ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE bellum war belligerent inclined to fight; The citizens feared that their hostile, aggressive belligerent leader would start an unjust war. capere to take captivate (v) to capture the fancy of The story captivated me from the beginning; I could not put the book down. dicere to say, speak dictate (v) to state or order; She began to dictate her notes to say what needs to into the microphone. be written down duco to lead conduct (v) to lead or guide He conducted a detailed tour (thorough) of the building. equus equal equilibrium (n) a state of balance I have finally achieved an equilibrium between work and leisure. facere to make manufacture (v) to make or produce The clothes are manufactured or do here in this factory. lucere to light lucid (adj) very clear No one could possibly have misunderstood such a lucid explanation. manus hand manicure (n) cosmetic treatment To take care of her long finger- of the fingernails nails, she gets a manicure every week. medius middle median (adj) middle point; middle The median household income in a set of numbers in this wealthy neighborhood is $89,000. mittere to send transmit (v) to send across The message was transmitted over the intercom. omnis all; every omnipresent present everywhere That top-40 song is (adj) omnipresent; everywhere I go, I hear it playing. plicare to fold application (n) putting one thing on His loan application was another; making a denied because of his poor formal request credit history. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 163 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE ponere/ to place position (n) the place a person Although he is only 22, he positum or thing occupies holds a very powerful position in the company. protare to carry transport (v) to carry across The goods will be transported by boat. quarere to ask or inquiry (n) act of inquiry, The inquiry lasted several question investigation, months but yielded no new or questioning information. scribere to write scribe (n) person who makes The scribe had developed copies of writings thick calluses on his fingers from years of writing. sentire to feel sentient (adj) capable of feeling No sentient beings should be used for medical research. specere to look at spectacle (n) striking or impressive The debate was quite a sight spectacle—you should have seen the candidates attack one another. spirare to breathe respiration (n) the act of breathing His respiration was steady, but he remained unconscious. tendere to stretch extend (v) to make longer; Please extend the deadline by stretch out two weeks so we can complete the project properly. verbum word verbatim (adv) word for word The student failed because she had copied an article verbatim instead of writing her own essay. Common Greek Word Roots Many other English words are derived from the ancient Greek language. The following table shows the Greek words that are used to create various English words. The Greek words serve as roots, providing the core mean- ing of the words; prefixes, suffixes, and other alterations give each word its distinct meaning. The word roots are listed in alphabetical order. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 164 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE bios life biology (n) the science of He is majoring in biology and living organisms plans to go to medical school. chronos time chronological arranged in the order The story is confusing because (adj) in which things she did not put the events in occurred chronological order. derma skin dermatology (n) branch of medical She has decided to study science dealing with dermatology because she has the skin and its always been plagued by diseases rashes. gamos marriage, polygamy (n) the practice or custom Throughout history, certain union of having more than cultures have practiced one spouse or mate polygamy, but it is uncommon at a time today. genos race, sex, genocide (n) deliberate extermination The recent genocide in Bosnia kind of one race of people has created a sharp increase in the number of orphaned children. geo earth geography (n) the study of the Earth’s The geography of this region surface; the surface or made it difficult for the different topographical features tribes to interact. of a place graphein to write calligraphy (n) beautiful or elegant She used calligraphy when handwriting she addressed the wedding invitations. krates member of democrat (n) one who believes in I have always been a a group or advocates democ- democrat, but I refuse to join racy as a principle the Democratic Party. of government kryptos hidden, cryptic (adj) concealing meaning; He left such a cryptic message secret puzzling on my answering machine that I don’t know what he wanted. metron to measure metronome (n) device with a pendulum She used a metronome to that beats at a deter- help her keep the proper pace mined rate to measure as she played the song. time/rhythm – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 165 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE morphe form polymorphous having many forms Most mythologies have a (adj) polymorphous figure, a “shape shifter” who can be both ani- mal and human. pathos suffering, pathetic (adj) arousing feelings Willy Loman is a complex feeling of pity or sadness character who is both pathetic and heroic. philos loving xenophile (n) a person who is Alex is a xenophile; I doubt he attracted to foreign will ever come back to the peoples, cultures, States. or customs phobos fear xenophobe (n) person who fears Don’t expect Len to go on the or hates foreigners trip; he is a xenophobe. or strange cultures or customs photos light photobiotic living or thriving only Plants are photobiotic and will (adj) in the presence of light die without light. podos foot podiatrist (n) an expert in diagnosis The podiatrist saw that the and treatment of ingrown toenail had become ailments of the human infected. foot psuedein to deceive pseudonym (n) false name Was George Eliot a pseudo- nym for Mary Ann Evans? pyr fire pyromaniac (n) one who has a The warehouse fire was not an compulsion to set accident; it was set by a things on fire pyromaniac. soma body psychoso- of or involving both In a psychosomatic illness, matic (adj) the mind and body physical symptoms are caused by emotional distress. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 166 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE tele distant telescope (n) optical instrument for While Galileo did not invent the making distant objects telescope, he was the first to appear larger and use it to study the planets and nearer when viewed stars. through the lens therme heat thermos (n) insulated jug or bottle The thermos kept my coffee that keeps liquids hot all afternoon. hot or cold – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 167 . body physical symptoms are caused by emotional distress. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 166 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE tele distant telescope (n) optical instrument for While. meaning. The word roots are listed in alphabetical order. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 164 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE bios life biology (n) the science of He is majoring. mined rate to measure as she played the song. time/rhythm – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS– 165 ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE morphe form polymorphous having many forms Most mythologies