter; kilograms - 1,000 grams.
|
|
kine/t
/mat
|
motion, division
|
kinetics - study of the force of motion; psychokinesis or telekinesis - the ability to move objects with your mind; cinematography - motion picture making.
|
|
lab |
work |
collaborate - to work with a person; elaborate - to work out the details; laborious - requiring a lot of hard work.
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lact/o |
milk |
lactate - to give milk, nurse; lactose - the sugar contained in milk; lactic acid.
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later |
side |
bilateral - of or involving two sides; unilateral - affecting one side of something.
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leuk/o,
leuc/o
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white, colorless
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leukemia - abnormal increase of white blood cells in the blood; leukocyte - a mature white blood cell; leucine - a white, crystalline amino acid.
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lex |
word, law, reading
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lexicology - the study and history of words; alexia -loss of the ability to read; illegal - not authorized by the official rules or laws.
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liber |
free |
liberate - to set free; libertine - a person with a free, wild lifestyle; liberty - freedom.
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lingu |
language, tongue
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linguist - one who studies languages; multilingual - able to communicate in multiple languages; linguine - long, flat "tongue-shaped" pasta.
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lip/o |
fat |
liposuction - the mechanical removal of fat reserves in the tissue; lipase - enzyme that breaks down fat; lipoid - resembling fat.
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lite, ite,
lith/o
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mineral, rock, fossil
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appatite - a group of common minerals; granite - a hard, granular rock; monolith - a remarkable, unique stone.
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loc |
place |
dislocate - to put something out of its usual place; location - a place; relocate - to move to a new place.
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log/o |
word, doctrine, discourse
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logic - correct reasoning; monologue - a long speech by one speaker;analogy - similarity, especially between things otherwise dissimilar.
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loqu, locu |
speak |
eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully ; loquacious - very talkative; elocution - art of public speaking.
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luc |
light |
elucidate - to explain, to throw light on; lucid - easily understood, giving off light; translucent - allowing light through.
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lud, lus |
to play
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prelude - introduction to the major performance; illusion - misleading optical image or impression; delude - to mislead, deceive.
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lumin |
light |
illuminate - to fill with light; lumen - unit measuring light.
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lun/a/i |
moon |
lunar - relating to the moon; lunarscape - the surface of the moon; lunatic - insane (as if driven mad by the moon).
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macro |
large, great
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macroevolution - large scale evolution; macromolecule - a large molecule; macroeconomics - study of the overall forces of economy.
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magn/a/i |
great, large
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magnify - make larger; magnificent - grand; magnate - a powerful person, especially in business or industry.
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mal/e |
bad, ill, wrong
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malcontent - wrong content; malaria - "bad air", infectious disease thought to originate from the "bad air" of the swamps, but caused by the bite of an infected mosquito; malicious - showing strong ill will.
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man/i/u |
hand |
maneuver - to move by hand; manual - done with the hands; manuscript - a book written by hand.
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mand |
to order
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command - an order or instruction; demand - a hard-to-ignore order; mandate - an official order.
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mania |
madness, insanity,
excessive desire
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bibliomania - a crazy love of books; egomania - a mad love of oneself; maniac an insane person.
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mar/i |
sea |
marina - a harbor for pleasure boats; maritime - relating to the sea; submarine - an undersea boat; aquamarine - blue-green in color, like sea water.
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mater,
matr/i
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mother |
maternal - relating to motherhood; maternity - the state of being a mother; matriarch - a woman head of a household.
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max |
greatest |
maximal - the best or greatest possible; maximize - to make as great as possible; maximum - the greatest amount. |
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medi |
middle |
medieval - pertaining to the Middle Ages; medium - in the middle; mediocre - only of medium (inferior) quality.
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mega |
great, large, million
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megalopolis - an area with many nearby cities; megaphone - a device that projects a loud voice; megastructure - huge building or other structure.
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melan/o |
black |
melancholy - a state of dark emotions; melanoma - malignant dark tumor of the skin; melodrama - a dark, pathetic drama.
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memor/i |
remember
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commemorate - to honor the memory of, as by a ceremony; memorial - related to remembering a person or event; memory: an ability to retain knowledge or an individual's stock of retained knowledge.
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merge,
mers
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dip, dive
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immerge or immerse - to put or dip something into a liquid; submerge to dip something completely into wate.r
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meso |
middle |
Mesoamerica - Middle America; meson - elementary particle with a mass between an electron and a proton.
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meta |
change, after, beyond, between
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metaphysics - study of nature and reality; metamorphosis - a complete change of form; metastasis - the transmission of disease to other parts of the body.
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meter,
metr/y
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measure
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audiometer- an instrument that measures hearing acuteness; chronometer- an instrument that measures time; metric - measured.
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micro |
very small, short, minute
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microbe - a very small living thing; microchip - a tiny wafer with an integrated circuit; microscope - a device to see very small things.
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mid |
middle |
midriff - the area between the chest and the waist; midterm - middle of a term in school; midway - halfway between.
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migr |
move |
immigrant - a person who moves to a new country to settle; migrant - person who moves from place to place; migration - the process of moving.
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milli |
onethousandth
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millimeter - one thousandth of a meter; millibar - one thousandth of a bar; milliliter - one thousandth of a liter.
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min/i |
small, less
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mini - something that is very small; minuscule - extremely tiny; minutiae - very small or trivial details.
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mis/o |
bad, badly, wrong, wrongly,
to hate
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misbehave - to behave badly; misprint - an error in printing; misnomer - an error in naming a person or thing.
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miss, mit |
send, let go
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dismiss - to send someone away; missile - a weapon sent into the air; emit - to send something out; admittance - entry.
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mob |
move |
immobilize - to stop from moving; mobile - able to move freely; mobility - the quality of being able to move.
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mon/o |
one, single, alone
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monochromat - having one color; monologue - a speech spoken by one person; monotheism - belief in one god.
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mot, mov |
move |
motion - the act of moving; motivate - to move someone to action; promote to move someone forward; removable - able to be taken or carried away.
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morph/o |
form |
metamorphosis - complete change of form; endorphins - chemical in the brain able to transform pain; amorphous - without distinct shape or form.
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mort |
death |
immortal - living forever, unable to die; mortal - certain to die; mortician - an undertaker.
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multi |
many, more than one or two
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multicolored - having many colors; multimedia - using a range of media; multitasking - doing many things at once.
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mut |
change |
immutable - not changing; mutant - an organism that has undergone change; mutate - to undergo a change.
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my/o |
muscle |
myocardium - the middle muscle of the heart; myasthenia - muscle fatigue or weakness; myosin - common protein in muscle tissue.
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narr |
tell |
narrate - to tell a story; narrative - a story; narrator - a person who tells a story.
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nat |
born |
innate - included since birth; natal - relating to birth; natural - gotten at birth, not afterward.
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nav |
ship |
circumnavigate - to sail around a place; naval - relating to a navy or warships; navigate - to sail a ship through a place.
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necr/o |
dead, death
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necrophil - loving death; necrosis - the death of tissue due to disease or injury; necrology - a list of persons who have recently died.
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neg |
no |
negate - to say it didn't happen; negative - meaning "no"; renege - to go back on a promise.
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neo |
new, recent
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neoclassic - a revival of classic form, neocolonialism - the indirect ("new") economical and political control of a region by a more powerful foreign power; neonatal - a newborn child, especially the first few weeks.
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nephr/o |
kidney |
nephritis - inflammation of the kidneys; nephrotomy - surgical incision of a kidney; nephron - a single, excretory unit in the kidney.
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neur/o |
nerve |
neuralgia - pain along a nerve; neurologist - doctor specializing in the nerves; neurotic - mental disorder that usually does not include an impaired perception of reality.
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nom/in |
name |
misnomer - an error in naming a person or thing; nominal - being something in name only but not in reality; nominate - to name for election or appointment, to designate.
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non |
no, not, without
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nondescript - with no special characteristics; nonfiction - true, real, not made-up; nonsense - without sense.
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not |
mark |
notable - marked as worthy of attention; notarize - to certify a signature on a legal document; annotate - to add remarks.
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noun,
nunc
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declare
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announce - to declare in public; denounce - to proclaim harsh criticism; enunciate - to speak or declare something clearly.
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nov |
new |
innovate - to introduce a new way; novelty - something new; novice - a person who is new at a job; renovate - to make something like new again.
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numer |
number |
enumerate - to name a number of items on a list; numerology - the study of magical uses of numbers; numerous - a large number.
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ob, op |
in the way, against
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object - to be against something; obscure - hard to understand; opposition - the act of resistance or action against.
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oct/a/o |
eight |
octagon - a figure with 8 sides and 8 angles; octogenarian - person in his or her 80s; octopus - sea animal with 8 arms.
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ocu |
eye |
binoculars - lens device for seeing distances; monocula - relating to one eye; oculist - an eye doctor.
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omni |
all |
omnipotent - with all the power; omniscient - knowing all things; omnivorous eating all foods.
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op/t/s |
eye, visual conditio |
