| Greek
and Latin
Morphemes in
English Words |
These are some Greek and
Latin morphemes found in
English words, in no particular order.
| -ic |
A,N |
| -ize |
V |
| -y |
N |
| anthrop |
human |
| bio |
life |
| cac |
bad |
| chrom |
color |
| chron |
time |
| circum- |
around |
| cosm |
universe, order, ornament |
| de- |
in reverse, away, down |
| ecto- |
outside |
| endo- |
inside |
| extra- |
outside |
| gam |
marriage, sexual union |
| iatr |
treat, heal |
| idi |
individual, own |
| infra- |
below, after |
| inter- |
between, among |
| intra- |
within |
| log |
study, speak |
| macro- |
long, large |
| micro- |
small |
| mis- |
hate |
| morph |
shape, form |
| nom |
law, system |
| path |
feel, illness |
| peri- |
around, close |
| phil |
love, tendency |
| phon |
sound, speech sound |
| pol |
community, city, state |
| post- |
after, behind |
| pre- |
before |
| pseud |
false |
| psych |
mind, spirit |
| pyr |
fire, fever |
| supra- |
above, greater |
| theo |
god |
| top |
place |
| xen |
foreign |
| a-/an- |
not, without |
| anim |
mind, spirit, life |
| ab-/abs- |
from, away |
| -ary/-ory |
A, N |
| -ate |
N, A, V* |
| contra-/counter- |
against, facing |
| corp/corpor |
body, flesh |
| culp |
fault, crime |
| duc |
lead, draw, pull |
| -ence/-ance |
N |
| -ent/-ant |
A, N |
| fug |
flee |
| grat |
thankful, kind |
| greg |
gather |
| hom |
earthling, human |
| -ion |
N |
| -ive |
A, N |
| leg |
law, charge |
| liber |
weigh, consider |
| liter |
letter |
| mot |
move |
| nat |
source, birth, tribe |
| nov |
new |
| omni- |
all |
| -ous |
A |
| par |
beget, produce |
| per- |
through, bad |
| pet |
go, seek |
| petr |
rock |
| pot |
be able, powerful |
| pro- |
forward, for |
| prob |
test, find good |
| re-/red- |
again, back |
| sci |
know, discern |
| se-/sed- |
apart |
| sec |
cut, split |
| somn |
sleep |
| tempor |
time |
| ven |
come, bring |
| ver |
true |
| al/ol |
nurture, grow |
| am/im/amor |
love |
| ana- |
up, again, back |
| ann/enn |
year |
| ante-/anti- |
old, before |
| apec/apic |
tip |
| apt/ept |
fit, capable |
| bol/bl |
throw, extend |
| cap/cep/cip/cup |
take, contain |
| cata- |
down, away, back, opposite |
| cer/cre/cr |
separate, judge |
| cid/cis |
cut, kill |
| con-/co- |
together, with |
| cub/cumb |
lie down, remain |
| dei/div |
god, augury |
| dia- |
through, apart |
| equ/iqu |
even, level |
| erg/urg/org |
work |
| fac/fec/fic |
do, make |
| frag/frang/fring |
break |
| fus |
pour, melt, blend |
| gon/gen/gn |
birth, type, origin |
| hypo- |
under, below, partial |
| in-/en- |
in, into |
| men/mn |
think, mind |
| meta- |
beyond |
| noc/nec/nic/necr |
harm, death |
| -oid |
resembling [A, N] |
| para- |
beside, resembling |
| pond/pend |
hang, weigh, pay, consider |
| sacer/secr |
holy, priestlike |
| semen/semin |
seed |
| spec/spic |
look, see |
| sta/stat/stet/stit |
stand, condition |
| tat/teg/tig/tang/ting |
touch, feel |
| ten/tin |
hold, maintain |
| tom/tm |
cut |
| vic/vinc |
conquer |
| vor |
eat |
| zo |
animal |
| -ity |
N [name of quality] |
| -sis |
N [name of action or its result] |
| ad- |
to, toward |
| ag/ig |
act, do, drive |
| alt |
high |
| ambl |
walk, go |
| andr |
male, man |
| apo- |
away, from, off |
| arch |
first, govern |
| av |
bird, fly |
| cad/cas/cid |
fall |
| ced/ceed/cess |
go, let go |
| clud/clus |
to close |
| dog/doc |
teach |
| epi- |
on, over |
| ero |
physical love |
| esthet/esthes |
perceive, feel |
| eu |
well, good |
| ex-/e-/ec- |
out, away |
| grad/gred/gress |
step, go |
| heli |
sun |
| hetero- |
other, different |
| homo-/homeo- |
same |
| in- |
not |
| iso- |
equal |
| leg/lig |
pick, read |
| lic |
permissible, unrestrained |
| meso- |
middle |
| neo |
new, recent |
| ob- |
towards, against, down |
| phot/phos |
light |
| prag |
act, do |
| reg/rig |
rule, straight |
| sent/sens |
feel, think |
| sub- |
under, down, secondary |
| super- |
above, excessive |
| syn- |
with, together |
| tele |
far |
| ten/tend/tens |
stretch, thin |
| trans-/tra- |
across, through |
| trud/trus |
thrust |
| bell |
war |
| bi |
two |
| cens |
judge, assess |
| cent |
hundred, hundredth |
| cephal |
head |
| crat/crac |
govern |
| cur |
care |
| decem/decim/deca |
ten, tenth |
| dem |
people |
| demi |
half |
| di/dich/dy/du |
two |
| dipl |
double |
| fla |
blow |
| hecto/hecato |
hundred, many |
| hemi/semi |
half |
| hept/sept/septen |
seven, seventh |
| hex/sex |
six, sixth |
| kilo |
thousand |
| loc |
place |
| lumen/lumin |
light |
| man |
hand, handle |
| milli |
thousand(th) |
| mono |
one |
| myri |
countless, numerous, 10,000 |
| noven/nona |
nine, ninth |
| octo/octav |
eight |
| pauc |
few |
| penta |
five |
| plur |
many, more |
| pol |
community, society |
| poly |
many |
| prim/prin |
first, foremost |
| proto |
first, earliest |
| quadr/quarter/quart |
four, fourth |
| quin/quint/quinqu |
five, fifth |
| sesqui |
one and a half, one half more |
| son |
sound |
| tetra/tessara |
four |
| tri/tris/trich/ter |
three |
| un |
one |
| vig/viginti/vic |
twenty |
| ac/acer/acerb |
sharp, tip, extremities |
| agr |
field |
| alb/albin |
white |
| aster |
star |
| aud |
hear |
| auto, tauto |
self, same |
| bath, bathy |
depth |
| bene/bon |
good, well |
| brach/brachy |
short |
| car/carn |
flesh |
| sli/cliv/slin |
lean, lie, bed |
| cre/cred |
believe, trust |
| crypt/cryph |
secret, hidden |
| dam/damn/dem/demn |
loss, harm |
| dec/dic/deic |
speak, point |
| dit/don/dot |
give |
| dos/dow/da/dat |
? |
| dol/dolor |
suffer |
| flu/fluc/fluv |
flow, river |
| glosss/glot/glott |
tongue, speech |
| gn/gnos/gnor |
know |
| gyn/gynec |
woman, female |
| hes/her |
to stick hold back |
| hyd/hydr |
water |
| jus/jur |
judge, law, ritual |
| lith/lite |
stone |
| mega/megal |
great, million |
| misc/mix |
mix |
| nihil/hil |
nothing |
| ocl/ocell |
eye |
| pen/pun |
punish |
| ple/plec/plic |
fold, tangle |
| ple/plen |
full, many |
| pon/pos |
place, put |
| pug/pugn |
fist, fight |
| tach/tachy |
fast |
| tact/tax |
arrange, order |
| terr |
earth |
| vac/van |
empty |
| ver/verg/vers |
turn |
| viv/vit |
life |
| soror |
sister |
| spor |
scatter, seed |
| the |
place, put |
| uxor |
wife |
| val |
strong, useful |
| vac/vok |
speak, call, voice |
| al/all/allel |
other |
| card/cord |
heart, agree |
| cruc |
cross, important point |
| dec/decor |
acceptable |
| ed/es |
eat |
| fa/pha/phe |
speak, spoken of |
| fer/pher/phor |
bear, carry, send, bring |
| frater |
brother |
| ge |
earth |
| gem/gemin |
twin |
| ger |
old person |
| graph/gram |
write, record |
| juven |
young |
| lat |
carry |
| lig |
tie, bind |
| lign |
wood |
| loqu/locu |
speak |
| magn |
great, large |
| mater/metr |
mother, womb, surrounding stuff |
| myc |
fungus |
| noc/nyc |
night |
| nomen/onom/onomat/onym |
name |
| orth |
straight, correct |
| paleo |
old |
| pater |
father, country |
| ped/paed |
child, teach |
| ped/pod/pus |
foot |
| phyll |
leaf |
| phyt |
plant |
| pom |
fruit, apple |
| pred |
prey |
| rhizo |
root |
| sal/saul |
jump |
| salv/salu |
safe, healthy |
| aden |
gland |
| alg |
pain |
| aur |
ear |
| axill |
armpit |
| caud/doc |
tail |
| cervic |
neck, neck of uterus |
| cut |
skin |
| derm/dermat |
skin |
| gaster |
stomach |
| gravid |
pregnant |
| hem/em |
blood |
| hepat |
liver |
| hist |
body tissue |
| hyster |
womb, neurotic disorder |
| -ia |
land, state, medical condition |
| -it is |
inflammation |
| lab |
lip |
| lac |
milk |
| lacrim/lachrym |
tear, tear duct |
| laryng |
voice box, vocal cords |
| mamm |
breast |
| nas/nar |
nose |
| nephr |
kidney |
| -oma |
tumor, growth |
| op/ophthalm |
eye, see |
| os/osteo |
bone |
| os/or |
mouth, opening |
| phleb |
vein |
| phob |
fear |
| phylac |
guard |
| pne/pneum |
lung, respiration |
| pulmo |
lung |
| rhin |
nose |
| sarc |
flesh |
| scler |
hard |
| sep |
putrid, infected |
| stom |
mouth, opening |
| thromb |
clot |
| vas/ves |
blood vessel, duct |
| ven |
vein |
| ali |
wing |
| api |
bee |
| arachn |
spider |
| bov/bu/bos/bou |
cow, milk |
| chir |
hand |
| clam/claim |
cry out, call |
| clav |
key, locked |
| col |
live, inhabit, grow |
| curs/curr |
run |
| den/odon |
tooth |
| dendr/dr/dry |
tree |
| dyn |
power |
| ev |
age, time |
| formic |
ant |
| herp/herpet/serp |
creep, reptile |
| hor |
hour, time, season |
| ichthy |
fish |
| ly/lv/lu |
loosen, dissolve |
| mal/male |
bad |
| mant/manc |
prophesy |
| mun |
common, public, gift |
| naut/nav |
boat, seafaring |
| nul/null |
nothing |
| orn/ornith |
bird |
| ov/oo |
egg |
| ox/oxy |
sharp, sour, oxygen |
| phag |
eat |
| pithec |
ape |
| plac |
please, flat |
| pter |
feather, wing |
| rog |
ask, take away |
| sen |
old |
| som |
body |
| soph |
wuse, knowledge |
| strat |
stretch, level, layer |
| telo-/teleo- |
end, complete |
| trop |
turn |
|