Root Words

Root Words

Grouping, Joining, & Binding

• String / Strict (To draw tight, bind)

  • Stringent: Strict, precise, and exacting (literally: tightly bound regulations).

  • Constrict: To make narrower, especially by binding or squeezing.

• Junct / Jug (To join, yoke, or link)

  • Adjunct: A thing added to something else as a supplementary rather than an essential part.

  • Conjunction: The action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space.

• Soc (Companion, partner)

  • Asocial: Not sociable or electing to remain apart from society.

  • Associate: To connect someone or something in one's mind or to join as a partner.

Pushing, Driving, & Sending

• Pel / Puls (To drive, push, or urge)

  • Compelling: Evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way (literally: pushing or driving you to act).

  • Dispel: To make a doubt, feeling, or belief disappear (literally: to drive apart).

• Mit / Mis (To send, throw, or let go)

  • Intermittent: Occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady (literally: sending between intervals).

  • Surmise: To suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it (originally: to send down a guess).

• Viac / Vi (Way, road, path)

  • Deviate: To depart from an established course or path.

  • Obviate: To remove a need or difficulty; avoid or prevent (literally: to meet and clear from the path).

Knowing, Believing, & Thinking

• Put (To think, consider, or estimate)

  • Reputable: Having a good reputation; respected and trusted (literally: thought well of).

  • Conjecture: An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information (synonymous with surmise).

• Dog / Dox (Opinion, belief, praise)

  • Dogmatic: Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of others' opinions.

  • Orthodox: Conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true.

• Ratio (Reason, calculation)

  • Rationale: A set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a belief.

  • Rationalize: Attempt to explain or justify behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate.

Prefixes (Direction & Amount)

• Ambi- / Amph- (Both, around)

  • Ambivalent: Having mixed or conflicting feelings (literally: pulling both ways).

  • Ambiguous: Open to more than one interpretation; unclear.

• Contra- / Counter- (Against, opposite)

  • Contradict: To speak against a statement; deny.

  • Counterintuitive: Contrary to what common sense would expect.

• Bene- / Mal- (Good, well / Bad, evil)

  • Beneficial: Producing a good or helpful result.

  • Malevolent: Having or showing a wish to do evil to others.

• Sub- (Under, below)

  • Substantiate: To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of something (literally: to give a firm foundation underneath).

  • Subvert: To undermine the power and authority of an established system.

Roots (Actions & Concepts)

• Chron (Time)

  • Anachronism: Something belonging to a period other than that in which it exists (literally: out of its time).

  • Chronological: Starting with the earliest and following the order in which they occurred.

• Cred (Believe, trust)

  • Credibility: The quality of being trusted and believed in.

  • Incredulous: Unwilling or unable to believe something; skeptical.

• Dict / Dic (To say, speak)

  • Vindicate: To clear someone of blame or suspicion (literally: to speak the truth for someone).

  • Edict: An official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority.

• Luc / Lum (Light, clarity)

  • Elucidate: To make something clear; explain.

  • Luminous: Full of or shedding light; bright or shining.

• Mut (Change)

  • Mutable: Liable or subject to change.

  • Immutable: Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.

Power, Government, & Leadership

• Arch / Cracy (Rule, govern, power)

  • Anarchy: A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority (literally: without rule).

  • Hierarchy: A system in which members of an organization are ranked according to relative status or authority.

• Domin (Master, rule)

  • Domineering: Asserting one's will over another in an arrogant or tyrannical way.

  • Predominant: Present as the strongest or main element.

• Pot (Power, capability)

  • Omnipotent: Having unlimited power; able to do anything.

  • Potent: Having great power, influence, or effect.

Social Interactions & Relationships

 

• Am / Phil (Love, friend, affinity)

  • Amiable: Having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner.

  • Philanthropic: Seeking to promote the welfare of others, typically by donating money.

• Greg (Flock, herd, gather)

  • Gregarious: Fond of company; sociable.

  • Egregious: Outstandingly bad; shocking (literally: standing out from the flock in a negative way).

• Anima (Life, spirit, mind)

  • Animosity: Strong hostility or friction.

Magnanimous: Generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

Movement, Truth, & Structure

• Ver (Truth)

  • Veracity: Conformity to facts; accuracy and truthfulness.

  • Verify: Make sure that something is true, accurate, or justified.

• Ced / Cess (To go, yield, move)

  • Concede: Admit that something is true or valid after first denying it; surrender.

  • Precedent: An earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide for future circumstances.

• Fac / Fec / Fic (To make, do)

  • Facilitate: To make an action or process easy or easier.

  • Efficacious: Successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective.

Sight, Vision, & Perception

• Spec / Spic (To look, see, examine)

  • Circumspect: Wary and unwilling to take risks (literally: looking around cautiously).

  • Conspicuous: Clearly visible; attracting notice or attention.

• Vid / Vis (To see)

  • Improvise: To create and perform spontaneously without preparation (literally: not foreseen or seen ahead of time).

  • Provident: Making timely preparations for the future; prudent.

• Cogn (To know, learn)

  • Cognizant: Having knowledge or being aware of something.

  • Incognito: Having one's true identity concealed.

Form, Structure, & Origin

• Morph (Shape, form)

  • Amorphous: Without a clearly defined shape or form.

  • Metamorphosis: A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one.

• Gen (Birth, production, race, kind)

  • Engender: To cause or give rise to a feeling, situation, or condition.

  • Heterogeneous: Diverse in character or content; composed of parts of different kinds.

• Path (Feeling, suffering, disease)

  • Apathy: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

  • Antopathy (Antipathy): A deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion.

Quantity, Scale, & Inclusion

• Omni / Pan (All, everything)

  • Omnipresent: Widely or constantly encountered; widespread or constantly present.

  • Panacea: A solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.

• Equi (Equal, same)

  • Equivocal: Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous (literally: giving equal voice to both sides).

  • Equanimity: Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

• Tain / Ten / Tin (To hold, keep)

  • Tenable: Able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.

  • Abstain: Restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something.

Separation, Cutting, & Boundaries

• Sec / Seg / Scind (To cut, split, or divide)

  • Rescind: To revoke, cancel, or repeal a law, order, or agreement (literally: to cut back).

  • Segment: Each of the parts into which something is or may be divided.

• Term / Fin (End, limit, boundary)

  • Interminable: Endless; keeping on for so long as to seem endless.

  • Finicky: Showing or requiring great attention to detail; excessively particular (having rigid, narrow boundaries).

• Se- (Apart, away)

  • Secede: Withdraw formally from membership of a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization.

  • Seclude: Keep someone away from other people or social activities.

Tendency, Inclination, & Truth

• Ver / Cert (Truth, sure, reliable)

  • Aver: To state or assert to be the case; declare as a fact.

  • Certitude: Absolute certainty or conviction that something is the case.

• Clin / Pend (To lean, slope, or hang)

  • Propensity: An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.

  • Penchant: A strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something (literally: leaning toward).

• Fid (Faith, trust)

  • Diffident: Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence (literally: lacking faith in oneself).

  • Perfidy: Deceitfulness; untrustworthiness; breach of faith.

Strength, Value, & Worth

• Val / Vail (To be strong, worth, or of value)

  • Valiant: Possessing or showing courage or determination.

  • Prevail: To prove more powerful than opposing forces; be victorious.

• Plac (To please, soothe, or pacify)

  • Complacent: Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

  • Implacable: Unable to be placated, appeased, or significantly changed.

• Laud / Plaud (To praise, approve)

  • Laudable: Deserving praise and commendation.

    • Plausible: Seeming reasonable or probable (originally: deserving applause or approval).

Speaking, Writing, & Naming

• Voc / Vok (To call, voice)

  • Advocate: To publicly recommend or support a cause or policy (literally: to call or speak for someone).

  • Equivocate: To use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.

• Scrib / Scrip (To write)

  • Proscribe: To forbid, especially by law (originally: to publish a name on a list of those condemned).

  • Circumscribe: To restrict something within limits (literally: to draw a line around).

• Nym / Nom (Name)

  • Pseudonym: A fictitious name, especially one used by an author.

  • Nominal: Existing in name only; far below the real value or cost.

Turning, Bending, & Flexibility

• Vert / Vers (To turn)

  • Avert: To turn away one's eyes or thoughts; prevent an undesirable occurrence.

  • Subvert: To undermine the power and authority of an established system (literally: to turn from underneath).

• Flect / Flex (To bend)

  • Deflect: To cause something to change direction by interposing a steering or blocking force.

  • Inflection: A change in the form of a word or modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice.

• Torq / Tort (To twist)

  • Distort: To pull or twist out of shape; misrepresent a fact or statement.

  • Extort: To obtain something by force, threats, or other unfair means.

Giving, Taking, & Carrying

• Cap / Cep / Cip (To take, seize, or hold)

  • Incipient: In an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop (literally: taking hold at the start).

  • Capacious: Having a lot of space inside; roomy (capable of holding a lot).

• Fer / Port (To bear, bring, or carry)

  • Defer: To postpone or delay (literally: to carry over to a later time); or to submit to another's judgment out of respect.

  • Importune: To ask someone pressingly and persistently for or to do something (originally: to be difficult to port/bear).

• Don / Dot / Dow (To give)

  • Endow: To provide with a quality, ability, or asset.

  • Condone: To accept and allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive to continue.

Hearing, Speaking, & Sound

• Aud (To hear)

  • Audacious: Bold, daring, or reckless (originally: daring to be heard or making a loud noise).

  • Inaudible: Unable to be heard.

• Phon (Sound, voice)

  • Cacophony: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

  • Euphony: The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words.

• Clam / Claim (To cry out, shout)

  • Clamor: A loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently.

  • Declaim: To speak aloud rhetorically, passionately, or pompously.

Death, Living, & Sacredness

• Mort / Necr (Death)

  • Moribund: At the point of death; lacking vitality or vigor.

  • Morbid: Characterized by or appealing to an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects (especially death).

• Viv / Vit (Life, alive)

  • Vivacious: Attractively lively and animated.

  • Vitality: The state of being strong and active; energy.

• Sacr / Sanct (Holy, sacred)

  • Sanctimonious: Making a show of being morally superior to other people.

  • Sacrosanct: Regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.

Turning, Breaking, & Bending

• Frag / Fract (To break)

  • Fractious: Irritable and quarrelsome (literally: tending to break the peace).

  • Infraction: A violation or breaking of a law, agreement, or set of rules.

• Rupt (To burst, break)

  • Abrupt: Sudden and unexpected (literally: broken off short).

  • Disrupt: To interrupt an event, activity, or process by causing a disturbance or problem.

• Fug (To flee, run away)

  • Subterfuge: Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal (literally: fleeing underneath to escape notice).

  • Fugitive: A person who has escaped from a place or is in hiding, especially to avoid arrest.

Gathering, Gathering Together, & Choosing

• Lect / Leg / Lig (To choose, gather, or read)

  • Eclectic: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources (literally: selected or gathered from various places).

  • Predilection: A preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something (literally: choosing or loving beforehand).

• Culp (Blame, fault)

  • Culpable: Deserving blame; guilty.

  • Exculpate: Show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing (literally: to take out of blame).

• Cert / Cern / Cret (To separate, distinguish, or decide)

  • Discerning: Having or showing good judgment and sharp perception.

  • Discreet: Careful and circumspect in one's speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage (literally: separated/distinguished in judgment).

Force, Pressure, & Severity

• Co / Con / Com (Together, with, thoroughly—used to intensify words of pressure)

  • Coerce: Persuade an unwilling person to do something by using force or threats.

  • Conciliatory: Intended or likely to placate or pacify (literally: bringing together to make a council/peace).

• Grav (Heavy, weighty, serious)

  • Aggravate: Make a problem, injury, or offense worse or more serious (literally: to add weight to).

  • Gravity: Extreme or alarming importance; seriousness.

• Asper / Acer / Acri (Rough, harsh, sharp, bitter)

  • Asperity: Harshness of tone or manner.

  • Acrimonious: Angry and bitter, typically in a speech or discussion.

Flowing, Pouring, & Filling

• Flu / Flux (To flow)

  • Superfluous: Unnecessary, especially through being more than enough (literally: overflowing).

  • Mellifluous: Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear (literally: flowing with honey).

• Fus / Fund (To pour, melt, or blend)

  • Profuse: Exuberantly plentiful; abundant (literally: poured forth in large amounts).

  • Diffuse: Spread out over a large area; not concentrated.

• Sati (Enough, full)

  • Insatiable: Impossible to satisfy.

  • Satiate: To satisfy a desire or an appetite to the full.

Law, Justice, & Agreements

• Jur / Jud (Law, justice, to judge)

  • Abjure: To solemnly renounce or reject a belief, cause, or claim under oath (literally: to swear away).

  • Judicious: Having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense.

• Fed / Fid (Trust, faith, treaty)

  • Federation: A group of states with a central government but independence in internal affairs (bound by a treaty or league).

  • Confidant: A person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it.

• Ver (True, truth)

  • Veracity: Conformity to facts; accuracy and habitual truthfulness.

  • Veritable: Used as an intensifier, meaning metaphorical but virtually true (e.g., "a veritable goldmine").

Time, Age, & Beginnings

• Chron (Time)

  • Anachronism: A thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists.

  • Synchronize: Cause to occur or operate at the same time or rate.

• Ev / Aev (Age, era, time)

  • Longevity: Long life or long existence.

  • Primeval: Of or resembling the earliest ages in the history of the world.

• Incip / Init (To begin, start)

  • Incipient: In an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.

  • Initiate: Cause a process or action to begin.

Turning, Walking, & Step-by-Step Movement

• Grad / Gress (To step, walk, or move forward)

  • Digress: To leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing (literally: to step aside).

  • Egress: The action of going out of or leaving a place; an exit.

• Sequ / Secut (To follow)

  • Inconsequential: Not important or significant (literally: not following logically, thus having no weight).

  • Obsequious: Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree (literally: following closely behind someone in a submissive way).

• Amb / Ambul (To walk, move, or go around)

  • Perambulate: To walk through, about, or over, often to inspect a territory.

  • Ambivalent: Originally meaning pulling in both directions simultaneously; holding conflicting or shifting views.

Mind, Memory, & Thoughts

• Ment / Psych (Mind, mental process)

  • Demented: Driven to behave irrationally due to anger, distress, or excitement (literally: out of one's mind).

  • Psyche: The human soul, mind, or spirit.

• Mem / Mnem (Memory, to remember)

  • Commemorate: To recall and show respect for someone or something in a ceremony.

  • Mnemonic: A device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something.

• Gnos (To know, knowledge)

  • Prognosis: A forecast of the likely outcome of a situation or disease (literally: knowing beforehand).

  • Agnostic: A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena.

Giving, Sharing, & Attributing

• Trib (To give, pay, or assign)

  • Attribute: To regard something as being caused by someone or something (literally: to assign to a source).

  • Retribution: Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act (literally: paying back).

• Distr / Dis (To spread, scatter, or allocate)

  • Disseminate: To spread or disperse information widely (literally: to scatter seeds).

  • Distribute: To give shares of something; deal out.

• Mun (Gift, public service, duty)

  • Munificent: Larger or more generous than is usual or necessary (literally: performing great gifts).

  • Remuneration: Money paid for work or a service (literally: giving back a duty/gift).

Standing, Placement, & Stability

• Sta / Sti / Sis (To stand, place, or remain firm)

  • Stasis: A period or state of inactivity or equilibrium (standing completely still).

  • Subsist: To maintain or support oneself, especially at a minimal level (literally: to stand or remain underneath).

• Pos / Pon (To put, place)

  • Juxtapose: To place two things close together for contrasting effect.

  • Disposition: A person's inherent qualities of mind and character (literally: how things are placed or arranged within them).

• Loc (Place)

  • Allocation: The action or process of distributing resources to a specific place or area.

  • Locomotion: Movement or the ability to move from one place to another.

Seeking, Asking, & Demanding

Quis / Quer / Rog (To ask, seek, or question)

• Inquisitive: Having or showing an interest in learning things; curious.

• Prerequisite: A thing that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or exist (literally: sought out beforehand).

• Arrogant: Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities (literally: claiming or demanding too much for oneself).

Binding, Fastening, & Connecting

Lig / Li / Nex (To bind, tie, or link)

• Obligatory: Required by a legal, moral, or other rule; compulsory (literally: bound or tied to an action).

• Liaison: Communication or cooperation that facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations.

• Nexus: A connection or series of connections linking two or more things.

Sharpness, Bitterness, & Senses

• Acu / Acr (Sharp, pointed, sour)

  • Acumen: The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain (literally: sharpness of mind).

  • Exacerbate: To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse (literally: to sharpen or make more bitter).

• Gust / Sap (To taste, perceive, or be wise)

  • Disgusted: Feeling or expressing revulsion or strong disapproval (literally: an offense to taste).

  • Insipid: Lacking flavor; or lacking vigor or interest (literally: without taste).

Showing, Appealing, & Praising

• Monstr / Most (To show, point out, or warn)

  • Demonstrative: Serving to manifest clearly; openly expressive of emotions.

  • Remonstrate: To make a forcefully reproachful protest or complaint (literally: to show or point out a grievance).

• Laud / Eul (Praise, good words)

  • Laudatory: Expressing praise and commendation.

  • Eulogy: A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died (literally: good words).

• Preca / Plor (To pray, beg, or cry out)

  • Precarious: Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse (originally: dependent on the will or prayer of another, uncertain).

  • Deplorable: Deserving strong condemnation; shockingly bad in quality.

Filling, Wealth, & Abundance

• Plen / Plet (To fill, full)

  • Replenish: To fill something up again.

  • Deplete: To diminish in number or quantity; use up the supply or resources of (literally: to un-fill).

• Opul / Abund (Wealth, overflowing)

  • Opulent: Ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish.

  • Abundant: Existing or available in large quantities; overflowing.

• Mag / Max (Great, large)

  • Magnate: A wealthy and influential person, especially in business.

  • Maximize: To make as large or great as possible.

Ruling, Boundary, & Law

• Reg / Rex (To rule, king, straight line)

  • Regime: A government, especially an authoritarian one; or a system or planned way of doing things.

  • Regal: Of, resembling, or fit for a monarch, especially in being magnificent or dignified.

• Sanct / Sacr (Holy, decreed, bounded)

  • Sanction: A threatened penalty for disobeying a law; or official permission or approval (literally: making something holy/decreed by law).

  • Sacrilege: Violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.