GREEK

&
LATIN
ROOTS

A- / ANANnot or without
AMORAL (=not moral
ATYPICALLY (=not typically

ANTI- opposed to
ANTIto,,
the opposite of
something
ANTI-AMERICAN
ANTIANTIFREEZE
ANTI
FREEZE (=a liquid added to
a cars engine to prevent

freezing

AMPHI-AMPHI
round, on both sides, both
AMPHIBIOUS= (able to live both
AMPHIBIOUS=
on land and in water
AMPHITHEATRE
AMPHI
THEATRE

AUTOAUTOof or by yourself /
working by itself
AUTOPILOT
AUTO
PILOT = (a machine that
flies a plane by itself without
the need for a pilot
AUTOPSIA
AUTO
PSIA =
=act of seeing with
eyes, from autoauto- +
your own eyes
opsis sight
sight

BIBItwo, twice, or double

BILINGUAL
BI
LINGUAL (=speaking two languages
BISECTOR
BI
SECTOR
(=aa straight line that divides an
(=
angle or line into two equal parts

CEPHAL(O)-CEPHAL(O)
head
CEPHALOPOD
CEPHALO
POD (=an animal such as
an octopus or squid, that
has tentacles around the head
CEPHALALGIA
CEPHAL
ALGIA (= a headache

CHROM(O)-CHROM(O)
colour
(=chroma
chroma + soma body
body;
CHROMOSOME (=
CHROMOSOME
because chromosomes easily take up
coloring substances
CHROMOPHOBIA
CHROMO
PHOBIA (= a strong fear of
colours,, often combined with the
colours
unreasonable belief that something will
be bad if it is a particular colour

-CIDE
someone or something that kills a
particular person or thing, or the
act of killing

INSECTICIDE
INSECTI
CIDE (=chemical substance for
killing insects
SUICIDE
SUI
CIDE (=the act of killing yourself

CYBER-CYBER
relating to computers, especially to
messages and information on the
Internet
CYBERCYBER
-SHOPPERS
CYBERBULLYING
CYBER
BULLYING (=the
activity of sending Internet
or text messages that
threaten or insult someone

-CYTO
CYTO-CYTOPLASM
CYTOPLASM
(= all the
material in the
cell of a living
thing except
the nucleus .
LEUKOCYTE
LEUKO
CYTE
(=white
(=
white blood
cell

A cell

DE-DE
shows an opposite
DEINDUSTRIALIZATION
DE
INDUSTRIALIZATION (=becoming
less industrial
The king was DE
DETHRONED
THRONED (=removed
from power .

DERMA--/DERMATO
DERMA
/DERMATO-skin
DERMATOLOGY
DERMATO
LOGY (=the part of medical
science that deals with skin diseases and
their treatment
DERMATITIS
DERMAT
ITIS (= a disease of the skin
that causes redness, swelling, and pain

DI-DI
two, twice, or double
(=two sounds
sounds, from Greek
DIPHTHONG
DI
PHTHONG (=
phthongos voice, sound
sound
DIOXIDE
DI
OXIDE (= a chemical compound that
contains two atoms of oxygen and one
atom of another chemical element

relating to the
ECO-ECO
environment
ECOTOURISM
ECO
TOURISM
ECOSYSTEM
ECO
SYSTEM (= all the animals and
plants in a particular area, and the way
in which they are related to each other
and to their environment

ENDO-ENDO
inside, within
inside,
ENDOCRINE
ENDO
CRINE (= relating to the system in
your body that produces hormones
(endo
endo- inside
inside + Greek krinein to
separate.
separate
ENDOSCOPE
ENDO
SCOPE

EPI-EPI
on,, over
on
over,, above
EPICENTRE (= the point on the Earth's
EPICENTRE
surface directly above an earthquake
EPIDERMIS (= the outside layer of your
EPIDERMIS
skin

GASTR(O)-GASTR(O)
stomach

GASTRONOMY (= the art and science of

GASTRONOMY
cooking and eating good food
EPIGASTRIC
EPI
GASTRIC (= relating to
the central upper part of the abdomen

GEN(O)
birth, origin
birth,
origin,,
producing

GENESIS (= the origin of something, when

GENESIS
it is begun or starts to exist
HYDROGEN (= because it produces water
HYDROGEN
when it is burned

GRAPH(Y)
writing,, message
writing
CALLIGRAPHY (= beautiful writing
CALLIGRAPHY
writing,,
often created with a special pen or brush
TELEGRAPH
TELEGRAPH
(=aa method of sending and receiving
(=
messages by electrical or radio signals

HEMO- HEMATO
HEMOHEMATO-HEMAT-- HEMA
HEMAT
HEMA-blood
HAEMORRHAGE
HAEMORRHAGE
(= a serious medical condition in which a
person bleeds a lot, sometimes inside
their body
(=a type of cancer of the
LEUKAEMIA
LEUK
AEMIA (=a
blood, that causes weakness and
sometimes death

HETERO-HETERO
other,
other,
opposite,,
opposite
different
HETEROSEXUAL
HETEROSEXUAL
(=attracted to the
opposite sex
HETEROTROPH
HETERO
TROPH
(=aa living thing that
(=
gets its food from
other plants or animals

HOMO-HOMO
same
HOMOSEXUAL (=attracted to
HOMOSEXUAL
people of the same sex
(=a word that
HOMOPHONE
HOMO
PHONE (=a
sounds the same as another
but is different in spelling,
meaning, or origin. For
example, vaca
vaca and baca
baca
are homophones in Spanish.

HYDRO-HYDRO
water,, liquid
water
DEHYDRAT
DE
HYDRATEE (= to
lose too much
water from your
body
HYDROPHOBIA
HYDROPHOBIA
(=rabies
(=
rabies

HYPER-HYPER
more than usual,
especially too
HYPERACTIVE
HYPER
ACTIVE (= too active,
active, much
and is not able to keep still or
be quiet for very long
(=exaggeration
exaggeration,, a
HYPERBOLE
HYPER
BOLE (=
way of describing something by
saying it is much bigg
bigger
er,,
smaller
small
er,, worse etc than it
actually is

HYPO-HYPO
less than usual,
especially too little
HYPOTHERMIA (=condition in
HYPOTHERMIA
which your body temperature is
too low
HYPOGLYCAEMIA
HYPO
GLYCAEMIA
(=a medical condition resulting
from dangerously low levels of
sugar in the blood

-ICS
the scientific study
or use of
something
LINGUISTICS
LINGUIST
ICS (=the study of language
GENETICS (=the study of how, in all
GENETICS
living things, the characteristics and
qualities of parents are given to their
children by their genes

INTRA-INTRA
inside,, within
inside
within;; into
INTRAVENOUS
INTRAVENOUS
(=within or administered into
a vein
(=inside
INTRAMUSCULAR (=
INTRAMUSCULAR
inside
a muscle,
muscle, or put into a
muscle

-ITIS

an illness or infection
that affects a
particular part of
your body
(=inflammation
RHINITIS
RHIN
ITIS (=
inflammation of
the nasal mucous membranes
[from rhis nose
nose<
(=inside a
ARTHRITIS
ARTHR
ITIS (=inside
muscle,, or put into a muscle
muscle
[from arthron joint
joint<

-(O)LOGY
the study of
something, especially
something scientific
PHILOLOGY (=the study of
PHILOLOGY
words and of the way words
and languages develop
GEOLOGY
GEO
LOGY (=the study of
rocks and the Earth

-LYSIS
decomposition;
dissolving;
disintegration
HYDROLYSIS
HYDRO
LYSIS (=a chemical
reaction in which one
substance reacts with water
to produce another
ANALYSIS
ANA
LYSIS (=the process of
separating a whole into its
parts to discover their
function, relationship, etc

MACRO-MACRO

large and concerning

a whole system
rather than particular
parts of it
MACROECONOMICS
MACRO
ECONOMICS (=the study of large
economic systems such as those of a whole
country or area of the world
MACROCEPHALOUS
MACRO
CEPHALOUS (= having a large head.

MESO-MESO
in the middle
middle;;
intermediate
MESOPOTAMIA (=an area in western Asia between the
MESOPOTAMIA
River Tigris and the River Euphrates in Iraq, where, in
ancient times, the world's first cities were built and
several important ancient civilizations developed
MESOZOIC
MESO
ZOIC (= belonging or relating to the period of time
in the Earth's history, from about 250 million years ago
to about 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs, birds, and
plants with flowers first started to exist.

METRE (BrE
(BrE))
METER (AmE
(AmE))

indicating an
instrument for
measuring

BAROMETER (=an
BAROMETER
instrument that
measures changes in the
air pressure and the
weather, or that calculates height above
sea level
ANEMOMETER
ANEMO
METER (= an instrument for
measuring wind speed

MICRO extremely
small

MICRONESIA (=a group of more than 2,000

MICRONESIA
small islands in the west Pacific Ocean
MICROSCOPE
MICRO
SCOPE (= a scientific instrument
that makes extremely small things look
larger

MONO

one / only

MONOGAMOUS (=a person or animal that has

MONOGAMOUS
a sexual relationship with only one partner
MONOPOLY
MONO
POLY (= a situation in which one person
or organization unfairly has complete control

MORPH(O)

form,, shape
form

(=the
the existence of two or more
POLYMORPH
POLY
MORPHISM
ISM (=

different forms in an adult organism of the same

species, as of an insect. In bees, the presence of queen,
worker, and drone is an example of polymorphism.
ANTHROPOMORPH
ANTHROPO
MORPHISM
ISM (= the showing or treating of
animals, gods, and objects as if they are human in
appearance,, character, or behaviour
appearance

MULTI

having many

MULTINATIONAL (=a large company that has

MULTINATIONAL
offices, factories etc in many different
countries.
MULTIMEDIA
MULTI
MEDIA (= Of or relating to an application that

integrates different media,

media, such as text, graphics,
video, and sound.

-NOMY

science or the
laws governing
a certain field
of knowledge

ECONOMY (=the system by which a country

ECONOMY
countrys
money and goods are produced and used.
ASTRONOMY
ASTRO
NOMY (= the scientific study of the stars and
planets

POD(O)/PED(E) foot
ANTIPODES (=any two places or regions
ANTIPODES
that are on diametrically opposite sides of
the earth.
ARTHROPOD
ARTHRO
POD (= a type of animal with no spine,

a hard outer skin, legs with bones joined together,

together,
and a body divided into different parts, for
example a spider, crab, or ant

PHILIA/PHILE attraction
attraction,,
liking
ANGLOPHILE (=someone who is not English but likes
ANGLOPHILE
England and anything English.
PHILIP
PHIL
IP (= from Greek Philippos "fond of horses," from philos
"loving" + hippos "horse"

PHILADELPHIA (city in Pennsylvania, U.S., taken to

PHILADELPHIA
mean "brotherly love," from philos "loving
"loving + adelphos
"brother"

PHOBIA/PHOBE dislike or fear

ablutophobia acarophobia acerophobia achluophobia acousticophobia acrophobia aelurophobia aerophobia agliophobia agoraphobia
agrizoophobia agyiophobia agyrophobia aichmophobia ailourophobia ailurophobia airphobia albuminurophobia alektorophobia algophobia
alliumphobia allodoxaphobia amathophobia amaxophobia ambulophobia amychophobia anablephobia androphobia anemophobia
anglophobia ankylophobia anthophobia anthrophobia anthropophobia antlophobia anuptaphobia apeirophobia apiphobia aquaphobia
arachibutyrophobia arachnophobia arithmophobia asthenophobia astraphobia astrapophobia astrophobia ataxiophobia ataxophobia
atelophobia athazagoraphobia atychiphobia aulophobia aurophobia auroraphobia automatonophobia automysophobia autophobia
aviophobia bacillophobia bacteriophobia ballistophobia barophobia basiphobia basophobia bathophobia batophobia batrachophobia
belonephobia bibliophobia blennophobia bogyphobia bromidrosiphobia brontephobia brontophobia bufonophobia cacophobia cainophobia
caligynephobia cancerophobia cancerphobia canophobia carcinophobia cardiophobia carnophobia catagelophobia catapedaphobia
cathisophobia cenophobia ceraunophobia chaetophobia chemophobia cherophobia chionophobia chiraptophobia cholerophobia
chorophobia chrematophobia chromatophobia chrometophobia chromophobia chronomentrophobia cibophobia claustrophobia
cleisiophobia climacophobia clinophobia coimetrophobia computerphobia contreltophobia coprastasophobia coprophobia coulrophobia
cremnophobia cryophobia crystallophobia cyberphobia cyclophobia cynophobia decidophobia defecaloesiophobia deipnophobia
dementophobia demonophobia dendrophobia dentophobia dermatopathophobia dermatophobia didaskaleinophobia dikephobia dinophobia
diplophobia dipsophobia dishabiliophobia domatophobia doraphobia dromophobia dysmorphophobia dystychiphobia ecclesiophobia
ecophobia eisoptrophobia electrophobia eleutherophobia emetophobia enetophobia enochlophobia enosiophobia entomophobia eosophobia
epistaxiophobia epistemophobia equinophobia eremophobia ereuthrophobia ergasiophobia ergophobia erotophobia erythrophobia euphobia
europhobia eurotophobia febriphobia francophobia frigophobia gallophobia gamophobia geliophobia geniophobia genophobia genuphobia
gerascophobia germanophobia gerontophobia glossophobia graphophobia gringophobia gymnophobia gynephobia gynophobia hadephobia
hagiophobia harpaxophobia hedonophobia heliophobia hemaphobia hematophobia hemophobia heresyphobia herpetophobia heterophobia
hierophobia hippophobia hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia hodophobia homichlophobia homilophobia homophobia hoplophobia
hydrophobia hydrophobophobia hygrophobia hypegiaphobia hypnophobia hypsophobia iatrophobia ichthyophobia iconophobia
illyngophobia insectophobia iophobia isolophobia ithyphallophobia japanophobia judeophobia kainolophobia kainotophobia
kakorrhaphiophobia katagelophobia kathisophobia kenophobia kinetophobia kleptophobia koniophobia kopophobia kyphophobia
lachanophobia lalophobia leprophobia leukophobia ligyrophobia limnophobia linonophobia liticaphobia lockiophobia logophobia luiphobia
lutraphobia lygophobia lyssophobia macrophobia mageirocophobia malaxophobia mastigophobia mechanophobia melophobia menophobia
merinthophobia metathesiophobia methyphobia metrophobia microphobia misophobia mnemophobia monophobia motorphobia muriphobia
musicophobia musophobia mycophobia myophobia mysophobia myxophobia nebulaphobia necrophobia negrophobia neopharmaphobia
neophobia nephophobia noctiphobia nomatophobia nosocomephobia nosophobia novercaphobia numerophobia nyctophobia ochlophobia
ochophobia odontophobia odynophobia oecophobia oenophobia oikophobia olfactophobia ombrophobia ommetaphobia onomatophobia
ophidiophobia ophiophobia ophthalmophobia optophobia ornithophobia osphresiophobia ostraconophobia ouranophobia paedophobia
pagophobia panophobia panphobia pantaphobia panthophobia pantophobia papaphobia papyrophobia parasitophobia parthophobia
pathophobia peccatophobia pediculophobia pediophobia pedophobia pentheraphobia phagophobia phalacrophobia pharmacophobia
phasmophobia phengophobia philemaphobia philophobia philosophobia phobia phobophobia phonophobia photophobia phthisiophobia
placophobia plutophobia pneumatophobia pogonophobia poinephobia politicophobia polyphobia proctophobia pseudohydrophobia
psychophobia psychrophobia pteromerhanophobia pteronophobia pupaphobia pyrophobia radiophobia ranidaphobia rhabdophobia
rhypophobia rhytiphobia rupophobia russophobia samhainophobia sarmassophobia satanophobia scabiophobia scelerophobia sciaphobia
sciophobia scoleciphobia scopophobia scoptophobia scotomaphobia scotophobia scriptophobia selenophobia seplophobia
siderodromophobia siderophobia sinistrophobia sitiophobia sitophobia snakephobia spectrophobia sphexsophobia stasiphobia
staurophobia stenophobia symbolophobia symmetrophobia syngenesophobia syphiliphobia syphilophobia tabophobia tachophobia
taphephobia taphophobia tapinophobia taurophobia technophobia teleophobia teratophobia testophobia thalassophobia thanatophobia
theatrophobia theophobia thermophobia tocophobia tonitrophobia topophobia toxicophobia toxiphobia toxophobia traumatophobia
tremophobia triskaidekaphobia trypanophobia tuberculophobia tyrannophobia uranophobia urophobia vaccinophobia venustraphobia
verbophobia verminophobia vestiphobia virginitiphobia vitricophobia walloonophobia wiccaphobia xanthophobia xenophobia
xenophobiazelophobia xerophobia xylophobia zelophobia zemmiphobia zeusophobia zoophobia

PHON(O) sound
sound,, voice
PHONETICS (=the study of the sounds
PHONETICS
made by the human voice in speech.
XYLOPHONE
XYLO
PHONE (=a musical instrument which
consists of metal or wooden bars of
different lengths that you hit with a
special stick.

PHOTO-PHOTO

relating to
light

PHOTOGRAPH (=a picture obtained by using a

PHOTOGRAPH
camera and film that is sensitive to light
light..
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHOTO
SYNTHESIS (=the production by a green
plant of special substances like sugar that it
uses as food, caused by the action of sunlight
on chlorophyll.

POLY-POLY
POLYGLOT (=
POLYGLOT
speaking or using
many languages
POLYSEMOUS
POLY
SEMOUS
(= a polysemous
word has two or
more different
meanings;; from
meanings
sema sign
sign

many

later than or
POST-POST
after
POSTHUMOUS
POST
HUMOUS (=
happening, printed etc
someones death;
after someone
from Latin postumus "last,
lastlast
-born
POSTPONE
POST
PONE
(= to change the date or
time of a planned event
or action to a later one

PRE-PRE

before

PREHISTORY
PREHISTORY
(= the time in history before anything was
written down
PREDICT
PRE
DICT
(= to say that something will happen, before
it happens

PROTO-PROTO
PROTOTYPE
PROTOTYPE
(= the first form that a

new design of a car, machine

etc has, or a model of it
used to test the design
before it is produced

PROTOZOAN
PROTOZOAN
(= a very small living
thing that has only one
cell

existing or
coming before
other things of
the same type

-SCOPE

viewing,
viewing,
observing

HOROSCOPE
HOROSCOPE
(= a description of your character and

the things that will happen to you, based on

the position of the stars and planets at the time of
your birth; from hora hour
hour + skopein to look at
at

STETHOSCOPE
STETHOSCOPE
(= an instrument that a doctor uses to listen to
your heart or breathing; from Greek stethos
chest
chest

SUB-SUB

under or below

SUBCONSCIOUS
SUB
CONSCIOUS (= the part of your mind that has
thoughts and feelings you do not know about

SUBSTANCE (= a particular type of solid,

SUBSTANCE
liquid, or gas; from sub
stare to stand under
under
substare

SUPER-SUPER

more, larger,
greater, or
more powerfu

SUPERFICIAL
SUPER
FICIAL (= affecting only the surface of your
skin or the outside part of something, and therefore
not serious; from Latin facies face
face

SUPERVISE (= to be in charge of an activity or

SUPERVISE
person, and make sure that things are done in
the correct way; from Latin videre to see
see

-THESIS
-THETIC(AL)

to put

HYPOTHESIS
HYPO
THESIS (= an idea that is suggested

as an explanation for something, but that

has not yet been proved to be true; from
Greek hypothesis "base, basis of an
argument, supposition
supposition

ANTITHESIS (= the complete opposite of

ANTITHESIS
"opposition
position,,
something; from Greek antithesis "op
resistance

TECHN(O)-TECHN(O)

art, technology

TECHNOLITERACY
TECHNOLITERACY
(= skill in using computers
the skill or business of
PYROTECHNICS
PYRO
TECHNICS (= the
making fireworks
fireworks;; from Greek pyros, fire

TELE-TELE

at or over a
long distance

TELESCOPE (= a piece of
TELESCOPE
equipment shaped like a tube,
used for making distant objects look larger
and closer
TELEPORT
TELE
PORT (= in science fiction, to send a
person or thing from
one place to another
in the form of energy
or a copy

THERM(O)

Heat,
temperature

THERMOSTAT (= an instrument used for keeping

THERMOSTAT
a room or a machine at a particular temperature
POIKILOTHERM
POIKILO
THERM (= an organism, such as a fish or
reptile, having a body temperature that varies
with the temperature of its surroundings; from
Greek poikilos, variable, irregular

-VOROUS,
-VORE

feeding on
something

VORACIOUS (= eating or wanting large

VORACIOUS
quantities of food
OMNIVORE
OMNI
VORE (= an animal that eats both
meat and plants

ZOO(N),
-ZOA

animal, living
being

ZOOPHILIA (= a desire for

ZOOPHILIA
sexual activity with animals
animals;;
bestiality
SPERMATOZOON
SPERMATO
ZOON (= a cell produced by the
sex organs of a male person or animal,
which is able to join with the
female egg to produce a new
life;
sperma, from Greek, seed
seed