Roots of words

a/n - abyss (without bottom), achromatic (without color), anhydrous(without water)

not, without

a - afire (on fire), ashore (on shore), aside (on the side)

on

a, ab/s - abduct (carry away by force), abnormal (away from normal), absent (away, not present), aversion (act of turning away from), abbreviate (to shorten)

from, away, off

a/c/d - accelerate (increase speed), accessible (easily entered), admittance (allowing into)

to, toward, near

acro - acrobat (“high walker”), acronym (word formed from first letter of other words), acrophobia (fear of heights)

top, height, tip, beginning

act - activity (something someone does), react (to do something in response), interaction (communication between 2 or more things)

do

aer/o - aerate (to let air reach something), aerial (relating to the air), aerospace (air space)

air

agr/i/o - agriculture (management of land), agribusiness (making money by agriculture), agrarian (related to agriculture)

farming

alg/o - neuralgia (pain by nerve), analgesic (drug that makes one pain free), nostalgia (aching for familiar)

pain

ambi, amphi - ambidextrous (able to use both hands equally), ambiguous (having more that one meaning), ambivalence (conflicting feelings toward a person)

both, on both sides, around

ambul - amble (walk slow and relaxed), ambulant (walking), ambulance (vehicle that moves patient)

walk, move

ami/o - amiable (friendly, lovable), amity (friendly relations), amorous (romantic love)

love

ana - analysis (close examination), anatomy (structure of something when cut up), anachronism (not being in the right place in time)

up, back, against, again, throughout

andr/o - androgynous (being both male and female), android (resembling a human), misandry (hatred toward men)

man, male

anim - animal (living organism), animate (to make alive), equanimity (balanced spirit)

life, spirit

ann/enn - anniversary (date observed once a year), annual (happens once a year), millennium (1000 years)

year

ante - antecede (to come before something in time), antemeridian (before noon), anteroom (a small room before main room)

before, on front

anth/o - chrysanthemum and amaranth (name of flowers), anthology (collection of treasured writings), anthozoan (half plant, half animal)

flower

anthrop/o - anthropology (study of mankind), anthropomorphism (giving human form to non-human things), philanthropy (love to mankind)

human

anti - antibody (substance that destroys micro-organisms), antiseptic (preventing infection)

against, opposite of

apo, apho - aphorism (short expression of truth), apology ('expression of regret), apostrophe (small dash in an omitted letter)

away, off, seperate

aqu/a - aquarium (water container for fish), aquatic (relating to water), aqueduct (pipeline for water)

water

arbor - arborist (someone working with trees), arbor (shady area formed by trees), arborous (having many trees)

tree

arch/i - archbishop (highest ranking bishop), archenemy (worst enemy), matriarch (female who rules group), monarch (king/queen)

chief, most important, rule

arch/a/i - archaeology (study of ancient cultures), archaic (belonging to an earlier period), archive (collection of historical materials)

primitive, ancient

arthr/o - arthroscope (tool to see inside joint), arthritis (inflammation of a joint), arthropod (invertebrates with jointed legs)

joint

art - artifact (object made by person’s skill), artisan (person skilled in a craft), artist (person who created skillfully)

skill

astro, aster - astronaut (person traveling to the stars), astronomer (someone who studies stars), asterisk (a star shaped sign)

star, outer space

aud/i/io - audible (loud enough to be heard), audience (people who listen to a program), audiovisual (relating to sound and vision)

hear

auto - autocrat (person who governs with absolute power), autograph (persons own signature), automatic (moving by itself)

self, same, one

avi/a - aviary (large enclosure for birds), aviatrix (female airplane pilot), aviation (art of designing or operating aircraft)

bird

bar/o - baric (pertaining to pressure of the atmosphere), milliard (1/1000 of a bar), baryon (heavy elementary particle)

pressure, weight

bell/i - bellicose (warlike), belligerent (hostile), rebel (person who opposes and fights)

war

bene - benefactor (person who gives money to a cause), beneficial (producing a good effect), benevolent (showing kindness)

good, well

bi/n - biannual (twice a year), binoculars (device with two lenses), bilateral (involving two sides)

two, twice, once in every two

bibli/o - bibliography (list of books use as sources), bibliomania (extreme love for books), bibliophile (person who loves books)

book

bio - biography (life story of a person), biology (science of life), biosphere (Earth’s surface inhabited by living things)

life, living matter

blast/o - blastula (early stage of embryonic development), fibroblast (cell that forms connective tissue), blastoderm (layer that surrounds inside of an egg)

cell, primitive, immature cell

burs - bursar (administrative officer in charge of funds), bursary (treasury of college), disburse (expend from public fund)

pouch, purse

calc - calcite, calcium, calcification (impregnation with calcareous matter)

stone

cand - candid (free from bias), candle (something that gives off light), incandescent (white, glowing, or luminous with intense heat)

glowing, iridescent

capt, cept, ceive - intercept (stop or interrupt), perceive (to take notice of something), captivating (taking hold of)

take, hold

cardi/o - cardiac (relating to the heart), cardiogenic (resulting from heart disease), cardiologist (heart doctor)

heart

carn/i - carnivorous (flesh-eating), carnal (pertaining to the body or flesh), incarnate (given bodily form)

flesh, meat

cata - cataclysm (flood or disaster), catalog (complete listing), catastrophe (turning for the worst, a substantial disaster)

down, against completely, intensive, according to

caust, caut - cauterize (to burn with a hot instrument), caustic (capable of burning), holocaust (total devastation, especially by fire)

to burn

cede, ceed, cess - exceed (to go beyond), recede (to go back), accessible (easily entered)

go, yeild

celer - accelerate (to increase speed of), decelerate (to reduce speed)

fast

cent/i - centennial (100th anniversary), centimeter (1/100 of a meter), century (100 years)

hundred, hundreth

centr/o/i - egocentric (self-centered), eccentric (not having a common center), centrifugal (moving outward from a center)

center

cephal/o - encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), cephalic (pertaining to the head), cephalopod (marine mollusks (octopus or squid, etc.) who have tentacles growing from their head)

head

cerebr/o - cerebral (pertaining to the brain), cerebrate (to use the brain), cerebrospinal (pertaining to the brain and spinal cord)

brain

cert - ascertain (to find out something with certainty), certain (being absolutely sure), certify (to state that something is true)

sure

chrom/o, chromat/o, chros - achromatic (without color), chromium (blue-white metallic chemical element), chromatics (study of color)

color, pigment

chron/o - chronic (lasting for a long time), chronological (arranging events in time order), synchronize (happening at the same time)

time

chrys/o - chrysanthemum and helichrysum (golden/yellow flowers), chrysolite (yellowish gem)

gold, yellow

cide, cise - homicide (murder), incisor (sharp tooth for cutting food), insecticide (chemical used to kill insects)

cut, kill

circum, circle - circumnavigate (sail around), circumscribe (to draw around), circumspect (looking around)

around, about

claim, clam - clamor (to shout and make noise), exclaim (to cry out loudly and suddenly), proclamation (something announced officially in public)

shout, speak out

clar - clarification (an explanation), clarify (to make something clear), declare (to state something clearly)

clear

clud, clus - conclusion (end or last part), exclusion (shutting out), seclude ( keep away from)

close

cline - inclination (a leaning toward), incline (a surface that slopes or leans), recline (to lean back and relax)

lean

co - coauthor (writer who collaborated with another author), coeducation (educating males and females together), cohousing (planning your neighborhood in an intentional neighborly fashion)

with, together, joint

col - collaborate (work together), collision (smashing together), colloquial (words formed by everyday interaction)

together, jointly

com - commemorate (to memorize together), composition (an arrangement or putting two parts together), commune (living together while owning things in common)

together, common

cogn/i - cognition (process of acquiring knowledge), incognito (disguised so no one knows you), recognize (to discover that one knows)

know

con - concur (to agree with someone), contemporary (of the same time period as others), convention (gathering of people with common interest)

with, jointly

contra/o - contradict (to argue against), contraflow, contraception, contrary (not in agreement), controversy (disagreement)

against, opposite

corp/o - corporation (company recognized by law as a single body), corpse (dead body), corporal (pertaining to the body)

body

cosm/o - cosmonaut (russian astronaut), cosmos (the universe), microcosm (miniature universe)

universe

counter - counteract (oppose effects of an action), countermand (cancel a previous order), counteroffensive (attack against an attack)

opposite, contrary, opposing

cranio - craniology (study of skull), cranium (skull of vertebrates), cranial (pertaining to the skull)

skull

cred - credence (belief that something is true or valid), credulous (believing things too easily), incredible (unbelievable)

believe

cruc - crucial (characteristics of a cross), crucifix (the cross as a Christian emblem), excruciating (so intense as the cause great pain or anguish)

cross

crypto - cryptic (hidden meaning), cryptography (science of secret codes), encrypt (encode into secret code)

hidden, secret

cumul - accumulate (to gather or pile up), cumulative (gradually building up)

mass, heap

curr, curs - concurrent (running in parallel), current (flowing easily), cursive (flowing, easy character)

run

cycl - bicycle (vehicle with two wheels), cycle (sequence that is repeated), cyclone (storm with circling winds)

circle, ring

de - decelerate (slow down), dethrone (to remove from power), debug (remove bugs)

reduce, away, down, remove

dec/a, deka - decade (10 years), decathlon (athletic contests with 10 disciplines), December (10th month of the year)

ten

deci - deciliter (tenth of a liter), decimate (reduce dramatically), decibel (one tenth of a bel)

one tenth

dem/o - democracy (government), demographic (study of people), epidemic (spreading among people)

people

demi - demitasse (small cup of coffee), demimonde (someone of little respected life style)

half, less than

dendr/o/i - philodendron (climbing plant that grows on trees), dendrochronology (dating events by studying growth rings in trees), dendriform (in the shape of a tree)

tree

dent, dont - dental (relating to teeth), dentist (doctor for teeth), dentures (set of false teeth)

tooth

derm/a - dermatologist (doctor for skin), pachyderm (a class of animals with very thick skin), dermatitis (inflammation of the skin)

skin

di/plo - dichromatic (displaying two colors), diploma (certificate, literally letter folded double), dilemma (situation that requieres choice between two alternatives)

two, twice

di/s - digression (departure from main issue), disappear (move out of sight), dissect (to cut apart)

apart, away, not, to the opposite

dia - diabetes (disease characterized excessive thirst), diagnosis (understanding a condition by going through symptoms), dialog (conversation between two people)

through, between, apart, across

dict - contradict (express the opposite of), prediction (statement foretelling the future), dictate (speak out loud for another person to write down)

speak

domin - dominate (to be the master of), domineering (excessively controlling), predominate (to have more power than others)

master

don/at - donation (contribution or gift), donor (someone who gives something), pardon (to give forgiveness for an offense)

give

duc/t - conduct (to lead musicians in playing music), educate (to lead in knowledge), deduction (subtraction of an amount)

lead

du/o - duplicate (make an identical copy), duet (musical composition for two voices or instruments), duo (a pair normally thought of as being together)

two, twice

dur - durable (having the quality of lasting), duration (the length of time something lasts), enduring (able to last)

harden, to last, lasting