SAT - Most Common Roots, Prefixes & Suffixes

Prefix: a

Meaning: without.

Prefix: ab

Meaning: away.

Suffix: -cious

-uous,Meaning: abounding in. Examples: vivacious, volumptuous

Root: acu

Meaning: sharp. Examples: acute, acupressure, acupuncture, acuity

Root: agri

Meaning: farming. Examples: agriculture, agrarian

Root: alb

Meaning: white. Examples: albino, albumen, albacore

Prefix: amb

Meaning: both. Examples: ambivalent, ambiguous, ambidextrous

Root: ambul

Meaning: walk, move. Examples: amble, ambulance, ambulant

Root: amic

Meaning: friendly. Examples: amicable, amicably, dynamic

Prefix: ana

Meaning: back. Examples: anachronism, anabasis

Prefix: anti (ant)

Meaning: against, opposite. Examples: antagonist, antidote, antibiotics

Root: arche (archi)

Meaning: primitive, origin. Examples: archaic, archaeology, archive

Root: auto

Meaning: self. Examples: autopilot, autonomous, autocratic

Root: bel

Meaning: war, fight. Examples: rebel, antebellum, bellicose

Root: bene

Meaning: good. Examples: benefit, benign, benevolent, benefactor

Prefix: bi

Meaning: two. Examples: bicycle, biceps, biscotti, biweekly

Root: cata

Meaning: intensive, according to. Examples: cataclysm, catastrophic, catalog

Root: cede (cess

ced),Meaning: go, withdraw. Examples: recede, exceed, recession

Suffix: ceive

Meaning: take. Examples: receive, perceive, reconceive

Root: cent

Meaning: hundred. Examples: centennial, century, percent

Root: cerebr

Meaning: brain. Examples: cerebral, cerebrate

Root: cert

Meaning: sure. Examples: certain, ascertain, certify

Root: chron

Meaning: time. Examples: chronicle, chronology, anachronism

Root: cide

Meaning: kill. Examples: genocide, pesticide

Root: circum

Meaning: around. Examples: circumference, circumstance

Root: clam (claim)

Meaning: shout, speak. Examples: exclaim, clamor, proclaim

Root: clar

Meaning: clear. Examples: clarify, clarification, declare

Root: clud (clus)

Meaning: close. Examples: conclusion, seclude, conclude

Root: clin (cline)

Meaning: lean. Examples: inclination, incline, recline

Prefix: co

Meaning: with, together, joint. Examples: coauthor, cosign, collaborate, cooperate

Root: cog

Meaning: know. Examples: cognitive, incognito, cognition

Prefix: con

Meaning: together, common. Examples: connect, convention, concur

Prefix: contra

Meaning: against. Examples: contraband, contrary

Root: corp

Meaning: body. Examples: corporation, corpse, corporal

Prefix: counter

Meaning: opposing, contrary. Examples: counteract, counterintuitive, counteroffer

Suffix: cracy (crat)

Meaning: rule. Examples: democracy, democrat, theocracy, bureaucracy

Root: cred

Meaning: believe. Examples: incredible, credit, credulous, credence

Root: crypt

Meaning: hidden, secret. Examples: cryptic, encrypt

Root: culp

Meaning: blame, fault. Examples: culpable, exculpate, culprit

Root: cumul

Meaning: mass, heap. Examples: accumulate, cumulative

Root: dem

Meaning: people. Examples: democracy, demographics

Prefix: di

Meaning: twice, two. Examples: dilemma, diverse, dioxide

Prefix: dia

Meaning: across, through. Examples: dialogue, diameter, diagnosis

Root: domin

Meaning: master. Examples: dominate, predominate, dominerring

Root: don

Meaning: give. Examples: donate, pardon, donor

Root: dorm

Meaning: sleep. Examples: dormitory, dormant, dormer

Root: dur

Meaning: harden, long lasting. Examples: durable, duration, endure

Root: dyn

Meaning: power, energy. Examples: dynamite, dynamic

Suffix: ence (ance)

Meaning: state, condition. Examples: performance, conference, insurance

Root: esth (aesth)

Meaning: beauty, feeling. Examples: esthetician, aesthetic, kinesthesia

Root: ethn

Meaning: nation, race. Examples: ethnicity, ethnology, ethnocentric

Prefix: eu

Meaning: good, well. Examples: euphemism, euphoria

Prefix: ex

Meaning: out, former. Examples: exit, ex-girlfriend, exterminate, extract

Prefix: extra

Meaning: beyond. Examples: extraordinary, extraterrestrial, extravagance

Suffix: fer

Meaning: carry, bring. Examples: transfer, ferry, conifer, confer

Root: fid

Meaning: trust. Examples: confidence, fidelity

Root: flect (flex)

Meaning: bend. Examples: reflect, flexible, inflect, deflect

Root: fore

Meaning: in front of, previous. Examples: before, therefore, forebode, forecast

Root: fusc

Meaning: dark. Examples: obfuscation, infuscate, subfuscous, fuscous

Root: ger

Meaning: old age. Examples: geriatrics, gerontology

Root: grad (gress)

Meaning: to step, to go. Examples: digress, gradual, graduate

Root: gyn

Meaning: woman. Examples: gynecology, androgynous, misogyny

Prefix: homo (homeo)

Meaning: same, alike. Examples: homogeneous, homonym, homeopath

Prefix: hyper

Meaning: over, beyond. Examples: hyperactive, hyperventilate

Prefix: hypo

Meaning: under. Examples: hypothermic, hypothesis, hypoglycemia

Suffix: ian

Meaning: related to. Examples: librarian, historian, pedestrian

Root: idio

Meaning: peculiar, distinct. Examples: idiotic, idiomatic

Prefix: in/im

Meaning: not. Examples: incapable, incomplete, informal, imperfect

Prefix: infra

Meaning: beneath. Examples: infrastructure, infrared

Prefix: inter

Meaning: between. Examples: interview, international, interstate

Prefix: ir

Meaning: not. Examples: irrational, irredeemable, irrelevant, irregular,

Prefix: iso

Meaning: equal. Examples: isobar, isometric

Root: lab

Meaning: work. Examples: elaborate, laboratory, laborious, labor, collaborate

Root: lat

Meaning: broad, wide. Examples: dilate, latitude

Root: laud

Meaning: praise. Examples: laudably, applause, applaud

Root: lex

Meaning: word, law. Examples: lexicology, dyslexic, alexia, lexicon

Root: loq

Meaning: speech. Examples: loquacious, eloquent, colloquialism

Root: luc

Meaning: light. Examples: elucidate, lucid, translucent

Prefix: macro

Meaning: large, great. Examples: macroeconomics, macronutrients, macroevolution

Root: mal

Meaning: bad, evil. Examples: malignant, maltreat, malfeasance, malicious

Root: medi

Meaning: middle. Examples: mediocre, medium, medieval

Root: melan

Meaning: black, dark. Examples: melancholy, melanoma, melodrama

Prefix: meta

Meaning: change, beyond, after. Examples: metaphysics, metamorphosis, metastasis

Prefix: micro

Meaning: small. Examples: microscope, micronutrient

Root: migr

Meaning: move. Examples: immigrant, emigrate, migrant, migration

Prefix: min

Meaning: small. Examples: minimum, miniature, miniscule, minute

Prefix: mis

Meaning: wrong, bad. Examples: mistake, misinterpret, misogynist

Root: miss (mit)

Meaning: send, cast. Examples: remit, dismiss, missle, emit

Prefix: mono

Meaning: one. Examples: monotheism, monodiglyceride

Root: mort

Meaning: death. Examples: mortuary, immortal, mortify

Root: nat

Meaning: born. Examples: innate, natural, natal

Root: neg

Meaning: no. Examples: negate, negative, renege

Prefix: neo

Meaning: new. Examples: neophyte, neonatal, neologistic, neocolonialism

Root: nov

Meaning: new. Examples: novice, renovate, novelty

Root: null

Meaning: none. Examples: nullify, nullification, nulliparity

Prefix: ob (op)

Meaning: in the way, against. Examples: object, objection, opposition, obscure

Prefix: omni

Meaning: all. Examples: omnipotent, omniscient, omnivorous

Root: opt

Meaning: best. Examples: optimal, optimum, optimize

Suffix: ous

Meaning: having. Examples: adventurous, hazardous, nauseous, joyous

Root: oxy

Meaning: sharp. Examples: oxymoron, oxidize