SAT Vocabulary: Roots

Common Latin/Greek Root Words to Help with SAT Vocab

Ab

away from; expressing separation or departure.

Abdicate: to give up a position of power, duty, or responsibility

Abhor: to regard with disgust and hatred

Ambi

both

Ambiguous: open to more than one interpretation

Ambivalence: the state of having simultaneous conflicting feelings or ideas about something or someone.

Ambul

move or walk, often pertaining to movement or mobility

Perambulate - to walk through or around

Ambulance - vehicle for transporting the sick or injured

Ami

love; friendship; liking.

Amorous - showing or expressing love

Enamored - filled with love or admiration

Contra

against; opposite to;

Contravene - to violate or go against

Contrary - opposite in nature or meaning

Cred

to believe; trust; faith.

Credence - belief in or acceptance of something as true

Incredible - impossible to believe

Crypt

hidden; secret; covered.

Cryptogram - a text written in code

Cryptic - having a meaning that is mysterious

Cycl

circle or ring

Bicycle - a vehicle with two wheels

Cyclic - occurring in cycles; regularly repeated

Dem

people

Demographic - relating to the structure of populations

Epidemic - a widespread occurence of an infectious disease

Derm

skin

Epidermis - outer layer of skin

Dermatitis - inflammation of the skin

Dict

to speak

Predict - to say what will happen in the future

Verdict - a decision made in a trial

Domin

master; control.

Dominate - to have control over

Predominant - being the strongest element

Dur

hard

Endure - to suffer patiently

Duration - the time during which something continues

Ego

I; self

Egotistical - excessively self-centered

Alter ego - a second self

Esth

feeling; sensation

Anesthetic - a substance that induces insensitivity to pain

Aesthete - a person who has a special appreciation of art and beauty

Extra

outside; beyond

Extraneous - irrelevant or unrelated

Extraterrestrial - from outside of Earth

Fid

faith; trust

Confide - to trust someone with a secret

Infidel - a person who does not believe in a particular religion

Flect

to bend

Reflect - to throw back without absorbing

Deflect - to cause something to change direction

Flor

flower

Floral - made of flowers

Florist - a person who sells flowers

Frac/Frag

to break

Fragment - a small part broken off

Refract - to make light change direction

Fug

to run away; flee

Fugitive - a person who has escaped

Refuge - a condition of being safe

Gen

birth; production

Generate - to produce or create

Progeny - descendants

Gram

something written

Telegram - a message sent by telegraph

Grammar - the system of a language

Graph

to write

Autograph - a person’s own signature

Biography - an account of someone’s life

Grat

pleasing

Gratitude - the quality of being thankful

Gratuity - a tip given to service workers

Gress

to step; to go

Progress - forward movement

Regress - to return to a former state

Hetero

different; other

Heterogenous - diverse in character

Heterodox - not conforming to accepted beliefs

Homo

same

Homonym - a word spelled like another but with different meaning

Homogenous - of the same kind

Idio

peculiar; distinct

Idiosyncrasy - a peculiar behavior

Idiopathic - of unknown cause

Judi

judge; lawyer

Judicial - relating to the courts

Adjudicate - to make a formal judgment

Ling

language

Linguist - a language specialist

Bilingual - speaking two languages

Loqu

to speak

Loquacious - talkative

Soliloquy - speaking one’s thoughts aloud

Magn

large; great

Magnify - to make larger

Magnitude - great size

Mal

bad

Malfunction - fail to function normally

Malady - a disease

Mut

change; alter.

Mutation - change in form

Commute - to reduce a sentence

Ob

against, away, out of use

Obstruct - to block

Obstacle - something that blocks progress

Phil

love

Philosophy - love of wisdom

Bibliophile - book lover

Plac

calm

Implacable - unable to be calmed

Placebo - a harmless pill

Re

back; again

Reiterate - to say again

Revive - to bring back to life

Sagac

wise

Sagacity - wisdom

Sage - a wise person

Sang

having to do with blood

Sanguine - optimistic

Consanguinity - blood relationship

Sequ

to follow

Sequence - order of events

Consequence - result

Somn

sleep

Insomnia - inability to sleep

Somnolent - sleepy

Tacit/Tic

to be silent

Tacit - understood without being stated

Taciturn - not inclined to talk

Troph

to feed; nourish; grow

Atrophy - to waste away

Hypertrophy - excessive growth

Ultim

last

Ultimate - final

Penultimate - second to last

Vener

respectful

Veneration - great respect

Venerable - worthy of respect

Vit

life

Vitality - energy; life force

Revitalize - to bring new life

Voc

voice

Advocate - to support publicly

Vocalize - to express with words

Vol

to fly; to wish

Volition - the power of using one’s will

Voluntary - done by free will

Adhere

To stick firmly to a surface or substance; to behave in a way that follows a particular rule or belief.

Agitate

To disturb, excite, or upset someone; to vigorously stir or move; to campaign to arouse public concern about an issue.

Apprehensive

Anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant might happen; uneasy about the future.

Assert

To state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully, often without proof; to behave in a way that shows one has authority.

Benevolent

Well meaning and kindly; characterized by charity and goodwill towards others.

Complementary

Combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize the qualities of each other; forming a pleasing or effective whole.

Concede

To admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it; to surrender or yield.

Conventional

Based on or in accordance with what is generally accepted or believed; traditional and ordinary.

Corroborate

To confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding); to verify the truth or accuracy with additional evidence.

Decisive

Settling an issue or producing a definite result; characterized by the ability to make clear and quick decisions.

Deference

Humble submission and respectful yielding to the judgment, opinion, or will of another; courtesy shown to a superior.

Degrade

To treat or regard someone with contempt or disrespect; to cause something to deteriorate in quality or condition.

Denounce

To publicly declare someone or something to be wrong or evil; to condemn or criticize severely.

Disparity

A great difference or inequality, especially in age, rank, or amount, between two or more things.

Dispute

A disagreement, argument, or debate; to argue about something vehemently.

Diverge

To separate from another route or movement and go in a different direction; to differ in opinion or character.

Dormant

Having normal physical functions suspended or greatly slowed for a period; in a deep sleep or state of inactivity.

Dubious

Hesitating or doubting; not to be relied upon as being definite or true; questionable or suspect.

Earnest

Resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction; serious in intention, purpose, or effort.

Evoke

To bring or recall (a feeling, memory, or image) to the conscious mind; to conjure up.

Explicit

Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt; plain and unambiguous.

Impede

To delay or obstruct someone or something by putting obstacles in their way; to hinder progress.

Impose

To force an unwelcome decision or ruling on someone; to inflict or levy an obligation or burden.

Inherent

Existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute; intrinsic.

Invoke

To call on (a deity or spirit) in prayer or as a witness; to call forth a feeling, memory, or image; to cite or appeal to (a law or authority).

Manifest

Clear or obvious to the eye or mind; to display or show a quality or feeling by one's acts, appearance, or presence; to make evident.

Perspective

A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view; the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface.

Pervasive

Spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people; prevalent and extensive.

Phenomena

Facts or situations that are observed to exist or happen, especially ones whose cause or explanation is in question; remarkable or observable events.

Proliferate

To increase rapidly in numbers; to multiply quickly and extensively.

Prominent

Important, famous, and easily noticeable; projecting from something; conspicuous.

Speculate

To form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence; to engage in risky business transactions in the hope of making a quick profit.

Substantiate

To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of something; to verify or establish.

Subtle

So delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe; (of a person or their actions) using indirect and clever methods to achieve something.

Supplement

Something that completes or enhances something else when added to it; to add an extra amount or part to something.