Scientific Root Words, prefixes and suffixes
a-; an- not; without;lacking;deficient
ab- away from; out from
-able capable of
ac- to; toward
-aceous of or pertaining to
acou-; acous- hear
ad- to; toward
aden- gland
adip- fat
aero- air
agri- field; soil
-al having the character of
alb- white
alg-; -algia pain
alto- high
ambi- both
ameb- change; alternation
amni- fetal membrane
amphi-; ampho- both
amyl- starch
ana- up; back; again
andro- man; masculine
anemo- wind
ang- choke; feel pain
angi- blood vessel; duct
ante- before; ahead of time
anter- front
antho- flower
anti- against; opposite
anthropo- man; human
-ap-; -aph- touch
apo-; ap- away from
aqu- water
archaeo- primitive; ancient
-ary; -arium denotes a place for something
arteri- artery
arthr- joint; articulation
-ase forms names of enzymes
aster-; astr- star
-ate verb form - the act of...
ather- fatty deposit
-ation noun form - the act of...
atmo- vapor
audi- hear
aur- ear
auto- self
bacter-; bactr- bacterium; stick; club
barb- beard
baro- weight
bath- depth; height
bene- well; good
bi- (Latin) two; twice
bi-; bio- (Greek) life; living
-blast- sprout; germ; bud
brachi- arm
brachy- short
brady- slow
branchi- fin
brev- short
bronch- windpipe
cac- bad
calor- heat
capill- hair
capit- head
carcin- cancer
cardi- heart
carn- meat; flesh
carp- fruit
carpal- wrist
cata- breakdown; downward
caud- tail
-cell- chamber; small room
cen-; -cene now; recent
cente- pierce
centi- hundredth
centr- center
cephal- head
cerat- horn
cerebr- brain
cervic- neck
chel- claw
chem- dealing with chemicals
chir- hand
chlor- green
chondr- cartilage
chrom-; -chrome color
chron- time
-chym- juice
-cid-; -cis- cut; kill; fall
circa-; circum- around; about
cirru- hairlike curls
co- with; together
cocc- seed; berry
coel- hollow
coll- glue
coni- cone
contra- against
corp- body
cort-; cortic- outer layer
cosmo- world; order; form
cotyl- cup
counter- against
crani- skull
cresc-; cret- begin to grow
crypt- hidden; covered
-cul-; -cule small; diminutive
cumul- heaped
cuti- skin
cyan- blue
-cycle; cycl- ring; circle
-cyst- sac; pouch; bladder
cyt-; -cyte cell; hollow container
dactyl- finger
de- away from; down
deca- ten
deci- tenth
deliquesc- become fluid
demi- half
dendr- tree
dent- tooth
derm- skin
di-; dipl- (Latin) two; double
di-; dia- (Greek) through; across; apart
dia- (Latin) day
digit- finger; toe
din- terrible
dis- apart; out
dorm- sleep
dors- back
du-; duo- two
-duct lead
dynam- power
dys- bad; abnormal; difficult
ec- out of; away from
echin- spiny; prickly
eco- house
ecto- outside of
-elle small
-emia blood
en-; endo-; ent- in; into; within
-en made of
encephal- brain
enter- intestine; gut
entom- insects
-eous nature of; like
epi- upon; above; over
-err- wander; go astray
erythro- red
-escent becoming
eso- inward; within; inner
eu- well; good; true; normal
eury- widen
ex- out of; away from
extra- beyond; outside
-fer- bear; carry; produce
ferro- iron
fibr- fiber; thread
-fid; fiss- split; divided into
-flect; -flex bend
flor- flower
flu-; fluct-; flux flow
foli- leaf
fract- break
-gam- marriage
gastr- stomach
geo- land; earth
-gen; -gine producer; former
-gene- origin; birth
-gest- carry; produce; bear
-glen- eyeball
-glob- ball; round
gloss- tongue
gluc-; glyc- sweet; sugar
glut- buttock
gnath- jaw
-gon angle; corner
-grad- step
-gram; graph record; writing
grav- heavy
-gross- thick
gymno- naked; bare
gyn- female
gyr- ring; circle; spiral
-hal-; -hale breathe; breath
halo- salt
hapl- simple
hecto- hundred
-helminth- worm
hem- blood
hemi- half
hepar-; hepat- liver
herb- grass; plants
hetero- different; other
hex- six
hibern- winter
hidr- sweat
hipp- horse
hist- tissue
holo- entire; whole
homo- (Latin) man; human
homo- (Greek) same; alike
hort- garden
hydr- water
hygr- moist; wet
hyper- above; beyond; over
hyph- weaving; web
hypno- sleep
hypo- below; under; less
hyster- womb; uterus
-iac person afflicted with disease
-iasis disease; abnormal condition
-ic (adjective former)
ichthy- fish
ign- fire
in-; il-; im-; ir- not
in-; il-; im-; ir- to; toward; into
in- very; thoroughly
-ine of or pertaining to
infra- below; beneath
inter- between
intra- within; inside
-ism a state or condition
iso- equal; same
-ist person who deals with...
-itis inflammation; disease
-ium refers to a part of the body
-kary- cell nucleus
kel- tumor; swelling
kerat- horn
kilo- thousand
kine- move
lachry- tear
lact- milk
lat- side
leio- smooth
-less without
leuc-; leuk- white; bright; light
lign- wood
lin- line
lingu- tongue
lip- fat
lith-; -lite stone; petrifying
loc- place
-log- word; speech
-logist one who studies...
-logy study of...
lumin- light
-lys-; -lyt-; -lyst decompose; split; dissolve
macr- large
malac- soft
malle- hammer
mamm- breast
marg- border; edge
mast- breast
med- middle
meg- million; great
mela-; melan- black; dark
-mer part
mes- middle; half; intermediate
met-; meta- between; along; after
-meter; -metry measurement
micro- small; millionth
milli- thousandth
mis- wrong; incorrect
mito- thread
mole- mass
mono- one; single
mort- death
-mot- move
morph- shape; form
multi- many
mut- change
my- muscle
myc- fungus
mycel- threadlike
myria- many
moll- soft
nas- nose
necr- corpse; dead
nemat- thread
neo- new; recent
nephro- kidney
-ner- moist; liquid
neur- nerve
noct-; nox- night
-node knot
-nom-; -nomy ordered knowledge; law
non- not
not- back
nuc- center
ob- against
ocul- eye
oct- eight
odont- tooth
-oid form; appearance
olf- smell
oligo- few; little
-oma abnormal condition; tumor
omni- all
onc- mass; tumor
oo- egg
opthalm- eye
opt- eye
orb- circle; round; ring
-orium; -ory place for something
ornith- bird
orth- straight; correct; right
oscu- mouth
-osis abnormal condition
oste- bone
oto- ear
-ous full of
ov- egg
oxy- sharp; acid; oxygen
pachy- thick
paleo- old; ancient
palm- broad; flat
pan- all
par-; para- beside; near; equal
path-; -pathy disease; suffering
-ped- foot
-ped- child
pent- five
per- through
peri- around
permea- pass; go
phag- eat
pheno- show
-phil- loving; fond of
phon-; -phone sound
-phore; pher- bear; carry
photo- light
phren- mind; diaphragm
phyc- seaweed; algae
phyl- related group
-phyll leaf
physi- nature; natural qualities
phyt-; -phyte plant
pino- drink
pinni- feather
plan- roaming; wandering
plasm-; -plast- form; formed into
platy- flat
pleur- lung; rib; side
pneumo- lungs; air
-pod foot
poly- many; several
por- opening
port- carry
post- after; behind
pom- fruit
pre- before; ahead of time
prim- first
pro- forward; favoring; before
proto- first; primary
pseudo- false; deceptive
psych- mind
pter- having wings or fins
pulmo- lung
puls- drive; push
pyr- heat; fire
quadr- four
quin- five
radi- ray
re- again; back
rect- right; correct
ren- kidney
ret- net; made like a net
rhag-; -rrhage burst forth
rhe-; -rrhea flow
rhin- nose
rhiz- root
rhodo- rose
roto- wheel
rubr- red
sacchar- sugar
sapr- rotten
sarc- flesh
saur- lizard
schis-; schiz- split; divide
sci- know
scler- hard
-scop- look; device for seeing
-scribe; -script write
semi- half; partly
sept- partition; seven
-septic infection; putrefaction
sess- sit
sex- six
-sis condition; state
sol- sun
solv- loosen; free
som-; somat-; -some body
somn- sleep
son- sound
spec-; spic- look at
-sperm- seed
-spher- ball; round
spir-; -spire breathe
-spor- seed
stat-; -stasis standing; placed; staying
stell- stars
sten- narrow
stern- chest; breast
stom-; -stome mouth
strat- layer
stereo- solid; 3-dimensional
strict- drawn tight
styl- pillar
sub- under; below
super-; sur- over; above; on top
sym-; syn- together
tachy- quick; swift
tarso- ankle
tax- arrange; put in order
tele- far off; distant
telo- end
terr- earth; land
tetr- four
thall- young shoot
-the-; -thes- put
-thel- cover a surface
-therm- heat
-tom- cut; slice
toxico- poison
top- place
trache- windpipe
trans- across
tri- three
trich- hair
-trop- turn; change
-troph- nourishment; one who feeds
turb- whirl
-ul-; -ule diminutive; small
ultra- beyond
uni- one
ur- urine
-ura tail
vas- vessel
vect- carry
ven-; vent- come
ventr- belly; underside
-verge turn; slant
vig- strong
vit-; viv- life
volv- roll; wander
-vor- devour; eat
xanth- yellow
xero- dry
xyl- wood
zo-; -zoa animal
zyg- joined together
zym- yeast