Dictionary of Root Words: Greek and Latin Roots

Manik Joshi

oct 2014 · English Word Power Libro 17 · Manik Joshi

Información sobre este eBook

What are “Root Words”?

A root or root word is a word that is used to form another word. It is also called a base word. A root does not have a prefix (a letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word) or a suffix (a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word).

The root is the primary lexical unit of a word, and of a word family.

For example, pure is a root. By adding prefixes and suffixes, the following words could be made:

impure, purity, pureness

Similarly, play and move are root words. By adding prefixes and suffixes, the following words could be made:

plays, played, playing, player

moving, movement, moved, movable, mover, movingly

In this book, I have given the most common Greek and Latin roots which are used in English language.

Sample This:

Root Words -- A

AGG

Origin: Latin | Meaning: collected

Examples:

agglomerate -- to collect things and form them into a mass or group | related word: agglomeration

aggrandize -- to increase your importance or power | related word: aggrandizement

aggregate -- to put together different items, amounts, etc. into a single total | related words: aggregation, aggregator

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ALTR/ALTER

Origin: Latin | Meaning: other

Examples:

altruism -- caring about the needs of other people | related word: altruistic

alterable -- that can be changed | related word: unalterable

altercation -- noisy argument

alternate -- to follow one after other | related words: alternately, alternation, alternative

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ANIM

Origin: Latin | Meaning: breath; life; soul

Examples:

animal -- a living creature

animate -- having life; to make something full of liveliness | related words: animated, animatedly, animation, animato, animator, inanimate

animateur -- a person who promotes social activities

animism -- the belief that natural objects have a living soul | related words: animist, animistic

animosity -- a strong feeling of opposition

equanimity -- calm state of mind

magnanimous -- kind, forgiving, generous | related words: magnanimity, magnanimously

pusillanimous -- lack of courage

unanimous -- agreeing with others | related word: unanimously

******

Some More Root Words -- A

Root Word [Origin] -- Meaning | Example(s) (Related Words in Bracket)

a [Greek] -- not | atheism, apolitical, atypical

ablat [Latin] -- remove | ablation

ablut [Latin] -- wash | ablutions

abort [Latin] -- born too soon | abortion

abras [Latin] -- rub off | abrasion (abrasive, abrasively, abrasiveness)

abstemi [Latin] -- controlled; moderate | abstemious

abund [Latin] -- overflow | abundance (abundant, abundantly)

ac [Latin] -- to, toward | accept (acceptability, acceptable, acceptably, acceptance, acceptation)

acanth [Greek] -- thorn | acanthus

acet [Latin] -- vinegar | acetate, acetic, acetone

achr [Greek] -- colorless | achromic

acid [Latin] -- sour | acidic, acidify, acidosis, acidulate (acidulation, acidulous)

acm [Greek] -- summit | acme

aco [Greek] -- relief | aconite

acous [Greek] -- hear | acoustic (acoustical, acoustically, acoustician, acoustics)

adama [Greek] -- invincible | adamant (adamantly)

ade [Greek] -- enough | adequate (adequacy, adequately)

adip [Latin] -- fat | adipose

adolesc [Latin] -- growing up | adolescent (adolescence)

aer [Greek] -- air or atmosphere | aerate (aeration), aerial, aerialist, aerobic (aerobics, anaerobic)

agr [Latin] -- field | agrarian, agriculture (agriculturist, agricultural)

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Other Root Words -- A

Root Word [Origin] -- Meaning

aapt [Greek] -- indomitable, unfriendly

abact [Latin] -- driven away

abdit [Latin] -- secret/hidden

ablep [Greek] -- loss of sight

abr [Greek] -- delicate

abscis [Latin] -- cutoff

absit [Latin] -- distant

aca [Greek] -- a point; silence

acar [Greek] -- tiny

accip [Latin] -- allow, snatch

accliv [Latin] -- steep; up-hill

accresc [Latin] -- increase

ace [Greek] -- heal

acer [Latin] -- sharp

acerv [Latin] -- pile

acest [Greek] -- healing; remedy

Acerca del autor

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.