Root Meanings Sample Words and Definitions

abyss - without bottom; achromatic - without color; anhydrous - without

a/n not, without
water
a on afire - on fire; ashore - on the shore; aside - on the side
abduct - carry away by force; abnormal - away from normal, not normal;
ab/s, a from, away, off absent - away, not present; aversion - the act of turning away from;
abbreviate: to shorten.
accelerate - to increase the speed of; accessible - easily entered,
ac, ad to, toward, near
approached, or obtained; admittance - allowing into;
top, height, tip, acrobat - a "high walker"; acronym - a word formed from the first
acro
beginning (capital) letters of a word; acrophobia - fear of height
activity - something that a person does; react - to do something in
act do
response; interaction - communication between two or more things
aerate - to let air reach something; aerial - relating to the air; aerospace
aer/o air
- the air space
agriculture - management of the land, agribusiness - making money by
agr/i/o farming
utilizing land; agrarian - relating to the management of land
neuralgia - pain caused by a nerve; analgesic - a drug that makes one
alg/o pain
pain free; nostalgia - aching for the familiar
ambidextrous - able to use both hands equally; ambiguous - having more
ambi, both, on both
than one meaning; ambivalence - conflicting or opposite feelings toward
amphi sides, around
a person or thing
amble - to walk in a slow, relaxed way; ambulant - walking or moving
ambul walk, move
around; ambulance - a vehicle that moves a patient
amiable - friendly, pleasant, lovable; amity - friendly and peaceful
ami/o love
relations; amorous - showing romantic love
analysis - a close examination of something; anatomy - the structure of
up, back, against,
ana something as visible when cut up for analysis; anachronism - not being in
again, throughout
the right place in time
androgynous - being both male and female; android - resembling a
andr/o man, male
human; misandry - hatred towards men
animal - a living organism; animate - to make alive; equanimity - of
anim life, spirit
balanced spirit
anniversary - a date observed once a year; annual - happening once a
ann enn year
year; millennium - 1,000 years
antecede - to come before something in time; antemeridian - before
ante before, in front
noon; anteroom- a small room before the main room
chrysanthemum and amaranth - names of flowers; anthology - a
anth/o flower collection of treasured writings; anthozoan - half plant, half animal, like
anemones and corals.
anthropology - the study of mankind; anthropomorphism - giving human
anthrop/o human form to non-human things; philanthropy - the love to mankind
(expressed through good deeds)
against, opposite antibody - a substance that destroys micro-organisms; antiseptic -
anti
of preventing infection; antisocial - opposing social norm
 aphorism - a short expression of a general truth; apology - an explicit
apo, apho away, off, separate expression of regret, apostrophe - a small dash used in place of an
omitted letter
aquarium - a water container for fish; aquatic- relating to water;
aqu/a water
aqueduct - a pipeline for water
arborist - someone working with trees; arbor - a shady area formed by
arbor tree
trees; arborous - having many trees
archbishop - the highest ranking bishop; archenemy - chief or worst
arch/i chief, most
enemy; matriarch - a female who rules a group; monarch - a king or
/e/o/ae important, rule
queen
archa/e, archaeology - the study of ancient cultures; archaic - belonging to an
primitive, ancient
archi earlier period; archive - a collection of historical materials
arthroscope - a tool to see inside a joint; arthritis - inflammation of a
arthr/o joint joint; arthropod - invertebrates with jointed legs, like spiders,
crustaceans, insects
artifact - object made by a person's skill; artisan - a person skilled in a
art skill
craft; artist - a person who creates skillfully
astro, star, stars, outer astronaut - a person traveling to the stars; astronomer - someone who
aster space studies the stars; asterisk - a star-shaped sign used as a reference tool
audible - loud enough to be heard; audience - people who listen to a
aud/i/io hear
program; audiovisual - relating to sound and vision
autocrat - a person who governs with absolute power; autograph - a
auto self, same, one
person's own signature; automatic - moving by itself
aviary - a large enclosure for birds; aviatrix - a female airplane pilot;
avi/a bird
aviation - the art of designing or operating aircraft
baric - pertaining to pressure, esp. of the atmosphere; milliard - metric
bar/o pressure, weight
unit, equal to 1/1000th of a bar; baryon - heavy elementary particle
bellicose - warlike; belligerent - hostile, ready to fight; rebel - person
bell/i war
who opposes and fights
benefactor - person who gives money to a cause; beneficial - producing a
bene good, well
good effect; benevolent - showing kindness or goodwill
two, twice, once in biannual - happening twice a year; binoculars - optical device with two
bi/n
every two lenses; bilateral - of or involving two sides
bibliography - a list of books used as sources; bibliomania - an extreme
bibli/o book
love of books; bibliophile - a person who loves books
biography- a life story written by another person; biology - the science of
bio life, living matter
life; biosphere - Earth's surface inhabited by living things
blastula - an early stage of embryonic development; fibroblast - a cell
cell, primitive,
blast/o that forms connective tissue; blastoderm - the layer surrounding the
immature cell
inside of an egg
intercept - to stop or interrupt; recapture - taking something back;
capt, cept take, hold
captivating - taking hold of
cardiac - relating to the heart; cardiogenic - resulting from heart disease;
cardi/o heart
cardiologist - a heart doctor
carnivorous - flesh-eating; carnal - pertaining to the body or flesh;
carn/i flesh, meat
incarnate - given bodily form
 down, against
completely, cataclysm - a flood or other disaster, catalog - a complete listing;
cata
intensive, catastrophe - turning for the worst, a substantial disaster
according to
caust, cauterize - to burn with a hot instrument; caustic - capable of burning or
to burn
caut eating away; holocaust - total devastation, especially by fire
cede, exceed - to go beyond the limits; recede - to go back; accessible - easily
ceed, go, yield entered, approached,
cess or obtained;
ceive, accept - to take a thing that is offered; perceive - to take notice of
take
cept something; receive - to take something given
celer fast accelerate - to increase the speed of; decelerate - to reduce the speed of
hundred, centennial- the 100th anniversary; centimeter - 1/100 of a meter;
cent/i
hundredth century - 100 years
egocentric - self-centered; eccentric - not having a common center, not
centr/o/i center
according to norm; centrifugal - moving outward from a center
encephalitis - inflammation of the brain; cephalic - pertaining to the
cephal/o head head; cephalopod - marine mollusks like octopus and squid who have
tentacles growing from their head
cerebral - pertaining to the brain; cerebrate - to use the brain;
cerebr/o brain
cerebrospinal - pertaining to the brain and the spinal cord
ascertain- to find out something with certainty; certain - being absolutely
cert sure
sure; certify - to state that something is true
chrom/o
achromatic - without color; chromium - a blue-white metallic chemical
chromat/o,color, pigment
element, chromatics - the study of color
chros
chronic - lasting for a long time; chronological - arranging events in time
chron/o time
order, synchronize - happening at the same time
chrysanthemum and helichrysum - golden/yellow flowers; chrysolite - a
chrys/o gold, yellow
yellowish gem
homicide - murder; incisor - a sharp tooth for cutting food; insecticide - a
cide, cise cut, kill
chemical used to kill insects
circum, circumnavigate - to sail around; circumscribe - to draw around;
around, about
circle circumspect - looking around
clamor - to shout and make noise; exclaim - to cry out loudly and
claim, clamshout, speak out
suddenly; proclamation - something announced officially in public
clarification - an explanation; clarify - to make something clear; declare -
clar clear
to state something clearly
conclusion - the end or last part; exclusion - shutting out, rejecting;
clud, clus close
seclude - to keep away from; to isolate
inclination - a leaning toward; incline - a surface that slopes or leans;
cline lean
recline - to lean back and relax
coauthor - writer who collaborates with another author; coeducation -
with, together,
co educating males and females together; cohousing - planning your
joint
neighborhood in an intentional neighborly fashion
Collaborate - to work together; collision - smashing together; colloquial -
col together, jointly
words formed by everday interaction
 commemorate - to memorize together; composition - an arrangement or
com together, common putting together of parts; commune - living together while owning things
in common
cognition - process of acquiring knowledge; incognito - disguised so no
cogn/i know
one knows you; recognize - to discover that one knows
concur - to agree with someone; contemporary - of the same time period
con with, jointly
as others; convention - a gathering of people with a common interest
contradict to argue against, Contraflow, contraception, contrary not in
contra/o against, opposite
agreement, controversy disagreement
corporation - a company recognized by law as a single body; corpse - a
corp/o body
dead body; corporal - pertaining to the body
cosmonaut - a Russian astronaut; cosmos - the universe; microcosm - a
cosm/o universe
miniature universe
opposite, contrary, counteract - to oppose the effects of an action; countermand - to cancel
counter
opposing a previous order; counteroffensive - attack against an attack
craniology - the study of skull characteristics; cranium - skull of
cranio skull
vertebrates; cranial - pertaining to the skull
credence - belief that something is true or valid; credulous - believing
cred believe
things too easily, gullible; incredible - unbelievable
cryptic - of hidden meaning; cryptography - science of secret codes;
crypto hidden, secret
encrypt - encode into secret code
cumul mass, heap accumulate - to gather or pile up; cumulative - gradually building up
bicycle - a vehicle with two wheels; cycle - a sequence that is repeated;
cycl circle, ring
cyclone - a storm with circling winds
reduce, away, decelerate - to slow down, reduce speed; dethrone - to remove from
de
down, remove power; debug - to remove bugs
decade - 10 years; decathlon - athletic contest that includes 10
dec/a,
ten disciplines in which each participant competes; December - formerly the
deka
10th month of the Roman calendar
deciliter - a tenth of a liter; decimate - reduce dramatically; decibel - one
deci one tenth
tenth of the sound volume unit bel
democracy - government of the people; demographic - the study of
dem/o people
people; epidemic - spreading among people in a region
demitasse - a small cup of coffee; demimonde - someone of little
demi half, less than
respected life style
philodendron - a climbing plant that grows on trees; dendrochronology -
dendr/o/i tree dating events by studying growth rings in trees; dendriform - in the
shape of a tree
dental - relating to teeth; dentist - a doctor for the teeth; dentures - a
dent, dont tooth
set of false teeth
dermatologist - a doctor for the skin; pachyderm - a class of animals with
derm/a skin very thick skin (elephant, rhinoceros); dermatitis - inflammation of the
skin
dichromatic - displaying two colors; diploma - a certificate, literally "a
di/plo two, twice letter folded double"; dilemma - a situation that requires a choice
between two alternatives.
 apart, away,
digression - a departure from the main issue, subject; disappear - to
di/s not, to the
move out of sight; dissect - to cut apart piece by piece.
opposite
diabetes - disease characterized by excessive thirst and discharge of
through, between,
dia urine; diagnosis - understanding a condition by going through a detailed
apart, across
review of symptoms; dialog - conversation between two people.
contradict - to express the opposite of; prediction - a statement
dict speak foretelling the future; dictate - to speak out loud for another person to
write down.
dominate - to be the master of; domineering - excessively controlling;
domin master
predominate - to have more power than others
donation - a contribution or gift; donor - someone who gives something;
don/at give
pardon - to give forgiveness for an offense
conduct - to lead musicians in playing music; educate - to lead to
duc/t lead
knowledge; deduction - a subtraction of an amount.
duplicate - make an identical copy; duet - a musical composition for two
du/o two, twice voices or instruments; duo - a pair normally thought of as being
together.
harden, to last, durable - having the quality of lasting; duration - the length of time
dur
lasting something lasts; enduring - able to last.
power, energy, dynamo - a generator of energy; dynamic - having physical
dyn/a/am
strength energy/power; dynamite - a powerful explosive.
dyspepsia - abnormal indigestion; dystopia - an imaginary place of total
dys abnormal, bad
misery; dyslexia - impairment of the ability to handle words.
eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully; emissary - a
representative of a country or group sent on a mission; eject - throw out
e- out, away
forcefully.

egoistic - self-centered; alter ego - a higher aspect of oneself; egomania

ego self
- excessive preoccupation with oneself.
into, cover with, empathy - intention to feel like another person; empower - put into
em, en
cause power; engorge - make larger.
endotherm - a creature that can keep its inside temperature fairly
constant; endocrine - relating to glands that secrete directly into the
endo within, inside
blood or lymph; endogamy - the custom to marry within one's clan, tribe
etc.
bicentennial - of or relating to an age or period of 200 years; centennial -
enn/i, anni years of or relating to an age or period of 100 years; perennial -lasting
through many years.
envision - to picture in the mind; enclose - lock inside; inwards - towards
en, in inside, inwards
the inside.
on, upon, over,
epidemic - the rapid spread of something negative; epilogue - a short
ep/i among, at, after,
speech delivered after a play; epicenter - the center of an earthquake.
to, outside
equidistant - an equal distance from two points; equanimity - calm
equ/i equal, equally
temperament, evenness of temper; equation - a statement of equality.
erg/o work ergonomics - study of the working environment; energy - the power to
 accomplish work; energetics - science that looks at energy and its
transformation.
feeling, sensation, esthetician - someone who beautifies; aesthetic - pertaining to a sense of
esth/aesth
beauty beauty; kinesthesia - the sensation of bodily movement.
ethnic - pertaining to a defined group of people; ethnocentric - focusing
ethno race, people
on the ethnicity of people; ethnology - the science of people and races.
euphemism - replacing an offensive word with an inoffensive one;
eu good, well
euphonious - having a pleasant sound; euphoria - feeling of well-being.
ex from, out, excavate - to dig out; exhale - to breathe out; extract - to pull out.
extra, extraordinary - beyond ordinary; extraterrestrial - outside the Earth;
outside, beyond
extro extrovert - an outgoing person.
artifact - an object made by a person; factory - a place where things are
fac/t make, do
made; malefact - a person who does wrong.
confer - to bring an honor to someone; ferry - a boat that carries
fer bear, bring, carry
passengers; transfer - to move to another place.
confide - place trust in someone, fidelity - faithfulness; fiduciary - a
fid faith
trustee;
deflect - to bend course because of hitting something; inflection - a
flect bend
bending in the voice's tone or pitch; flexible - easily bending.
flor/a, florist - someone working with flowers; floral - flowerlike; flora - the
flower
fleur plant life of a particular time or area
completely (used
to intensify forsaken or forfeited - completely lost; forgiven - completely given (a
for
the meaning of a release of debt).
word)
in front of, forebear - ancestor; forebode - to give an advance warning of something
fore
previous, earlier bad; forecast - a preview of events to be.
fracture - a break; fragile - easy to break; fragment or fraction - a part
fract, frag break
or element of a larger whole;
flee, run away, fugitive - a person who is running away; refuge - a sheltered place to flee
fug
escape to; refugee - a person seeking protection
defunct - no longer working or alive; function - to work or perform a role
funct perform, work
normally; malfunction - to fail to work correctly.
confusion - being flooded with too much information that is hard to make
fus pour
sense of; fuse - to melt by heating; infuse - to put into.
gastric - pertaining to the stomach; gastronomy - serving the stomach by
gastr/o stomach
providing good food; gastritis - inflammation of the stomach.
genealogy - the study of the history of a family; generation - all the
gen/o/e/ birth, production,
people born at approximately the same time; genetic -relating to
genesis formation, kind
heredity encoded in the genes.
geography - study of the earth's surface; geology - study of the structure
geo earth, soil, global
of the earth; geoponics - soil based agriculture.
geriatrics - medicine pertaining to the elderly; gerontocracy - the rule of
ger old age
the elders; gerontology - the science of aging.
gigabyte - unit of computer storage space; gigahertz - unit of frequency
giga a billion
(one billion Hz/sec); gigawatt unit of electric power (one billion watts).
 decagon - a polygon with 10 angles; diagonal - a slanting line running
gon angle
across a space; octagon - a geometrical figure with 8 angles.
diagram - a simple drawing; grammar - rules of how to write words in
gram letter, written
sentences; telegram - a message sent by telegraph.
Graphology - the study of handwritings; autograph - written with one's
writing, recording,
graph/y own hand; seismograph - a machine noting strength and duration of
written
earthquakes.
gratify - to please someone; grateful - feeling thankful; gratuity - a tip,
grat pleasing
token of appreciation.
gynecology - the science of female reproductive health; gynephobia -
gyn/o/e woman, female
fear of women; gynecoid - resembling a woman.

gress, digression - a departure from the main issue, subject, etc.; progress -
to step, to go
grad/e/i movement forward or onward; gradual - step by step.

hect/o, hectoliter - 100 liters; hectare - metric unit equaling 100 ares or 10,000
hundred
hecat square meters; hectometer - 100 meters.

helicopter - an aircraft with horizontal rotating wing; helix - a spiral form;

helic/o spiral, circular
helicon - a circular tuba.

heliotropism - movement or growth in relating to the sun; heliograph -

heli/o sun apparatus used to send message with the help of sunlight; helianthus -
genus of plants including sunflowers.
hemicycle - a semicircular structure; hemisphere - one half of the earth;
hemi half, partial
hemistich - half a line of poetry.
hemorrhage - clotting of the blood; hemorrhoids - swelling of the blood
hem/o/a blood
vessels; hemoglobin - red blood particle.
hepatitis - inflammation of the liver; hepatoma - a tumor of the liver;
hepa liver
hepatotoxic - toxic and damaging to the liver.
heptagon - a shape with seven angles and seven sides; Heptateuch - the
hept/a seven first seven books of the Old Testament; heptameter - a line of verse
consisting of seven metrical feet.
herbicide - any chemical used to kill unwanted plants, etc.; herbivorous -
herbi grass, plant
plant-eating; herbal - relating to plants.
heterogeneous - made up of unrelated parts; heteronyms - words with
hetero different, other same spelling but different meanings; heterodox - not conforming to
traditional beliefs.
hexagon - a shape with six angles/sides; hexameter - a verse measured
hex/a six
in six; hexapod - having six legs.
histology - study of the microscopic structure of tissues; histochemistry -
histo tissue
study of the chemical constitution of cells and tissues.
homo, homogeneous - of the same nature or kind; homonym - sounding alike;
like, alike, same
homeo homeopath - a therapy that is based on treating "same with same"
hydrate - to add water to; hydrophobia - intense fear of water;
hydr/o liquid, water hydroponics - growing plants in liquid nutrient solution; hydraulic -
operated by force created by a liquid.
hygrometer - tool used to measure humidity; hygrograph - instrument
hygr/o moisture, humidity
for recording variations in atmospheric humidity.
hyper too much, over, hyperactive - very restless; hypercritical - too critical; hypertension -
 excessive, beyond above normal pressure.
hypoglycemia - an abnormally low level of sugar in the blood;
hyp/o under hypothermia - abnormally low body temperature; hypothesis - a theory
that is unproven but used under the assumption that it is true.
geriatrics - medical care of the elderly; pediatrician - a doctor who treats
iatr/o medical care
children; podiatry - medical care for feet.
icon - an (often religious) image, in modern usage a simplified graphic of
high symbolic content; iconology - science of symbols and icons;
icon/o image
iconoclast - someone who destroys religious images and traditional
beliefs.
idiomatic - Peculiar to a particular language; idiosyncracy - a physical or
peculiar, personal,
idio mental characteristic typical or a particular person; idiot - someone who
distinct
is distinctly foolish or stupid.
illuminate - to give light to; innovation - a new idea, method, or device;
il, in in, into
inspection - the act of examining or reviewing.
ig, il, im, illegal - not legal; impossible - not possible; inappropriate - not
not, without
in, ir appropriate; irresponsible - not responsible.
image - a likeness of someone; imaginative - able to think up new ideas
imag likeness
or images; imagine - to form a picture or likeness in the mind.
infrastructure - underlying framework of a system; infrared - below the
infra beneath, below
regular light spectrum.
between, among, international - involving two or more countries; intersection - place
inter
jointly where roads come together; intercept - to stop or interrupt the course of.
intra, intrastate - existing in one state; intravenous - inside or into a vein;
within, inside
intro introvert - shy person who keeps within him/herself.
irredeemable - not redeemable; irreformable - not reformable; irrational
ir not
- not rational.
isobar - a line on a map connecting points of equal barometric pressure;
iso equal isometric - having equality of measure; isothermal - having equal or
constant temperature.
eject - to throw someone/something out; interject - to throw a remark
ject throw
into a discussion; project - to cast or throw something.
judgment - a decision of a court of law; judicial - having to do with
jud law
judges or courts of law; judiciary - a system of courts of law.
conjunction - a word that joins parts of sentences; disjunction - a
junct join
disconnection; junction - a place where two things join.
juvenile - youthful or childish; rejuvenate - to bring back to youthful
juven young
strength or appearance.
kilobyte - 1,000 bytes; kilometer - 1,000 meter; kilograms - 1,000
kilo thousand
grams.
kinetics - study of the force of motion; psychokinesis or telekinesis - the
kine/t
motion, division ability to move objects with your mind; cinematography - motion picture
/mat
making.
collaborate - to work with a person; elaborate - to work out the details;
lab work
laborious - requiring a lot of hard work.
lactate - to give milk, nurse; lactose - the sugar contained in milk; lactic
lact/o milk
acid.
 bilateral - of or involving two sides; unilateral - affecting one side of
later side
something.
leuk/o, leukemia - abnormal increase of white blood cells in the blood; leukocyte
white, colorless
leuc/o - a mature white blood cell; leucine - a white, crystalline amino acid.
lexicology - the study and history of words; alexia -loss of the ability to
lex word, law, reading
read; illegal - not authorized by the official rules or laws.
liberate - to set free; libertine - a person with a free, wild lifestyle; liberty
liber free
- freedom.
linguist - one who studies languages; multilingual - able to communicate
lingu language, tongue
in multiple languages; linguine - long, flat "tongue-shaped" pasta.
liposuction - the mechanical removal of fat reserves in the tissue; lipase -
lip/o fat
enzyme that breaks down fat; lipoid - resembling fat.
lite, ite, mineral, rock, appatite - a group of common minerals; granite - a hard, granular rock;
lith/o fossil monolith - a remarkable, unique stone.
dislocate - to put something out of its usual place; location - a place;
loc place
relocate - to move to a new place.
logic - correct reasoning; monologue - a long speech by one
word, doctrine,
log/o speaker;analogy - similarity, especially between things otherwise
discourse
dissimilar.
eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully ; loquacious - very
loqu, locu speak
talkative; elocution - art of public speaking.
elucidate - to explain, to throw light on; lucid - easily understood, giving
luc light
off light; translucent - allowing light through.
prelude - introduction to the major performance; illusion - misleading
lud, lus to play
optical image or impression; delude - to mislead, deceive.
lumin light illuminate - to fill with light; lumen - unit measuring light.
lunar - relating to the moon; lunarscape - the surface of the moon;
lun/a/i moon
lunatic - insane (as if driven mad by the moon).
macroevolution - large scale evolution; macromolecule - a large
macro large, great
molecule; macroeconomics - study of the overall forces of economy.
magnify - make larger; magnificent - grand; magnate - a powerful
magn/a/i great, large
person, especially in business or industry.
malcontent - wrong content; malaria - "bad air", infectious disease
mal/e bad, ill, wrong thought to originate from the "bad air" of the swamps, but caused by the
bite of an infected mosquito; malicious - showing strong ill will.
maneuver - to move by hand; manual - done with the hands; manuscript
man/i/u hand
- a book written by hand.
command - an order or instruction; demand - a hard-to-ignore order;
mand to order
mandate - an official order.
madness,
bibliomania - a crazy love of books; egomania - a mad love of oneself;
mania insanity,
maniac an insane person.
excessive desire
marina - a harbor for pleasure boats; maritime - relating to the sea;
mar/i sea submarine - an undersea boat; aquamarine - blue-green in color, like sea
water.
mater, mother maternal - relating to motherhood; maternity - the state of being a
matr/i mother; matriarch - a woman head of a household.
maximal - the best or greatest possible; maximize - to make as great as
max greatest
possible; maximum - the greatest amount.
medieval - pertaining to the Middle Ages; medium - in the middle;
medi middle
mediocre - only of medium (inferior) quality.
megalopolis - an area with many nearby cities; megaphone - a device
great, large,
mega that projects a loud voice; megastructure - huge building or other
million
structure.
melancholy - a state of dark emotions; melanoma - malignant dark
melan/o black
tumor of the skin; melodrama - a dark, pathetic drama.
commemorate - to honor the memory of, as by a ceremony; memorial -
memor/i remember related to remembering a person or event; memory: an ability to
retain knowledge or an individual's stock of retained knowledge.
merge, immerge or immerse - to put or dip something into a liquid; submerge to
dip, dive
mers dip something completely into wate.r
Mesoamerica - Middle America; meson - elementary particle with a mass
meso middle
between an electron and a proton.
metaphysics - study of nature and reality; metamorphosis - a complete
change, after,
meta change of form; metastasis - the transmission of disease to other parts
beyond, between
of the body.
meter, audiometer- an instrument that measures hearing acuteness;
measure
metr/y chronometer- an instrument that measures time; metric - measured.
very small, short, microbe - a very small living thing; microchip - a tiny wafer with an
micro
minute integrated circuit; microscope - a device to see very small things.
midriff - the area between the chest and the waist; midterm - middle of a
mid middle
term in school; midway - halfway between.
immigrant - a person who moves to a new country to settle; migrant -
migr move person who moves from place to place; migration - the process of
moving.
millimeter - one thousandth of a meter; millibar - one thousandth of a
milli onethousandth
bar; milliliter - one thousandth of a liter.
mini - something that is very small; minuscule - extremely tiny; minutiae
min/i small, less
- very small or trivial details.
bad, badly, wrong,
misbehave - to behave badly; misprint - an error in printing; misnomer -
mis/o wrongly,
an error in naming a person or thing.
to hate
dismiss - to send someone away; missile - a weapon sent into the air;
miss, mit send, let go
emit - to send something out; admittance - entry.
immobilize - to stop from moving; mobile - able to move freely; mobility
mob move
- the quality of being able to move.
monochromat - having one color; monologue - a speech spoken by one
mon/o one, single, alone
person; monotheism - belief in one god.
motion - the act of moving; motivate - to move someone to action;
mot, mov move promote to move someone forward; removable - able to be taken or
carried away.
metamorphosis - complete change of form; endorphins - chemical in the
morph/o form
brain able to transform pain; amorphous - without distinct shape or form.
 immortal - living forever, unable to die; mortal - certain to die; mortician
mort death
- an undertaker.
many, more than multicolored - having many colors; multimedia - using a range of media;
multi
one or two multitasking - doing many things at once.
immutable - not changing; mutant - an organism that has undergone
mut change
change; mutate - to undergo a change.
myocardium - the middle muscle of the heart; myasthenia - muscle
my/o muscle
fatigue or weakness; myosin - common protein in muscle tissue.
narrate - to tell a story; narrative - a story; narrator - a person who tells
narr tell
a story.
innate - included since birth; natal - relating to birth; natural - gotten at
nat born
birth, not afterward.
circumnavigate - to sail around a place; naval - relating to a navy or
nav ship
warships; navigate - to sail a ship through a place.
necrophil - loving death; necrosis - the death of tissue due to disease or
necr/o dead, death
injury; necrology - a list of persons who have recently died.
negate - to say it didn't happen; negative - meaning "no"; renege - to go
neg no
back on a promise.
neoclassic - a revival of classic form, neocolonialism - the indirect
neo new, recent ("new") economical and political control of a region by a more powerful
foreign power; neonatal - a newborn child, especially the first few weeks.
nephritis - inflammation of the kidneys; nephrotomy - surgical incision of
nephr/o kidney
a kidney; nephron - a single, excretory unit in the kidney.
neuralgia - pain along a nerve; neurologist - doctor specializing in the
neur/o nerve nerves; neurotic - mental disorder that usually does not include an
impaired perception of reality.
misnomer - an error in naming a person or thing; nominal - being
nom/in name something in name only but not in reality; nominate - to name for
election or appointment, to designate.
nondescript - with no special characteristics; nonfiction - true, real, not
non no, not, without
made-up; nonsense - without sense.
notable - marked as worthy of attention; notarize - to certify a signature
not mark
on a legal document; annotate - to add remarks.
noun, announce - to declare in public; denounce - to proclaim harsh criticism;
declare
nunc enunciate - to speak or declare something clearly.
innovate - to introduce a new way; novelty - something new; novice - a
nov new person who is new at a job; renovate - to make something like new
again.
enumerate - to name a number of items on a list; numerology - the
numer number
study of magical uses of numbers; numerous - a large number.
object - to be against something; obscure - hard to understand;
ob, op in the way, against
opposition - the act of resistance or action against.
octagon - a figure with 8 sides and 8 angles; octogenarian - person in his
oct/a/o eight
or her 80s; octopus - sea animal with 8 arms.
binoculars - lens device for seeing distances; monocula - relating to one
ocu eye
eye; oculist - an eye doctor.
 omnipotent - with all the power; omniscient - knowing all things;
omni all
omnivorous eating all foods.
eye, visual optic - relating to the eyes; optician - a person who fits eyeglasses;
op/t/s
condition, sight autopsy - the examination of a dead body.
optimal - the best, the most desirable; optimize - to make the best of;
opt best
optimum - the best something could be.
orthodontist - a dentist that straightens teeth; orthopedic - a doctor
ortho straight concerned with the proper alignment of the bones; orthography - the
correct way of writing.
osteoarthritis - inflammation caused by degeneration of the joints;
osteo bone osteopathy - therapy that uses among others manipulation of the
skeleton to restore health; osteology - the study of bones.
goes beyond, Outgoing - being of lively, sharing nature; outdoing - doing better than;
out
surpasses, exceeds outdoor - outside.
overconfident - more confident than is appropriate; overstock - more
over excessive supplies than is desirable; overexcited - ,more excited than one should
be.
oxymoron - combining two ideas that sharply contradict each other;
oxy sharp
oxydize - corrode a surface.
paleontology - study of ancient fossils; paleography - the study of ancient
pale/o anient
forms of writing; Paleolithic - period of the Stone Age.
panacea - a cure for all diseases or problems; panorama - an all-around
pan all, any, everyone
view; pantheism - the worship of all gods; pandemic - affecting all.
beside, beyond, parasite - an organism that lives on and off another living being; parallel
para abnormal, - alongside and always an equal distance apart; paragraph - a portion of
assistant a writtenn document that presents a distinct idea.
parachute - protection from falling; parasol - an umbrella used to protect
para protection from
from the sun;
pater, paternal - relating to fathers; paternity - fatherhood; patriarch - a man
father
patr/i who rules a group.
antipathy - a feeling of great dislike; apathy - a lack of feeling or
path feeling, emotion
interest; empathy - ability to understand another's feelings.
pedal - a lever pushed by the foot; pedestrian - one who walks; pedicure
ped/i/e foot, feet
- cosmetic treatment of feet and toes.
compel - to force someone to act; expel - to drive someone out of a
pel drive, force
place; repel - to force back.
pentagon - shape having 5 angles and 5 sides, pentagram - a five-
pent/a five pointed star formerly used as a symbolic figure in magic; pentathlon - an
athletic contest that includes five events.
pept, dyspepsia - abnormal digestion; peptic - aiding digestion; pepsin - a
digestion
peps digestive enzyme.
permanent - lasting throughout all time; permeate - to spread
through,
per throughout; persist - to continue for a long time; perennial - lasting
throughout
through many years.
periodontal - pertaining to bone and tissue around a tooth; peripheral -
peri around, enclosing
lying outside of the center; perimeter - the outer boundary of an area.
phag/e to eat esophagus - muscular tube that carries food to the stomach;
 anthropophagy or sarcophagy - cannibalism; xylophagous - feeding on
wood.
philanthropist - one who loves humanity; philology - the love of words;
phil/o love, friend
philosophy - the love of wisdom; bibliophil - loving books.
phon/o cacophony - loud, unpleasant sounds; microphone - a device that records
sound
/e/y and amplifies sound; phonetic - relating to human speech sounds.
photogenic - caused by light; photograph - image made on light-sensitive
phot/o light
film; photon - the smallest possible unit of light.
chlorophyll - a group of green pigments found in leaves; phyllotaxis - the
phyll/o leaf arrangement of leaves on a stem; phyllite - a rock that forms sheets,
similar to slate.
nature, medicine, physical - relating to the body; physician - a doctor; physique - nature
phys
the body and shape of one's body.
epiphyte - a plant growing independently on the surface of another;
phyt/o/e plant, to grow hydrophyte - a plant that grows only in water; neophyte - a beginner,
especially a person recently converted to a new belief.
protoplasm - something that is the first made or formed, also the living
to form,
portion of a cell; plastic - able to be formed, especially when warm;
plas/t/m development,
plaster - a mixture of lime, sand and water that forms a smooth solid
forming cells
covering for walls.
breathing, lung, pneumonia - inflammation of the lungs; pneumatic - using the force of
pneum/o
air, spirit air; dyspnea - difficulty breathing.
podiatrist - a doctor for the feet; podium - a small platform to stand on;
pod/e foot
tripod - a stand or frame with 3 legs.
metropolis - a large city; police - people who work for the government to
poli city maintain order in a city; politics - actions of a government or political
party.
many, more than polychrome - with many colors; polyglot - a person fluent in many
poly
one languages; polygon - shape with 3 or more straight sides.
opponent - a person who places him/herself against an action, idea, etc.;
pon place, put
postpone - to put off doing something.
popular - appealing to a lot of people; population - all of the people who
pop people
live in a particular area; populist - a supporter of the rights of people.
export - to carry goods out of a place to another; portable - able to be
port carry
carried; porter - a person who carries luggage.
deposit - to place or drop something; expose to place out into the open
pos place, put
for all to see; position - the place where someone is.
posthumous - after someone's death; postpone - to delay something;
post after, behind
postscript - an addition to an already completed document.
earlier, before, in preamble - a part in front of a formal document; prepare - to get ready
pre
front of in advance; prediction - a statement foretelling the future.
before, in front of, prognosis - a prediction of what will happen; prologue - a passage before
pro
for, forward the main part; prophet - a person who foretells the future.
primitive, first, prototype - the first of a kind; proton - on of the very basic parts of an
prot/o
chief atom; protocol - a first draft from which a document is prepared.
pseud/o wrong,false pseudonym - a fictitious name; pseudoscience - theories presumed
without proof of a scientific nature; pseudopregnancy - a false
 pregnancy.
psyche - the human spirit or soul; psychic - relating to the human mind
psych/o mind, mental or someone who has supernatural mental abilities; psychology - the
study of the mind.
pugn/a, pugnacious - having a quarrelsome or aggressive nature; repugnant -
to fight
pung distasteful, offensive or revolting; pungent - piercing.
compulsion - a very strong urge; expulsion - to someone out; impulsive -
pul urge
having a spontaneous urge to do something.
purge - remove anything undesirable; purgatory - according to Roman
purg clean Catholics a place where souls must clean themselves of sin; expurgate -
remove objectionable passages from a publication.
computer - an electronic thinking device; dispute - to disagree with what
put think
another person thinks; input - contribution of one's thinking.
pyrotechnics - the art of making fireworks; pyrometer - a thermometer
pyr/o fire, heat
for measuring high temperature; pyretic - relating to or producing fever.
quadrant - open space with buildings on 4 sides; quadrennium - period of
quad/r/ri four
4 years; quadruped - a 4-footed animal.
quarter - one fourth; quart - a fourth of a gallon; quartet - a musical
quart fourth
composition or group involving 4 voices or instruments.
quintett - a composition for 5 voices or instruments; quintessence - pure
quin/t five, fifth essence, based on the ancient philosophy that there was a fifth element
that was present in all things; quintuple - fivefold.
eradicate - pull out at the roots; radical - fundamental, looking at things
radic,
root from a drastic point of view; radish - an edible root of the mustard
radix
family.
radioactive - emitting radiation; radiologist - someone diagnosing or
radio radiation, ray
treating via radiation.
ramification - the resulting consequence of a decision; ramify - to spread
ram/i branch
or branch out; ramus - a branchlike part.
rebound -to spring back again; rewind - to wind something backward;
again, back,
re reaction: a response; recognize: to identify someone or something seen
backward
before.
regent - a person who rules on behalf of a king or queen; regime - a
reg guide, rule
government that rules; regulate - to apply a rule.
retroactive - relating to something in the past; retrogress - to go back to
retro backward, back
an earlier condition; retrospect - the remembering of past events.
rhinoceros - a species of animals with a big horn on the snout;
rhin/o nose rhinoplasty - surgery of the nose; rhinovirus - viruses that are causing
the common cold.
rhododendron - a flower with red/pink flowers; rhodium - an element
rhod/o red which produces a red solution; rhodopsin - a purple pigment in the retina
that is needed for vision.
deride - to make fun of someone; ridicule - to make fun or mock;
rid laugh
ridiculous - silly, causing laughter.
diarrhea - abnormally excessive bowl movement; hemorrhage - heavy
rrh/ea
flow, discharge blood flow; catarrh - inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially the
/oea/ag
nose and throat.
 ruby - deep red color and a precious stone of the same color; rubella -
rub red
measles; bilirubin - reddish pigment in bile.
bankrupt - unable to pay because you're "broke"; interrupt - to break
rupt break, burst
into a conversation or event, to disturb; rupture - a break in something.
sane - mentally healthy; sanitary - relating to cleanliness and health;
san health
sanitation - maintenance of public health and cleanliness.
ascend - to climb upward; crescendo - a climbing up of the volume of
scend climb, go
music; descend - to go or climb down.
conscience - sense of knowing right from wrong; conscious - knowing
sci know
what is happening; omniscient - knowing everything.
arteriosclerosis - hardening of the arterial walls; multiple sclerosis -
scler/o hard disease which causes the tissue of the brain and spinal cord to harden;
sclerometer - instrument for measuring hardness.
microscope - a device used to see tiny things; periscope - a seeing
see, examine,
scop/e/y instrument on a submarine; telescope - a device used to see over a
observe
distance.
scrib, inscribe - to write letters or words on a surface; scribe - a person who
write, written
script writes out documents; describe - to represent with words or pictures.
secede - to formally break away from; seclude - to keep away from;
se apart
serum - a liquid isolated out of another.
dissect - to cut apart piece by piece; intersection - the place or point
sect cut
where two things cross each other; bisect - to cut into two equal parts.
self-discipline - the ability to discipline yourself; self-respect - respect for
self of, for, or by itself
yourself; selfish concerned only with your own interests.
semiannual - every half year; semicircle - half a circle; semiconscious -
semi half, partial
partly conscious; semiannual - every half of a year.
September - this used to be the seventh month in the Roman calendar;
sept/i seven septet - a group of seven musicians; septuagenarian - a person in his/her
seventies.
conserve - to save or keep something safe; preserve - to save
serv save, keep
something; reservation - a place kept for a person.
sextet or sextette - a composition or group of six, sextuple - sixfold;
sex six
sexagenarian - person in his/her sixties.
desolate - lonely, dismal, gloomy; solitary - done alone, by yourself; solo
sol alone
- a performance done by one person alone.
solar - involving the sun; parasol - umbrella protecting from the sun;
sol sun
solarium - a room where one is exposed to sun light.
insomnia - inability to fall asleep; somniloquy - talking in your sleep;
somn/I sleep
somnolent - feeling sleepy.
consonant - a speech sound; sonorous - producing loud, full, rich sounds;
son sound
supersonic - faster than sound; unison - as one voice.
philosopher - a wise person; sophisticated - wise about the ways of the
soph wise
world; sophism - a clever but misleading argument.
spec/t, circumspect - cautious, looking all around; retrospective - a looking back
see, look
spic at past things; spectator - a person who sees an event.
sphere ball biosphere - the whole round surface of the earth; hemisphere - half the
 earth spherically shaped like a ball.
inspire - to stimulate or animate; transpire - to give of vapor with waste
spir breathe
product through the skin or a membrane; spirit - invisible life force.
stable - standing steady and firm; stagnant - standing still, not moving;
sta stand
stationary - at a standstill, fixed.
constellation - a group of stars that forms a pattern; interstellar -
stell star
between the stars; stellar - relating to stars.
construct - to build; destruction - the act of destroying something that
struct build was built; structure - something built; infrastructure - underlying
framework of a system.
under, lower than, submarine - an underwater boat; submerge - to put underwater;
sub
inferior to substandard - inferior to accepted standards.
sum - the combined total of everything; summation - the total, highest
sum highest
amount; summit the highest point or top.
higher in quality Super bowl - the final annual football game; superior - above average,
super
or quantity better in quality; supersonic - faster than the speed of sound.
sy/m together, with, symmetry -similarity in size, form or arrangement; synergy - the
/n/l/s same combined effect; synchronize - to cause to occur at the same time.
contact - a state in which two things touch; tactile - relating to the sense
tact, tang touch
of touch; tangible - able to be touched; intact - with nothing missing.
syntax - the systematic arrangement of words; taxonomy - the science of
tax/o arrangement
classification; ataxia - loss of the ability to coordinate muscle action.
technology - the practical application of knowledge; technocracy - rule of
techno technique, skill
technology; technologically - characterized by technology.
telephone - a device to talk to a distant person; telescope - a device to
far, distant, view distant objects; television - a device to receive pictures from afar;
tel/e/o
complete telecommuting - working remotely, bridging the distance via virtual
devices.
contemporary - existing at the same time; temporal - relating to time;
temp/or time
temporary - lasting for a limited time.
determine - to find something out at the end of an investigation;
term/ina end, limit
terminate - to end; exterminate - to destroy or get rid of completely.
extraterrestrial - existing outside the earth; terrain - ground or land;
terr/a/i land, earth
territory - an area of land.
tetrapod - having 4 legs; tetrarchy - government by 4 rulers; tetrose - a
tetra four
monosaccharide with four carbon atoms.
monotheism - belief in one god; polytheism - worshiping more than one
the/o god
god; theology - the study of religion, god, etc.
thermal - relating to heat; thermos - an insulated jar that keeps heat in;
therm/o heat
thermostat - a device that controls heat.
contortion - a twisted shape or position; distort - to alter the shape or
tort twist condition of; retort - reply in a manner that is supposed to change the
effect of something previously said.
detoxification - the process of removing poisons; toxic - poisonous;
tox poison
toxicology - the study of poisons; intoxicated - influenced by drugs.
tract pull, drag attract - to pull objects nearer; distract - to drag attention away from
 something; tractor - a motor vehicle that pulls things.
across,beyond, transcontinental - across the continent; transfer - to move from one
trans
through place to another; transport - to carry something across a space.
three, once in
triangle - a figure with 3 sides and 3 angles; triathlon - an athletic
tri every three,
contest with 3 events; tricycle - a 3-wheeI vehicle with pedals.
third
beyond, extreme, ultrahigh - extremely high; ultramodern - more modern than anything
ultra
more than else; ultrasonic - sound waves beyond human hearing.
not,opposite of, unabridged - not shortened; unfair - opposite of fair; unfriendly - lacking
un
lacking friendliness.
unicycle - a vehicle with one wheel; unilateral - decided by only one
uni one, single
person or nation; unique - the only one of its kind; unison - as one voice.
suburb - residential area on the edge of a city; urban - relating to a city;
urb city
urbanology - the study of city life.
evacuate - to empty a dangerous place; vacant - empty, not occupied;
vac empty
vacation - a time without work.
circumvent - to go around or bypass restrictions; convention - a
ven/t come gathering or assembly of people with a common interest; intervene - to
come between.
veracious - truthful, honest; veracity - the truth; verify - to make sure
ver/I truth
that something is true.
verbalize - to put into words; adverb - a word relating to a verb; proverb
verb word
- a short saying that expresses a well-known truth.
reverse - to turn around; introvert - being turned towards the inside;
vers,
turn version - a variation of an original; controversy - a conversation in which
vert
positions are turned against each other.
acting in place of,
vice vice-president - the person next in rank to the president
next in rank
vid see evident clearly seen
vince, convince - to win someone over; invincible - not able to be conquered;
conquer
vic victory - the conquest of an enemy.
vision - the ability to see; envision - to picture in the mind; evident -
vis, vid see
clearly visible.
viv/i revival - the act of bringing back to life; vital - pertaining to live;
live, life
vit vivacious - high-spirited and full of life.
advocate - to speak in favor of; equivocate - to use misleading language
voc/i voice, call that could be interpreted two different ways; vocalize - to produce with
your voice.
benevolent - showing good will and kindness; volition - the act of making
vol/i/u wish, will
a choice or decision, voluntary - resulting from your own free will.
vor, carnivorous - meat-eating; voracious - desiring or eating food in great
eat
vour quantities; devour - to eat quickly.
xenophobic - afraid of foreigners; xenogenesis - the creation of offspring
xen/o foreign that is completely different from either parent; xenophile - attracted to
foreigners.
xer/o/I dry xerophyte - a plant that grows in dry climate; xerography - a dry
 photocopying process; xeric - requiring small amounts of moisture.
zoology - study of animals; zooid - resembling an animal; zooplankton -
zo/o animal life
minute floating aquatic animals.
zygote - a cell formed by the union of two gametes and the organism
zyg/o pair developing from that; zygomorphic - pertaining to organisms that can be
divided into symmetrical halves along one axis only.

GRE Vocabulary Root Words: To

improve your test scores fast
The English language has its roots in several languages, including Greek, Latin, and older forms
of English, German, and French.

Here is a list of the some of the most common root words and their meaning used in GRE tests.
Learning root words will improvde your chance to learn GRE vocabulary fast.

Root Meaning
a/an without, absence of, not
ab/abs from, away, off
acer/acid/acri harsh, bitter, sour
act/ag drive, do, lead, act, move
acu sharp
ad, ac, af, ag, al, an (before
to, toward
consonants)
aev/ev age, era
agog leader
agr field
ap, ar, as, at (before consonants) to, toward
amb, ambul to go, to walk
am love, liking
aler other
alt high, deep
alim support, nourish, cherish
ambi around, on both sides
amph,amphi around, double, on both sides
anthrop mankind, human being
antiqu old, ancient
appell name, call upon
apt,ept skill, ability
ant, anti against, opposite
ant, ante before
annu, anni, enni yearly
anim life, breath, spirit
aqu, aqua water
arch first, chief, rule, superior
arm, arma weapons
art art
astr, aster star
bel, bell war
ben, bon well, good, favorable
bi two, twice, double
bio life
aud, audi, aus bold, daring, listen, hear
aug, aux increase
auto self
be thorougly, over
carn flesh, body
cata down, downward
ced, ceed, cess yield, surrender, move, go
celer swift
cap, capit head
card,cord heart
brev short
cap, capt, cept, cip hold, seize, take
centr center
cent hundred
cern perceive
cert certain
cli, clin, cliv leaning, inclined, sloped
claud, claus, clos, clud, clus shut, close
clemen mild, kind, merciful
clam, claim call out, shout
circu, circum around
cit, citat to call, start
civi citizen
cid, cis cut, kill
chron time, a long time
corp body
cosm universe
cracy, crat government, rule, strength
crea bring forth, create
contra, contro against, opposite
cogni, gno learn, know
cod book
co, col, com, con, cor together, with
cour, cur run, course
crit seperate, judge
cre, cresc, cret, cru rise, grow
cred believe, trust
dec, deca ten
from, down, away, against, thoroughly, intensive,
de
prefix
cycl, cyclo circle, wheel, cycle
cur, cura care
dei, div god
demi partly
dem common people
derm skin
doc, doct teach, prove
don give
dif, dis apart, away, negative, not
dia across, through, between
dic, dict say, speak, pronounce
di two, double
dupl double, two
dur hard, lasting
dyn, dynam power, energy
dys bad, impaired, abnormal
dorm sleep
drom, drome run, step, arena
duc, duct lead, pull
dom, domin master, lord
dog, dox opinion, belief, praise
equ equal
epi upon, over, near
endo within, inside
ecto outside, external
e/ex apart, above, away, beyond, from, out, intensive
ego I, self
erg work
err wander, mistake
eth, ethos character
eu good, well
extra, extro besides, beyond, outside of, more
fin end
fid faith, trust
flex, flect bend
flu, fluct, flux flow
fed league, pact
fer bear, carry
fall, fals deceptive, false, erroneous
fac, fic, fec do, make
gam marriage
geo earth
gen birth, class, descent, race, generate
frac, frag break
fort brave, strong, chance
frat brother
func perform, discharge
gloss, glot language, tongue
grav, griev serious, heavy, hamful
grat pleasing
graph, gram write, draw, record
grad, gress step
homo same, alike
hom, homo, human man, humanity
hydr, hydra, hydro water
getero different, mixed, unlike
herb vegetation
hemo blood
helio sun
gyn woman
greg flock, herd
jac, jact, ject throw, fling
jur, jus, jud swear, law, judge, just
inter among, between, within, mutual
intra, intro into, inward, within
ig, il, im, in, ir not, without, causative prefix
in in, on, upon, not, intensive prefix
hypo beneath, lower, under
hyper above, excessive, over
lect, leg, lig read, choose
leg law
lev light
liber free
library, libr book
liter letter
loc, log, loqu word, speak, talk
lex word
luc, lum, lus light
lud play, game
mcro large, long
magn great
mal bad
mater, matr mother
mega great, large
meta change, at a later time, beyond
meter, metr measure
mar, mari sea
mania obsession
mand order
man hand
mon, monit warn
mono one, single
mob, mot, mov move
mis hatred, bad, improper, wrong
miss, mit move, send
micro small
min small
mori, mort death
morph form, shape
multi many
mut change
nas, nat birth, be from, spring forth
nav ship
nec, nic, noc, nox kill, death, harm
necro dead corpse
neg no
neo new, recent
neur nerve
neut, neutr not either
noct, nox night
nom, nomen, nym name
non not
nov new
num number
ob, oc, of, op against
oper work
opti, opto eye, vision
omni all, every
olig few, little
pan all, every
par equal
para beyond, related, alongside
pas, path feeling, disease, suffering
pac peace
os, oss, ost, osteo bone
pal, paleo ancient
ortho straight, correct
pater, patr father
ped child
ped, pod foot
pel, puls drive, urge
per through, completely
phon sound, voice
phose, phot light
phys, physio nature
pict panit
phobos fear
pet seek, request, assail
phil love, fondness, preference
peri around, near
popul the people
port carry, gate
post after, behind
pre before, earlier
poly many
pon, pos put, place
poli city, state, citizen
plac please
prehend, prehens seize, grasp
prim before, first
pro in favor of
proto first, earliest
quer, ques, quir, quis ask, seek
re back again, repeat
rect straight
rect, reg, regn rule, govern
pub the public
punct point, prick
put, putat think, calculate
psych mind
pseudo false
scrib, script write
se away, apart
scop examine, observe, watch
sci know
rid, ris laugh
rog, rogat ask
sacr, sanct sacred, holy
retro backward
sec, sect, segm cut
secu, sequ follow
semi half, partly
sens, sent feel, be aware
somn sleep
soph wise, skillful, shrewd
solv, solu free, loosen, dissolve
sol sun
spec, spect, spic see, look at
spir breath, energy, animation
stas, stat stand, being in a place, position
strict, string tight, drawn together
struct build
tele distance, far
tempor time
ten, tain hold
tend, tens, tent stretch, strive
tact, tang touch
syl, sym, syn, sys together, with
super, sur over, above
sub, suc, suf, sug, sup, sus below, under, less
term end, limit
terr land, the earth
terti third
the, thei, theo god
tom, tome, tomy cut, section
therm, thermo warm, hot
therap attend, treat
top, topo place, region
tors, tort, torqu twist, turn
tract drag, pull
tran, trans across, throught
trem, tremu tremble, shake
turb spinning, confusion, disturbance
typ, type type
ultra beyond, excessive, on the other side of
un not, reverse, undo, remove, intensive prefix
uni one
urb city
us, ut use, useful
vac, vaca, vacu empty
veh, vect carry
ven, vent come
ver, verc, veri true
verb word
vers, vert turn, change
via way, road
vict, vinc, vanq conquer
vid, vis see, look
vir man
vit life
viv, viva alive, lively, animated
voc, voke call
vol, voli wish, choice
volv, volu roll, turn
vor, vorac devour, greedy
xen, xeno stranger, foreigner
zo, zoo animal

Read more: http://learnwordlist.com/grevocabulary/gre-vocabulary-root-words-to-improve-your-test-scores-

fast/2009/03/23/high-score-word-gre-test-list-free#ixzz0rGWlWKrD

Parts Of Speech
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Noun

How to recognize a Noun?

A noun could be anything .Kindly have a look on following words: Peter, pen, jars, pain, trouble,
information .These all words are nouns. To find out the noun examine the sentence thoroughly,
and do psychoanalysis for each word whether it is a place, person or thing,

Do remember:

• Articles should not be use before material nouns.

• Singular countable noun must be accompanied by an article.
• Nouns such as mathematics, rupees, news required a singular verb.

Verb

How to recognize a Verb?

Generally, verbs connect subject to the main verb or denote some action. eg. is, are, am, play,
read, write. To find out the verb examine the each word of the sentence thoroughly and ask
yourself whether it is denoting some action or joining subject with the main verb.

Do remember:

• Verb should always be use according to the subject.

Pronoun

How To recognize a Pronoun?

Generally, pronoun works in two ways in a sentence either as a subject or used in a possessive
form. Eg. i , he ,we, they, you as subject my, his, our, their , your in possessive form . Pronouns
are also used in reflexive (word ‘self ‘ joined) and distributive (each, either..) form. To identify
pronoun look for words: he, she, it, oneself, its, each.. in sentence. All these pronouns have their
predefine conventions and should be use accordingly.

Do remember:

• Make sure that you have applied the correct pronoun gender (he, she).
• Make sure that you have put right number (singular or plural).

Adjective

How to recognize an adjective?

Adjective modifies a noun or pronoun .An adjective could be a noun or gerund or past participle
form of a verb. To find out an adjective look for words in a sentence which describe the noun or
pronoun.

Do remember:

We usually use no more than three adjectives to describe a noun.

Adverb

How to recognize an adverb?

Adverbs are words, which modify the verb/adverb/preposition/ conjunctions . We generally form
the adverb by adding ‘ly’ in the verb. To find out adverb pay attention on ‘ly’ words.

Do remember:

Words like: Enough, well, never, always are also adverbs.

Prepositions

How to recognize a preposition?

Prepositions are used to establish relationship of a noun or a noun equivalent to some other
words in the sentence. There is no fix rule to apply preposition. One preposition might have
several meanings depending on the situation. Have a look on following words: on, upon, under,
at, into are all prepositions.

Do remember:

Try to avoid ending of the sentence with a preposition.

Conjunction

How to recognize a Conjunction?

A conjunction is a word that connects phrases, clauses or sentences. To recognize conjunctions
look for following words: but, or, yet, for, nor, so, although, because, whereas, till, whether. Bear
in mind that all these conjunctions have their separate rules to implement in a sentence.

Do remember:

There is a belief that it is not correct to begin a sentence with ‘but’, ‘and’. But this prohibition has
been ignored by many standard authors. It is perfectly alright to start a sentence with these
words.

How to recognize an Interjection

An interjection is a word that express a strong emotion in a sentence .Interjections are usually
splited by some punctuation mark like an exclamation point (!) or a comma (,).This is an
identification of interjections.

Do remember:

We use a comma when the emotion isn’t really strong.

Above piece of writing is an endeavor to make identifying parts of speech easier. Here, I have
focused on identifying the part of speech rather than illustrating the part of speech. You are
welcome to post your query, comment or suggestion beneath this blog.

Wishing you all success!

Regards,

Shipra Srivatava
Team learnwordlist.com

Read more: http://learnwordlist.com/blog/parts-of-speech/2010/06/gre-word-list-test-blog-barrons-

vocabulary#ixzz0rJvJLxgv