100 Common Roots

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards for common root words and their meanings.

act

do (examples: action, actor)

aqua

water (examples: aquarium, aquatic)

aud

hear (examples: audible, audience)

bene

good (examples: benefit, benevolent)

bio

life (examples: biology, biography)

cap

take (examples: capture, capable)

ced

go (examples: recede, proceed)

chron

time (examples: chronology, synchronize)

claim/clam

shout (examples: exclaim, clamor)

clar

clear (examples: clarify, declaration)

clos/clud

close (examples: disclose, conclude)

cogn

know (examples: recognize, cognition)

corp

body (examples: corpse, corporation)

cred

believe (examples: credit, incredible)

dict

say (examples: predict, contradict)

duc/duct

lead (examples: conduct, induce)

fac/fact

make (examples: factory, manufacture)

fer

carry (examples: transfer, ferry)

fin

end (examples: finish, infinite)

fract

break (examples: fracture, fraction)

gen

birth, race (examples: generation, genesis)

geo

earth (examples: geology, geography)

grad/gress

step (examples: progress, graduate, gradual)

gram/graph

write (examples: diagram, biography, autograph, paragraph)

hydr

water (examples: dehydrate, hydroelectric)

ject

throw (examples: eject, inject)

jur/jus (jud/jur)

law (examples: juror, justice, judge, jury)

log/logy

word, study (examples: dialogue, biology)

luc/lum

light (examples: lucid, illuminate)

man/manu

hand (examples: manual, manipulate, manuscript)

mar

sea (examples: marine, mariner)

mater/matr

mother (examples: maternal, maternity)

mit/mis (mis/mit)

send (examples: transmit, dismiss, mission)

morph

shape (examples: amorphous, morphology, metamorphosis)

mort

death (examples: mortal, immortal, mortician)

mov/mot

move (examples: motion, remove)

nat/nasc

born (examples: native, natural, nascent)

path

feeling, disease (examples: empathy, pathology)

ped

foot (examples: pedal, pedestrian)

phon

sound (examples: telephone, symphony)

port

carry (examples: transport, export)

prim

first (examples: primary, primitive)

psych

mind (examples: psychology, psychic)

rupt

break (examples: interrupt, rupture)

scrib/script

write (examples: describe, manuscript)

sens/sent

feel (examples: sensation, consent)

serv

save, keep (examples: reserve, preserve)

spec/spic

look, see (examples: inspect, spectator)

struct

build (examples: construct, structure)

tele

far (examples: telephone, telescope)

temp

time (examples: temporary, tempo)

terr

earth (examples: terrain, territory)

the/theo

god (examples: theology, atheism)

tract

pull (examples: attract, tractor)

vac

empty (examples: vacuum, vacant)

ven/vent

come (examples: intervene, adventure)

vid/vis

see (examples: visual, video)

voc/vok

call (examples: vocal, revoke)

volv/volut

roll (examples: revolve, revolution)

annu/enni

year (examples: annual, centennial)

card/corp

heart (examples: cardiac, corporation)

crat/cracy

rule (examples: democracy, aristocrat)

dem

people (examples: democracy, epidemic)

don

give (examples: donate, pardon)

dorm

sleep (examples: dormant, dormitory)

dox

belief (examples: orthodox, paradox)

ego

self (examples: egotistical, egocentric)

fall/fals

deceive (examples: fallacy, falsify)

flect/flex

bend (examples: reflect, flexible)

gloss/glot

tongue (examples: glossary, polyglot)

gnos

know (examples: diagnose, agnostic)

helio

sun (examples: helium, heliocentric)

hem

blood (examples: hemorrhage, hemoglobin)

herb

plant (examples: herbivore, herbal)

kin/cine

motion (examples: kinetic, cinema)

labor

work (examples: collaborate, laborious)

leg

law (examples: legislate, legal)

liber

free (examples: liberate, liberty)

lingu

tongue, language (examples: bilingual, linguistics)

liter

letter (examples: literary, literal)

lith

stone (examples: monolith, lithography)

magn

great (examples: magnify, magnitude)

mega

great (examples: megaphone, megaton)

micro

small (examples: microscope, microbiology)

migr

wander (examples: immigrate, migrate)

min

small (examples: minimal, diminish)

mono

one (examples: monotone, monarchy)

multi

many (examples: multitude, multiply)

nom/nym

name (examples: nominate, synonym)

nov

new (examples: novice, renovate)

omni

all (examples: omniscient, omnivorous)

act

do (e.g., action, actor)

aqua

water (e.g., aquarium, aquatic)

aud

hear (e.g., audible, audience)

bene

good (e.g., benefit, benevolent)

bio

life (e.g., biology, biography)

cap

take (e.g., capture, capable)

ced

go (e.g., recede, proceed)

chron

time (e.g., chronology, synchronize)

claim/clam

shout (e.g., exclaim, clamor)