What's in a Name?
Latin and Greek Word Roots
ROOT MEANING ROOT MEANING
a, an (GK) not, without makros (GK) large
abyss (GK) deep, bottomless mar sea
ad (L) to. attached to marsupium (L) pouch
aequus (L) equal meare (L) to glide
aeros (GK) air megas (GK) large
alveolus(L) small pit melas(GK) black, dark
ammon (L) ram (horn) meristos (GK) divided
amnos (GK) lamb mesos (GK) middle
amoibe (GK) change meta (GK) after, following
amphi (GK) both, about, around meter(GK) a measurement
ana (L) away, onward mikros, micro (GK) small
andro (GK) male moll (L) soft
anggeion, anglo(GK) vessel, container monos (GK) single
anthos (GK) flower morphe (GK) form
anti (GK) against, away, opposite mors, mort(L) death
aqua(L) water mucus(L) mucus, slime
archaios, archeo (GK) ancient, primitive multus (L) many
arthron (GK) joint, jointed mutare (L) to change
artios (GK) even mys (GK) muscle
aster (GK) star
nema (GK) thread
bath (GK) deep, high neos (GK) new
benth depth of sea nerit (GK) sea mussel
bi, bis (L) two, twice nimb (L) new
binarius (L) pair noct (L) night
bios (GK) life nodus (L) knot, knob
brachio (GK) arm non (L) not
bursa(L) purse, bag
oceano (L) sea
oikos, eco (GK) household
oisein, eso (GK) to carry
capillus (L) hair oligos (GK) few, little
cam (L) flesh omnis (L) all
carno (L) flesh organ (L) tool
chephla (GK) head ornis (GK) bird
cervix (L) neck orthos (GK) straight
cetus (L) whale osculum (L) small mouth
chaite, chaet (GK) vristle ostrakon (GK) shell
cheir (GK) hand oura, ura (GK) tall
chele (GK) claw ous, oto (GK) ear
chorda (L) cord ovum (L) egg
chorion (GK) skin
chroma, chrom (GK) time paleo (GK) ancient
cide (L) kill pan (GK) all
circa (L) about para (GK) beside
clinc (L) bend, slope pausere (L) to rest
con (L) with pendere (L) to hang
coron (L) crown per (L) through
cum, col, com, con (L) with, together peri (GK) around
cuticula (L) thin skin periodos(GK) a cycle
cycl (L) wheel, circle pes, pedis (L) foot
petra (L) rock
daktylos (GK) finger phagein (GK) to eat
de (L) away, from phainein (GK) to show
decidere (L) to fall down pherein, phor (GK) to carry
dens (L) tooth phylon (GK) related group
derma (GK) skin pinax (G) tablet
deterere (L) loose material pinna (L) feather
dia, di (GK) through, apart platys (GK) flat
diploos (GGK) twofold, double pleuron (GK) side
dis, di (GK) twice, two polys, poly (GK) many
dis, di (L) apart, away poros (GK) channel
dium (L) daily, daytime post (L) after
dormire(L) to sleep pous, pod (GK) foot
drom (GK) running, racing prae, pre (L) before
du (L) two, double primus (L) first
ducere(L) to lead pro (GK and L) before, for
dynamo (GK) power protos (GK) first
pseudes (GK) se
ella (GK) small psyche (GK) mind
endon, en,endo (GK) within pteron (GK) wing
eo (GK) early punctus (L) a point
epi (GK) upon, above pyr (GK) ire
erythros (GK) red
eu (GK) well, true, good radius(L) ray
evolutus (L) rolled out re(L) again
ex, e (L) out reflectere (L) to turn back
exo (GK) out, outside rota (L) wheel
extra (L) outside rumpere (L) to break
ferre (L) to bear sapros (GK) rotten
fibrilla (L) small fiber sarx (GK) flesh
follis (L) bag scire (L) to know
fossilis (L) dug up scribere, script (L) to write
scop (GK) see
gaea (GK) earth sedere, ses (L) to sit
genesis (L) origin, birth semi (L) half
genos, gen, geny (GK) race skopein, scop (GK) to look
gestare (L) to bear soma (GK) body
globus (L) sphere spirare (L) to breathe
gloss (GK) tongue stasis (GK) standing, staying
gnathos (GK) jaw sternon (GK) chest
graphos (GK) written stice (L) stop
gravis (L) heavy strato (L) layer, covering
gymnos (GK) naked, bare sub (L) under
super (L) over
haima, emia (GK) blood syn (GK) together
halo (GK) salt
haploos (GK) simple taxis, taxo (GK) to arrange
haurire (L) to drink tela (GK) far
helio (L) sun telos (GK) end
helix (L) spiral terra (L) land, Earth
hemi (GK) half thele (GK) cover a surface
heteros (GK) other therme (GK) heat
hierarches (GK) rank trachia (GK) windpipe
holos (GK) whole trans (L) across
homos (GK) same, alike trematodes (GK) having holes
hydor, hydro (GK) water trope (GK) turn
hyper (GK) over, above trophe (GK) nourishment
hyphe (GK) web turbo (L) whirl, disturbed
hypo (GK) under, below typos (GK) model
ichthys (GK) fish umbr (L) shade
in (L) not, into, on uni (L) one
instinctus (L) impulse urs (L) bear
insula (L) island
inter (L) between vac (L) empty
intra (L) within, inside venter (L) belly
isos (GK) equal ventus (L) a wind
ite (GK) object, organism vergere (L) to slant, incline
villus (L) shaggy hair
ject (L) throw, hurl virus (L) poisonous liquid
jugare (L) join together vorare (L) to devour
vort (L) rotating, whirling
kata, cata (GK) breakdown
kephale, ceph (GK) head xeros(GK) dry
keras (GK) horn
kinein (GK) to move zephyr (GK) westwind
kotyl, cotyl (GK) cup zoon, zo (GK) animal
kreas (GK) flesh zon (GK) belt, zone
kystis, cyst (GK) bladder, sac zygotos (GK) joined together
kytos, cyt (GK) hollow, cell
lab(L) work
lapi (L) stone
lazul blue
leukos (GK) white
libra (L) balance
lob (GK) segment, section
logos, logy (GK) study, work
luminescere (L) to grow light
luteus (L) orange-yellow
lyein, lysis (GK) to split, loosen
lympha (L) water