Word Knowledge ASVAB

Meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and root words

a-

Meaning: No, not (ex: atheist)

ab- or abs-

Meaning: away, from (ex: absent)

anti-

Meaning: against (ex: antibody)

bi-

Meaning: two (ex: bisexual)

circum-

Meaning: around (ex: circumnavigate)

com- or con-

Meaning: with, together (ex: common)

contra- or counter-

Meaning: with, together (ex: contradict)

de-

Meaning: away from (ex: detour)

deca-

Meaning: ten (ex: dodecahedron)

extra-

Meaning: outside, beyond (ex: extracurricular, extraordinary)

fore-

Meaning: in front of (ex: foretell)

geo-

Meaning: earth (ex: geology)

hyper-

Meaning: above, over (ex: hyperactive)

il-

Meaning: not (ex: illogical)

mal- or male-

Meaning: evil, bad (ex: malware, malediction)

multi-

Meaning: many (ex: multiply)

ob-

Meaning: blocking (ex: obscure)

omni-

Meaning: all (ex: omnipotent)

out-

Meaning: external (ex: outside)

que-, quer-, or ques-

Meaning: ask (ex: question, query)

re-

Meaning: back, again (ex: return)

semi-

Meaning: half (ex: semisweet)

super-

Meaning: over, move (ex: superior)

tele-

Meaning: far (ex: telephone)

trans-

Meaning: across (ex: transatlantic)

un-

Meaning: not (ex: uninformed)

tract-

Meaning: pull (ex: traction)

cred-

Meaning: believe (ex: credential)

vis-

Meaning: see (ex: vision)

mort-

Meaning: death (ex: mortician)

phob-

Meaning: fear (ex: phobia)

spect-

Meaning: look (ex: spectator)

scrib-, or script-

Meaning: write (ex: scripture)

(root) anthro or anthrop

relating to humans (ex: anthropology)

(root) bibl

relating to books (ex: bibliography)

(root) brev

short (ex: abbreviate)

(root) cede or ceed

go, yield (ex: recede)

(root) chrom

color (ex: monochrome)

(root) cogn

know (ex: cognizant)

(root) corp

body (ex: coporate)

(root) dict

speak (ex: dicton)

(root) domin

rule (ex: dominate)

(root) flu or fluc

flow (ex: influx)

(root) form

shape (ex: formulate)

(root) fract or frag

break (ex: fragment)

(root) graph

writing (ex: biography)

(root) junct

join (ex: juncture)

(root) liber

free (ex: liberate)

(root) lum or lumen

light (ex: illuminate)

(root) oper

work (ex: cooperate)

(root) path or pathy

suffer, feeling (ex: pathology)

(root) port

carry (ex: portable)

(root) press

squeeze (ex: repress)

(root) scrib or script

write (ex: describe)

(root) sens or sent

feel (ex: sentient)

(root) tract

pull (ex: traction)

(root) voc or vok

call (ex: revoke)