SAT Most Common Roots

acu

sharp: acute, acupressure, acupuncture, acuity

agri

farming: agriculture, agrarian

alb

white: albino, albumen, albacore

ambul

walk, move: amble, ambulance, ambulant

amic

friendly: amicable, amicably, dynamic

arche (archi)

primitive, origin: archaic, archaeology, archive

auto

self: autopilot, autonomous, autocratic

bel

war, fight: rebel, antebellum, bellicose

bene

good: benefit, benign, benevolent, benefactor

cata

intensive, according to: cataclysm, catastrophic, catalog

cede (cess, ced)

go, withdraw: recede, exceed, recession

cent

hundred: centennial, century, percent

cerebr

brain: cerebral, cerebrate

cert

sure: certain, ascertain, certify

chron

time: chronicle, chronology, anachronism

cide

kill: genocide, pesticide

circum

around: circumference, circumstance

clam (claim)

shout, speak: exclaim, clamor, proclaim

clar

clear: clarify, clarification, declare

clud (clus)

close: conclusion, seclude, conclude

clin (cline)

lean: inclination, incline, recline

cog

know: cognitive, incognito, cognition

corp

body: corporation, corpse, corporal

cred

believe: incredible, credit, credulous, credence

crypt

hidden, secret: cryptic, encrypt

culp

blame, fault: culpable, exculpate, culprit

cumul

mass, heap: accumulate, cumulative

dem

people: democracy, demographics

domin

master: dominate, predominate, dominerring

don

give: donate, pardon, donor

dorm

sleep: dormitory, dormant, dormer

dur

harden, long lasting: durable, duration, endure

dyn

power, energy: dynamite, dynamic

esth (aesth)

beauty, feeling: esthetician, aesthetic, kinesthesia

ethn

nation, race: ethnicity, ethnology, ethnocentric

fid

trust: confidence, fidelity

flect (flex)

bend: reflect, flexible, inflect, deflect

fore

in front of, previous: before, therefore, forebode, forecast

fusc

dark: obfuscation, infuscate, subfuscous, fuscous

ger old age geriatrics, gerontology

grad (gress)

to step, to go: digress, gradual, graduate

gyn

woman: gynecology, androgynous, misogyny

idio

peculiar, distinct: idiotic, idiomatic

lab

work: elaborate, laboratory, laborious, labor, collaborate

lat

broad, wide: dilate, latitude

laud

praise: laudably, applause, applaud

lex

word, law: lexicology, dyslexic, alexia, lexicon

loq

speech: loquacious, eloquent, colloquialism

luc

light: elucidate, lucid, translucent

mal

bad, evil: malignant, maltreat, malfeasance, malicious

medi

middle: mediocre, medium, medieval

melan

black, dark: melancholy, melanoma, melodrama

migr

move: immigrant, emigrate, migrant, migration

miss (mit)

send, cast: remit, dismiss, missle, emit

mort

death: mortuary, immortal, mortify

nat

born: innate, natural, natal

neg

no: negate, negative, renege

nov

new: novice, renovate, novelty

null

none: nullify, nullification, nulliparity

opt

best: optimal, optimum, optimize

oxy

sharp: oxymoron, oxidize

paleo

ancient: paleontologist, Paleolithic, paleography

pan

all: pandemic, panorama, pantheon, panacea

path

feeling: antipathy, sympathetic, psychopath, apathy

pel (puls)

drive, push: dispel, repulse, compel, compulsion

ped

foot, kid: pedestrian, pedometer, pediatrician, pedophile

peri

around: perimeter, peripheral

phil

loving: philanthropic, philosophy, pedophile

phob

fear: hydrophobia, phobia, claustrophobic

pos

put, place: position, compose, deposit

psuedo

not genuine: pseudonym, pseudoscience

pug

to fight: pugnacious, repugnant, pugilant

pul

urge: compulsion, impulsive, expulsion

purg

clean: purge, purgatory, expurgate

reg

guide, rules: regulate, regular, regent, regime

san

health: sane, sanity, insane, sanitation

scend

climb, go: ascend, crescendo, descent

sci

to know: science, conscience, conscious, omniscient

scrib

write: scribe, prescribe, inscribe, describe

sect

cut: dissect, intersect, section

sed

sit: sediment, sedentary

sol

comfort: consolation, solace

soph

wise: philosophy, sophisticated, sophism

syn (sym)

with, together: synonym, sympathy

tact

to touch: contact, tactile

tax

arrangement: syntax, taxonomy, ataxia

tele

far: television, telephone, telescope, telegraph

tort

twist: contort, distort, retort

vac

empty: vacuum, vacant, evacuate

viv/vit

life: vitality, vivacious

vor (vour)

eat: devour, voracious, carnivore, herbivore

xen

foreign: xenocide, xenophobic, xenophile