Greek Roots/Prefixes/Suffixes (Verbal General) Flashcards
a-
*not, without
Abyss—without bottom
Achromatic—without color
Acro-
*top, height, tip
Acrobat—“high” walker
Acrophobia—fear of heights
An-
*not, without
Anhydrous—without water
Aer-
*air
Aerate—to let air reach something
Aerial—relating to the air
Aero-
*air
Aerospace—the air space
Agr-
*farming
Agrarian—relating to the management of land
Agri-
*farming
Agriculture—management of the land
Ana-
*up, back, against
Analysis—a close examination of something
Andr
*man, male
Misandry—hatred toward men
Andro-
*man, male
Androgynous—being both male and female
Android—resembling a human
Anthro
*human
Philanthropy—the love to mankind (through good deeds)
Anthro-
*human
Anthropomorphism—giving human form to non-living things
Anti-
*against, opposite of
Antiseptic—preventing infection
Antisocial—against social norms
Apo-
*away, off, separate
Apology—an explicit expression of regret
Arch
*chief, most important
Matriarch—a female who rules a group
Monarch—king or queen
Arch-
*chief, most important
Archbishop—highest ranking bishop
Archenemy—worst enemy
Arch-
*primitive, ancient
Archaeology—the study of ancient cultures
Archaic—belonging to an earlier period
Aster-
*space
Asterisk—a star shaped sign used as a reference tool
Arthri-
*joint, jointed
Arthritis—inflammation of a joint
Astro-
*star, stars, outer space
Astronomer—someone who studies the stars
Astronaut—someone who travels to the stars
Auto-
*self
autocrat—a person who governs with absolute power
Automatic—moving by itself
Bar-
*pressure, weight
Basic—pertaining to pressure
Baryon—heavy elementary particle
Biblio-
*book
Bibliophile—a person who loves books
Bibliography—a list of books used as sources
Bio-
*life, living, matter
Biology—science of life
Biography—a life story written by another person
Blast
*cell, primitive, immature cell
Fibroblast—a cell that forms connective tissue
Blast-
*cell, primitive, immature cell
Blastula—an early stage of embryonic development
Cardi-
*heart
Cardiac—relating to the heart
Cardiologist—heart doctor
Cata-
*completely, intensive, according to
Cataclysm—a flood or other disaster
Catalog—complete listing
Catastrophe—disaster
Caust
*to burn
Holocaust—total devastation, especially by fire
Caust-
*to burn
Caustic—capable of burning or eating away
Caut-
*to burn
Cauterize—to burn with a hot instrument
Centr
*center
Egocentric—self-centered
Eccentric—not having a common center
Centr-
*center
Centrifugal—moving outward from a center
Cephal
*head
Encephalitis—inflammation of the brain
Cephal-
*head
Cephalopod—marine mollusks with tentacles growing from their head
Cephalic—pertaining to the head
Chrom
*color, pigment
Achromatic—without color
Chrom-
*color, pigment
Chromium—a blue-white element
Chromatic—the study of color
Chrono
*time
Synchronize—happening at the same time
Chrono-
*time
Chronic—lasting for a long time
Chronological—arranging events in time order
Chrys-
*gold, yellow
Chrysanthemum—golden/yellow flowers
Cosm
*universe
Microcosm—a miniature universe
Cosm-
*universe
Cosmology—the science of the origin of the universe
Cosmos—the universe
Crani-
*skull
Cranium—skull of vertebrates
Cranial—pertaining to the skull
Craniology—the study of skull characteristics
Crypto-
*hidden, secret
Cryptography—science of secret codes
Cryptic—of hidden meaning
Cycl
*circle, ring
Bicycle—a vehicle with two wheels
Cycl-
*circle, ring
Cycle—a sequence that is repeated
Cyclone—a storm with whirling winds
Dec-
*ten
Decade—10 years
December—formerly the 10th month of the Roman calendar
Dem
*people
Pandemic—spreading among people in a region
Demo-
*people
Democracy—government of the people
Demographic—the study of people
Dendr
*tree
Philodendron—a climbing plant that grows on trees
Dendr-
*tree
Dendrochronology—dating events by studying growth in tree rings
Derm
*skin
Pachyderm—a class of animals with very thick skin
Derm-
*skin
Dermatologist—a doctor for the skin
Dermatitis—inflammation of the skin
Di-
*two, twice
Dichromatic—displaying two colors
Dilemma—a situation that requires a choice between two alternatives
Dia-
*through, between, apart, across
Diagnosis—understanding a condition by going through a detailed review
Dialog—conversation between two people
Dyn-
*power, energy, strength
Dynamo—generator of energy
Dynamite—powerful explosive
Dynamic—having great physical energy/power
Dys-
*abnormal, bad
Dyspepsia—abnormal digestion
Dystopia—an imaginary place of misery
Ego
*self
Alter ego—a higher aspect of oneself
Ego-
*self
Egoistic—self-centered
Egomania—excessive preoccupation with oneself
Endo-
*within, inside
Endothermic—a creature that can keep its inside temperature fairly constant
Endogamy—the custom to marry within one’s clan, tribe, etc
Epi-
*on, upon, over, among, at, after, to, outside
Epidemic—the rapid spread of something negative
Epilogue—a short speech delivered after a play
Erg
*work
Energy—the power to accomplish work
Energetic—the science that looks at energy and its transformation
Erg-
*work
Ergonomics—the study of a working environment
Ethn-
*race, people
Ethnic—pertaining to a defined group of people
Ethnocentric—focusing on the ethnicity of people
Eu-
*good, well
Euphemism—replacing an offensive word with an inoffensive one
Euphoria—feeling of well-being
Gastr-
*stomach
Gastric—pertaining to the stomach
Gastritis—inflammation of the stomach
Gen-
*birth, production
Genealogy—the study of the history of a family
Generation—all the people born at approximately the same time
Geo-
*earth, soil, global
Geography—study of the Earth’s surface
Geology—study of the structure of the Earth
Ger-
*old age
geriatrics—medicine pertaining to the elderly
Gerontology—the study of aging
Giga-
*a billion
Gigabyte—unit of computer storage space
Gigawatt—a billion watts
Gon-
*angle
Decagon—a polygon with 10 angles
Octagon—a geometrical figure with 8 angles
Gram
*letter, written
Diagram—a simple drawing
Telegram—a message sent by telegraph
Gram-
*letter, written
Grammar—rules of how to write words in sentences
Graph
*writing, recording, written
Autograph—written by one’s own hand
Seismograph—a machine noting strength and duration of earthquakes
Graph-
*writing, recording, written
Graphology—the study of handwriting
Gyn-
*woman, female
Gynecology—the science of female reproductive health
Gynecoid—resembling a woman
Hect-
*hundred
Hectoliter—100 meters
Hectare—100 acres
Helic-
*spiral, circular
Helicopter—an aircraft with horizontal rotating wings
Helix—a spiral form
Helio-
*sun
Heliograph—apparatus used to send message with help of sunlight
Hemi-
*half, partial
Hemicycle—a semicircular structure
Hemisphere—one half of the Earth
Hem-
*blood
Hemorrhage—clotting of the blood
Hemoglobin—red blood particle
Hept-
*seven
Heptagon—a shape with 7 angles
Heptameter—a line of verse containing 7 metrical feet
Hetero-
*different, other
Heterogeneous—made up of unrelated parts
Heteronyms—words with same spelling but different meanings
Hex-
*six
Hexagon—shape with 6 angles
Hexapod—having 6 legs
Histo-
*tissue
Histology—study of the microscopic structure of tissues
Homo-
*like, alike, same
Homogeneous—of the same nature or kind
Homonym—something alike
Hydr-
*water, liquid
Hydrate—to add water to
Hydrophobia—intense fear of water
Hydraulic—operated by force of a liquid
Hygr-
*moisture, humidity
Hygrometer—tool used to measure humidity
Hyper-
*too much, over, excessive
Hyperactive—very restless
Hypercritical—too critical
Hypertension—above normal pressure
Hyp-
*under
hypothermia—abnormally low body temperature
iatr
*medical care
Geriatrics—medical care of the elderly
Pediatrician—doctor who treats children
Icon-
*image
Icon—an (often religious) image
Iconoclast—someone who destroys religious images and religious beliefs
Idio-
*peculiar, personal, distinct
Idiomatic—peculiar to a particular language
Idiosyncrasy— a physical or mental characteristic
Kilo-
*thousand
Kilobyte—1000 bytes
Kilometer—1000 meters
Kine
*motion
Telekinesis—the ability to move objects with the mind
Leuk-
*white, colorless
Leukemia—abnormal increase in white blood cells
Leukocyte—a mature white blood cell
Lex
*word, law, reading
Alexia—loss of the ability to read
Lex-
*word, law, reading
Lexicology—the study and history of words
Lip-
*fat
Liposuction—the mechanical removal of fat
Lipoid—resembling fat
Lite
*mineral, rock, fossil
Sodalite—a royal blue tectosilicate mineral
Lith
*mineral, rock, fossil
Monolith—a single great stone often in the form of an obelisk or column
Log
*word, doctrine, discourse
Monologue—a long speech
Analogy—similarity, especially between things otherwise dissimilar
Log-
*word, doctrine, discourse
Logic—correct reasoning
Macro-
*large, great
Macroevolution—large scale evolution
Macroeconomics—study of overall forces of economy
Mania
*madness, insanity, excessive desire
Maniac—an insane person
Mania-
*madness, insanity, excessive desire
Bibliomaniac—a crazy love of books
Egomania—a mad love of oneself
Mega-
*great, large, million
Megalopolis—an area with many nearby cities
Melanoma—malignant, dark tumor of the skin
Meso-
*middle
Mesoamerica—a region that includes most of Central America, or the land that geographically lies in the middle of the Americas
Meson—elementary particle with a mass between an electron and a proton
meta-
*change, after, beyond, between
Metaphysics—study of nature and reality
Metastasis—the transmission of disease to other parts of the body
Meter
*measure
Audiometer—an instrument that measures hearing acuteness
Chronometer—an instrument that measures time
Micro-
*very small, short, minute
Microbe—a very small living thing
Microscope—a device to see very small things
Mid-
*middle
Midriff—that area between the chest and the waist
Midterm—middle of a term in school
Mis-
*bad, badly, wrong, wrongly, to hate
Misbehave—to behave badly
Misprint—an error in printing
Mon-
*one, single, alone
Monochromatic—having one color
Monologue—a speech given by one person
Morph
*form
Metamorphosis—complete change in form
Amorphous—without distinct shape or form
Necr-
*dead, death
Necrophile—loving death
Necrosis—the death of tissue due to disease or injury
Nephro-
*kidney
Nephritis—inflammation of the kidneys
Nephrostomy—surgical incision of the kidney
Neur-
*nerve
Neuralgia—pain along a nerve
Neurologist—doctor specializing in the nerves
Oct-
*eight
Octagon—a figure with 8 angles
Octopus—sea animal with 8 arms
Od
*path, way
Diode—an electron tube having 2 electrodes, a cathode and an anode
Od-
*path, way
Odometer—an instrument attached to a vehicle to measure distance
Op-
*eye, visual condition, sight
Optic—relating to the eyes
Optician—a person who fits eyeglasses
Ortho-
*straight
Orthodontist—a dentist that straightens teeth
Orthopedic—doctor who is concerned with proper alignment of bones
Osteo-
*goes beyond, surpasses
Osteoarthritis—inflammation caused by degeneration of the joints
Osteology—the study of bones
Oxi-, oxy-
*sharp
Oxymoron—combining two ideas that sharply contradict each other
Oxidize—corrode a surface
Pale-
*ancient
Paleontology—study of ancient fossils
Paleolithic—period of the Stone Age
Pan-
*all, any, everyone
Panacea—a cure for all diseases or problems
Panorama—an all-around view
Pandemic—affecting all
Para-
*beside, beyond, abnormal
Parasite—an organism that lives on and off another living being
Parallel—alongside and always an equal distance apart
Pater-, patr-
*father
Paternal—relating to fathers
Patriarch—a man who rules a group
Pent-
*five
Pentagon—having 5 angles and sides
Pentagram—a 5-pointed star, especially in magic
Pept, peps
*digestion
Dyspepsia—abnormal digestion
Peptic—aiding digestion
Peri-
*around, enclosing
Periodontal—pertaining to bone and tissue around a tooth
Perimeter—the outer boundary of an area
Phag
*to eat
Esophagus—muscular tube that carries food to the stomach
Phil-
*love, friend
Philanthropist—one who loves humanity
Phon
*sound
Cacophony—loud unpleasant sound
Microphone—a device that records and amplifies sound
Phot-
*light
Photogenic—caused by light
Photograph—image made on light-sensitive film
Phyll
*leaf
Chlorophyll—a group of green pigments found in leaves
Phyll-
*leaf
Phyllite—a rock that forms sheets, similar to slate
Phys-
*nature, medicine, the body
Physical—relating to the body
Physician—doctor
Phyt
*plant, to grow
Epiphyte—a plant growing independently on the surface of another
Neophyte—a beginner
Plas
*to form, development
Protoplasm—something that is first made or formed
Plas-
*to form, development
Plastic—able to be formed
Pneum-
*breathing, lung, air, spirit
Pneumonia—inflammation of the lungs
Pneumatic—using the force of air
Pod-
*foot
Podiatrist—a doctor of the feet
Podium—a small platform to stand upon
Poli
*city
Metropolis—a large city
Poli-
*city
Police—people who work for the government in order to enforce laws
Politics—actions of a government or political party
Poly-
*many, more than one
Polychrome—with many colors
Polyglot—a person fluent in many languages
pro-
*before, in front of, for, forward
prognosis—a prediction of what will happen
Prologue—a passage before the main part
Prot-
*primitive, first, chief
Prototype—the first of a kind
Proton—one of the very basic parts of an atom
Pseud-
*wrong, false
Pseudonym—a fictitious name
Pseudoscience—theories presumed without proof of a scientific nature
Psych-
*mind, mental
Psyche—the human spirit or soul
Psychic—relating to the human mind or someone who has supernatural mental abilities
Pyr-
*fire, heat
Pyrometer—a thermometer for measuring high temperature
Pyrotechnics—the art of making fireworks
Rhin-
*nose
Rhinoceros—a species of animals with a big horn on the snout
Rhinoplasty—surgery of the nose
Rhod-
*red
Rhododendron— a flower with red/pink flowers
Rrh
*flow, discharge
Hemorrhage—heavy blood flow
Scler-
*hard
Multiple sclerosis—disease which causes the tissue of the brain and spinal cord to harden
Scop
*see, examine, observe
Microscope—a device used to see tiny places
Periscope—a seeing instrument on a submarine
Soph
*wise
Philosopher—a wise woman
Soph-
*wise
Sophisticated—wise about the ways of the world
Sophism—a clever but misleading argument
Sphere
*ball
Biosphere—the whole round surface of the Earth
Hemisphere—half the Earth spherically shaped like a ball
Sym-, syn-
*together, with, same
Symmetry—similarity in size, form, or arrangement
Synergy—the combined effect
Tax
*arrangement
Syntax—the systematic arrangement of words
Tax-
*arrangement
Taxonomy—the science of classification
Techno-
*technique, skill
Technology—the practical application of knowledge
Tel-
*far, distant, complete
Telescope—a device to view distant objects
Telephone—a device to talk with a distant person
The-
*put
Theme—a proposition for discussion or argument
Therm-
*heat
Thermal—relating to heat
Thermos—an insulated jar that keeps heat in
Tri-
*three, once in every three, third
Triangle—a figure with 3 sides and 3 angles
Tricycle—a 3-wheel vehicle with pedals
Xen-
*foreign
Xenophobic—afraid of foreigners
Xenophile—attracted to foreigners
Xer-
*dry
Xerophyte—a plant that grows in a dry climate
Xeric—requiring small amounts of moisture
Xyl-
*wood
Xyloid—resembling wood
Zo-
*animal life
Zoology—study of animals
Zooid—resembling an animal
Zyg
*pair
Zygomorphic—pertaining to organisms that can be divided into symmetrical halves along one axis only
-biosis
*mode of living, way of life
Symbiosis—the living together of two dissimilar organisms
-blast
*formative, embryonic
Mesoblast—the middle layer of an embryo in early development
-chrome
*color
Kodachrome—a once-popular color reversal film used by professional photographers
-cocci
*round, seed, kernel
Streptococcus—any of several spherical or oval bacteria which are pathogenic for humans
-cyst
*pouch, sac
Trichocyst—an organ of offense and defense embedded in certain protozoans
-dactyl
*finger
Pentadactyl—having five digits on each hand or foot
-derm, -dermis
*skin, layer
Epidermis—the outer layer of the skin
-emia
*blood disease
Anemia—a quantitative deficiency of the hemoglobin
-gamous, -gamy
*marriage, sexual fusion
Polygamy—the practice of having more than one spouse
-gen, -geny
*origin, production
Progeny—a descendent or offspring
Hydrogen—colorless, odorless, flammable gas required to produce water
-graph
*drawing, writing
Lithograph—a printmaking process in which a design is drawn on a flat stone
-hedral, -hedron
*side
Polyhedron—a three-dimensional shape with flat, polygonal sides, straight edges, and sharp corner
-hydrate
*compound formed by union of water with other substances
Carbohydrate—a bio molecule consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
-ism
*act, practice, or result of
Terrorism—the use of violence or threats to intimidate or coerce
-itis
*inflammation or infection
Appendicitis—inflammation of the appendix
-logy
*science or study of
Biology—the science of life or living matter
-lysis
*loosening, separation
Photolysis—the chemical decomposition of materials under the influence of light
-mer
*a part, piece
Polymer—a compound formed from two or more large molecules
-meter
*a measurement
Diameter—straight line passing through the center of a circle or sphere and meeting the circumference at each end
-morph
*form
Endomorph—a mineral enclosed within another mineral (for ex, rutile or tourmaline in quartz)
-nomy
*systematized knowledge of
astronomy—the science that deals with the material universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere
-oma
*tumorous
Carcinoma—malignant tumor, cancer
-osis, -otic
*abnormal condition, disease
Neurosis—a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety
-phase
*a stage or condition
Metaphase—a stage of mitosis or meiosis
-phil, -phile
*fondness
Hydrophilic—a molecule with an attraction to water
-phyll
*leaf
Chlorophyll—the green coloring matter of leaves and plants
-phyta, phyte
*plant
Epiphyte—a plant that grows above the ground
-plasm
*formative substance
Cytoplasm—the cell substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus
-pod, -poda
*foot
Arthropod—any invertebrate of the phylum Arthropoda, characterized by having jointed legs
-some
*body
Chromosome—any of several threadlike bodies that carry genes in a linear order
-stasis
*a stationary position
Homeostasis—the tendency of a system to maintain internal stability
-stat, -static
*stationary, still
Hemostat—an instrument or agent used to treat bleeding vessels in order to arrest hemorrhage
-stomy
*opening into
Colostomy—the construction of an opening from the colon through the abdominal wall
-therm
*heat
Homeotherm—an organism, such as a mammal or bird, having a body temp that is constant and largely independent of the temperature of its surroundings
-thes, -thesis
*arrangement, in order
Hypothesis—a proposition assumed as a premise or argument
-tom, -tomy
*dividing, surgery
Lobotomy—the operation of cutting into a lobe, as of the brain or the lung
-trope, -tropic
*turning
Phototropic—growing toward or away from the light
-zoa, -zoan, -zoic
*animal, life
Protozoa—a major grouping of the kingdom Protista, comprising the protozoans
