How to learn word formation

Verb Roots from Latin and Greek

A root word is the basic liguistic unit of a word, the form of a word after all affixes are removed. Also known as the "stem word" -- e.g. "import" has a root word "port", sleepwalking has the root word "walk".

In the table, 'fr.' means 'from'.

Root	Meaning	Example
aer	air	aerate, aeroplane
am (fr. amare)	love	amorous, amateur, amiable
ann (fr. annus)	year	annual, anniversary
aud, (fr. audire)	hear	auditorium, audit
bio	life	biography
cap (fr. capire)	take	captive
cap (fr. caput)	head	capital, per capita, decapitate
chron	time	chronology, chronic
cor	heart	cordial
corp	body	corporation
de	god	deify, diety
dic, diet	say, speak	dictate
duc, (fr. ducere)	lead	aqueduct, duke, ductile
ego	I	egotism
equi	equal	equidistant
fac, fic, (fr. facere)	make, do	manufacture, efficient
frat	brother	fraternity
geo	earth	geology
graph	write	calligraphy, graphology, telegraph
loc (fr. locus)	place	location, local
loqu, loc (fr. loqui)	speak	eloquence, circumlocution
luc, (fr. lux)	light	elucidate
man (fr. manus)	hand	manuscript, manipulate
mit, miss (fr. mittere)	send	admit, permission
mort. (fr. mors)	death	immortal
omni	all	omnipotent, omnibus
pat (fr. pater) father	paternal, suffering, feeling	sympathy, pathology
ped, (fr. pes)	foot	impede, millipede, pedal
photo	light	photography
phobia, phobe	fear	hydrophobe, xenophobia
pneum	air, breath, spirit	pneumonia
pos, posit	place	deposit, position
pot, poss, poten (fr. ponerte)	be able	potential, possible
quaerere	ask, question, seek	inquiry, query
rog. (fr. rogare)	ask	interrogate
scrib, scrip, (fr. scribere)	write	scribble, script, inscribe
sent, sens, (fr. sentire)	feel	sensitive, sentient
sol	alone	soloist, isolate
soph	wise	philosopher
spect, (fr. spicere)	look	introspective, inspect
spir, spirate)	breathe	inspiration
therm, (fr. thermos)	warm	thermometer
ten, (fr. tendere)	stretch	extend, tense
ten, (fr. tenere)	hold	tenant
utilis	useful	utility
ven, vent (fr. venire)	come, arrive	advent, convenient
vert, vers, (fr. vertere)	turn	revert, adverse
vid, vis (fr. videre)	see	supervisor, vision, provident

Verb Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Example
a-, an- (G)	without, not	anaeorobic
ab-, abs- (L)	away, from, apart	absent
ad-, ac-, af (L)	to, towards	advent, advance
aero-	air	aeroplane, acronaut
amb-, ambi- (G)	both, around	ambiguous
amphi- (G)	both, around	amphitheatre
ante- (L)	before	antenatal
anti- (G)	against	antidote, antitoxic
apo-	away from	apostasy
arch- (G)	chief, most important	archbishop, archcriminal
auto- (G)	self	automatic, autocrat
be-	about, make	belittle, beguile, beset
bene- (L)	well, good	benefactor
bi- (G)	two	biennial, bicycle
centi-, cente- (L)	hundred	centigrade, centenary
circum- (L)	around	circumference, circumambient
co, coll, com-, cor-	together	companion
con-, (L)	with,	collect, co-operate
contra- (L)	against, counter	contradict, contraceptive
de- (F)	down	denude, decentralise
deca-, deci (G)	ten	decade, decagon
demi- (L)	half	demigod
dia-(G)	through, between	diameter
dis- (L)	not, opposite to	dislike, disagree
duo- (G)	two	duologue, duplex
dys-	bad, difficult, ill, hard	dysfunction
e-, ex-	out of	exhale, excavate
ec- (L)	out of	eccentric
en-in-, em-, im-, (L; G) (F)	into, not	enrage, inability, embolden, emulate, impress
equi-	equally	equipoise
epi- (G)	upon, at, in addition, besides, attached to, over, outer, after	epidemic, epidermis
extra- (L)	outside, beyond	extra-terrestrial
for-, fore- (E)	before	foresee
hemi- (G)	half	hemisphere
homo- (L)	same	homonym
hyper- (G)	above, beyond, excessively, excessive	hyperintelligent, hyperfunction
il- (im-, ir-)	not, non-	illogical
in, im, (un) (L, G, F)	not	imperfect, inaccessible
inter- (L)	among, between	interrupt, interstellar
intra-, intro- (L)	in, into, inward, within, during, between layers of (inside)	intramural, introjection, introvert
iso (G)	equal, same,	isobaric, isosceles
mal- (L)	bad, badly, abnormal(lly), inadequate(ly)	malfunction, malformed, malnourished
meta- (G)	after, beyond, more comprehensive, transcending, more highly organized, change (etc)	metabolism, metaphysical, metastudy, metastasis
mis-	wrongly	misfit, mislead
mono (G)	one, single, alone	monody, monophonic, monocular
multi- (L)	many	multipurpose, multimillion
non-	not	nonsense, nonpareil
ob-, oc-, of-, op (L)	in the way, against , opposite, in the way of resistance	object, obstacle, opposite,
over-	above,	overhear, overcharge
para- (G)	aside, beyond	parable, paradox
per- (L)	through, throughout, thoroughly	peruse, perennial, peradventure
peri- (G)	around, about	perimeter, pericardium
poly- (G)	many	polygamy, polytechnic
post- (L)	after	postscript, postnatal, P.M (post meridiam, i.e., after noon)
pre- (L)	before	prehistoric, pre-war
prime-, primo- (L)	first, important, of highest authority, of the highest grade, primary	primary, Prime-Minister
pro- (L)	in front of, favouring, before, earlier than, prior to, rudimentary, forward, front, in front of	professor, prologue
quadri- (L)	four	quaddennial, quadrangi
re- (L)	again, back	reappear, recivilise
retro- (L)	backward	retrograde, re
se-	aside	secede
self-	oneself, itself, of oneself or itself, by oneself or itself (etc)	self-knowledge, self-adjustment
semi- (G)	half	semicircle, semidetached
sub- (L)	under	submarine, subterranean
super- (L)	above, over	superfluous, superior
syl-	with, together	syllogism
syn-, sym (G)	together	sympathy, synchronise
tele- (G)	far, far off, distant	telegram, telepathy
ter- (L)	three times	tercentenary
tetra- (G)	four	tetrahedron, tetralogy
trans- (L)	across, through	transatlantic, translate
tri- (L; G)	three	triangle, tripartite
ultra- (L)	beyond (in space, range, limits, what's ordinary etc.)	ultramarine, ultra-violet
un- (im) (L, G, F)	not	unbroken, unbotton, unable
under-	below	underfed, underling
uni- (L)	one	unicellular, uniform
vice- (L)	in place of	viceroy, Vice-President

Verb Suffixes

A suffix is a unit (it may be just one letter too) you add to the end of another word or root so as to alter its meaning or create a new word. Usually, suffixes can't stand on their own as words. Knowledge of suffixes tends to help the student. On this page you find suffixes employed in common English.

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-able, -ible (L)	able of, fit for	durable, comprehensible
-acy (L; G)	state or quality of	accuracy
-age (L)	action or state of	breakage
-al, ial (L)	relating to	abdominal
-an (ane, ian) (L)	the nature of	Grecian, African
-ance, ence	quality or action of	insurance, corpulence
-ant (L)	forming adjectives of quality, nouns, signifying a personal agent or something producing an effect	defiant, servant
-stable (L)	See -able, -ible
-arium, -orium (L)	place for	aquarium, auditorium
-ary (L)	place for, dealing with	seminary, dictionary
-ate (L)	cause to be, office of	animate, magistrate
-ation, -ition (L)	action or state of	condition, dilapidation
-cle, -icle (L)	diminutive	icicle
-dom (E)	condition or control	kingdom
-en (E)	small	mitten
-en (E)	quality	golden, broken
-er (E)	belonging to	farmer, New Yorker
-ess (E)	feminine suffix	hostess waitress
-et, -ette (L)	small	puppet, marionette
-ferous (L)	producing	coniferous
-ful (E)	full of	colourful, beautiful
-fy, -ify (L)	make	satisfy, fortify
-hood (E)	state or condition of	boyhood, childhood
-ian (L)	practitioners or inhabitants	musician, Parisian
-ion (L)	condition or action of	persuasion
-ic (G)	relating to	historic
-id(e) (L)	a quality	acid
-ine (G; L)	a compound	chlorine
-is (L)	names of classes, names of places	bacteria, America
-ish (E)	a similarity or relationships	peevish, childish, greenish
-ism (G)	quality or doctrine of	realism, socialism
-itis (L)	inflammation of (medical)	bronchitis
-ist (G)	one who practices	chemist, pessimist
-ity, -ety, ty (L)	state or quality of	loyalty
-ive (L)	nature of	creative, receptive
-ize, -ise (G)	make, practise, act like	modernize, advertise
-less (E)	lacking	fearless, faceless
-logy (G)	indicating a branch of knowledge	biology, psychology
-lent (L)	fulness	violent
-ly (E)	having the quality of	softly, quickly
-ment (L)	act or condition of	resentment
-metry, -meter (G)	measurement	gasometer, geometry
-mony	resulting condition	testimony
-oid (G)	resembling	ovoid
-or	a state or action, a person who, or thing	error, governor, victor, generator
-ous, -ose (L)	full of	murderous, anxious, officious, morose
- osis	process or condition of	metamorphosis
-some	like	gladsome
-tude (L)	quality or degree of	altitude, gratitude
-ward (E)	direction	backward, outward
-y (E)	condition	difficulty