Latin and Greek Roots

 
 

BASE

MEANING

ORIGIN

act

to act

Latin

acu, acr, ac

needle

Latin

alt

high

Latin

anima, anim

life, mind

Latin

ann, enn

year

Latin

anthrop

man

Greek

aqua

water

Latin

arch, archi

govern, rule

Greek

arm

army, weapon

Latin

arbitr, arbiter

to judge, consider

Latin

art

craft, skill

Latin

arthr, art

segment, joint

Greek

aud

to hear

Latin

bell

war

Latin

biblio, bibl

book

Greek

bio

life

Greek

capit, cipit

head

Latin

caus

cause, case, lawsuit

Latin

cede

to go, yield

Latin

cele

honor

Latin

cell

to rise, project

Latin

cent

one hundred

Latin

cept, capt, cip, cap, ceive, ceipt

to take, hold, grasp

Latin

cert

sure, to trust

Latin

cess, ced

to move, withdraw

Latin

cid, cis

to cut off, be breif, to kill

Latin

circ, circum

around

Latin

civ

citizen

Latin

claud

close, shut, block

Latin

clin

to lean, lie, bend

Latin

cog

to know

Latin

column

a column

Latin

comput

to compute

Latin

cont

to join, unite

Latin

cor, cord, cour, card

heart

Latin

corp

body

Latin

cosm

world, order, universe

Greek

crac, crat

rule, govern

Greek

cred

believe, trust

Latin

crit, cris

separate, discern, judge

Latin

culp

fault, blame

Latin

curs, curr, corr

to run

Latin

custom

one's own

Latin

dem

people

Greek

dent, odon

tooth

Latin

derm

skin

Greek

dic, dict

to say, to speak, assert

Latin

duct, duc

to lead, draw

Latin

dur

to harden, hold out

Latin

BASE

MEANING

ORIGIN

ego

I

Latin

ethn

nation

Greek

equ

equal, fair

Latin

fac, fic, fect, fact

to make, to do

Latin

famil

family

Latin

fen

to strike

Latin

fer

to carry, bear, bring

Latin

fid

trust, faith

Latin

fin

to end

Latin

flu

to flow

Latin

form

shape, form

Latin

fort

chance, luck, strong

Latin

frig

cool

Latin

fum

smoke, scent

Latin

gam

marriage

Greek

gen

race, family, kind

Latin

geo

earth

Greek

gno, kno

to know

Greek

grad, gred, gress

step, degree, rank

Latin

graph, gram

write, draw, describe, record

Greek

grat

pleasure, thankful, goodwill, joy

Latin

grav, griev, grief

heavy

Latin

gymn

naked

Greek

hab

to have, hold, dwell

Latin

hom

man, human

Latin

hosp

guest, host

Latin

host

enemy, stranger

Latin

hydro

water

Greek

hygiene

the art of health

Greek

hypno

sleep

Greek

init

to begin, enter upon

Latin

jur, jus, jud

law, right

Latin

juven

young

Latin

labor, lab

work

Latin

lat

lateral, side, wide

Latin

laud

praise

Latin

leg, lig

law, to chose, perceive, understand

Latin

lev

to make light, raise, lift

Latin

liber, liver

free

Latin

lingu, langu

tounge

Latin

lith

stone

Greek

loc

place

Latin

locu, loqu

word, speak

Latin

log

idea, word, speech, reason, study

Greek

luc, lum

light

Latin

man

hand

Latin

mar

sea

Latin

med, medi

middle

Latin

medic

physician, to heal

Latin

memor

mindful

Latin

men, min, mon

to think, remind, advise, warn

Latin

ment

mind

Latin

meter, metr

measure

Greek

migr

to move, travel

Latin

mim

copy, imitate

Greek

mit, mis

to send

Latin

mor

fool, manner, custom

Greek

morph

form

Greek

mort

death

Latin

mov, mob, mot

to move

Latin

mus

little mouse

Latin

mut

change, exchange

Latin

necess

unavoidable

Latin

neur, nerv

nerve

Greek

noc, nox

night, harm

Latin

nomen, nomin

name

Latin

null, nihil, nil

nothing, void

Latin

nym, onym, onom

name

Greek

opt

eye

Greek

ord, ordin

order

Latin

ortho

straight

Greek

par, pair

arrange, prepare, get ready, set

Latin

part, pars

portion, part

Latin

ped, pes

foot

Latin

pend, pond, pens

to weigh, pay, consider

Latin

phe, fa, fe

speak, spoken about

Greek

phil

love

Greek

phon

sound, voice

Greek

photo

light

Greek

pler

to fill

Latin

plic

to fold

Latin

plur, plus

more

Latin

pneu

breath

Greek

polis, polit

citizen, city, state

Greek

port

to carry

Latin

pos

to place, put

Latin

pot

powerfull

Latin

prim, prin

first

Latin

priv

seperate

Latin

prob

to prove, test

Latin

psych

mind, soul, spirit

Greek

pyr

fire

Greek

reg, rig, rect, reign

government, rule, right, straight

Latin

respond

to answer

Latin

rupt

break, burst

Latin

sacr, secr, sacer

sacred

Latin

sat

to please

Latin

sci

to know

Latin

scope

to see

Greek

scrib, script

to write

Latin

sed, sid, sess

to sit, to settle

Latin

sent, sens

to feel

Latin

sequ, secut

to follow, sequence

Latin

simil, simul, sembl

together, likeness, pretense

Latin

sol, soli

alone, lonely

Latin

solus

to comfort, to console

Latin

somn

sleep

Latin

son

sound

Latin

soph

wise

Greek

spec, spect, spic

to look at, behold

Latin

spond, spons

to pledge, promise

Latin

tac, tic

silent

Latin

techn

art, skill

Greek

temp

time

Latin

ten, tain, tent

to hold

Latin

tend, tens

to give heed, stretch toward

Latin

term

boundary, limit

Latin

test

to witness, affirm

Latin

the, them, thet

to place, put

Greek

theatr

to see, view

Greek

theo

god

Greek

topo

place

Greek

tract

to pull, draw

Latin

trib

to allot, give

Latin

vac

empty

Latin

ven

to come

Latin

ver

truth

Latin

vers, vert

to turn

Latin

vest

to adorn

Latin

vestig

to track

Latin

via

way, road

Latin

vir

manliness, worth

Latin

vis, vid

to see, to look

Latin

viv, vit

life

Latin

voc, vok

voice, call

Latin