Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots

A familiarity with common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots can dramatically improve your ability to deter- mine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words. The following tables list common prefixes, suffixes, and word roots; their meanings; an example of a word with that prefix, suffix, or word root; the meaning of that word; and a sentence that demonstrates the meaning of that word. Refer to this chapter often to refresh your memory and improve your vocabulary.  Prefixes A prefix is a syllable added to the beginning of a word to change or add to its meaning. The following table lists some of the most common prefixes in the English language. They are grouped together by similar meanings. CHAPTER Prefixes, Suffixes, and Word Roots 10 155 PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE uni- one unify (v) to form into a single The new leader was able unit; to unite to unify the three factions into one strong political party. mono- one monologue a long speech by I was very moved by the (n) one person or monologue in Scene III. performer bi- two bisect (v) to divide into two If you bisect a square, you will equal parts get two rectangles of equal size. duo- two duality (n) having two sides The novel explores the duality or parts of good and evil in humans. tri- three triangle (n) a figure having In an isosceles triangle, two of three angles the three angles are the same size. quadri- four quadruped (n) an animal with four Some quadrupeds evolved feet into bipeds. tetra- four tetralogy (n) series of four related “Time Zone” was the fourth artistic works and final work in Classman’s tetralogy. quint- five quintuplets (n) five offspring born Each quintuplet weighed less at one time than four pounds at birth. pent- five pentameter (n) a line of verse Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets (poetry) with five are written in iambic metrical feet pentameter. multi- many multifaceted having many sides This is a multifaceted issue, (adj) and we must examine each side carefully. poly- many polyglot (n) one who speaks or It is no wonder he is a understands several polyglot; he has lived in eight languages different countries. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 156 PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE omni- all omniscient knowing all Dr. Perez seems omniscient; (adj) she knows what all of us are thinking in class. micro- small microcosm (n) little or miniature Some people say that Brooklyn world; something Heights, the Brooklyn district representing something across the river from the Wall else on a very small Street area, is a microcosm of scale Manhattan. mini- small minority (n) small group within a John voted for Bridget, but he larger group was in the minority; most peo- ple voted for Elaine. macro- large macrocosm (n) the large scale world Any change to the macrocosm or universe; any great will eventually effect the whole microcosm. ante- before anticipate (v) to give advance His decades of experience thought to; foresee; enabled him to anticipate the expect problem. pre- before precede (v) to come before in The appetizers preceded the time or order main course. post- after postscript (n) message added after His postscript was almost as the close of a letter long as his letter! inter- between intervene (v) to come between Romeo, trying to make peace, intervened in the fight between Tybalt and Mercutio. inter- together interact (v) to act upon or The psychologist took notes as influence each other she watched the children interact. intra- within intravenous within or into a vein She could not eat and had to (adj) be fed intravenously for three days. intro- into, within introvert (n) a person whose Unlike his flamboyant sister, attention is largely quiet Zeke was a real directed inward, toward introvert. himself or herself; a shy or withdrawn person – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 157 PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE in- in, into induct (v) to bring in (to a group) She was inducted into the honor society. ex- out, from expel (v) to drive out or away Let us expel the invaders! circum- around circumscribe (v) to draw a line around; She carefully circumscribed to mark the limits of the space that would become her office. sub- under subvert (v) to bring about the His attempt to subvert my destruction of, authority will cost him his job. overthrow; to undermine super- above, over supervisor (n) one who watches over Alex refused the promotion to supervisor because he did not feel comfortable being his friends’ boss. con- with, together consensus (n) general agreement After hours of debate, the group finally reached a consensus and selected a candidate. non- not nonviable (adj) not able to live The farmer explained that the or survive seedling was nonviable. in- not invariable (adj) not changing The weather here is invariable— always sunny and warm. un- not, against unmindful (adj) not conscious For better or worse, he is or aware of; forgetful unmindful of office politics. contra- against contradict (v) to state that (what is I know we do not have to agree said) is untrue; to state on everything, but she the opposite of contradicts everything I say. anti- against, antipode (n) exact or direct North is the antipode of south. opposite opposite counter- against, counter- working against Complaining is counter- opposing productive (adj) production productive. dis- away, dispel (v) to drive away To dispel rumors that I was quitting, I scheduled a series of meetings for the next three months. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 158 PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE dis- not, opposite of disorderly (adj) not having order; Two people were hurt when the messy, untidy, crowd became disorderly uncontrolled, or during the protest. unruly mis- wrong, ill misuse (v) to use wrongly She misused her authority when she reassigned Charlie to a new team. mal- bad, wrong maltreat (v) to treat badly After the dog saved his life, he or wrongly swore he would never maltreat another animal. mal- ill malaise (n) feeling of discomfort The malaise many women feel or illness during the first few months of pregnancy is called morning sickness. pseudo- false, fake pseudonym (n) false or fake name Mark Twain is a pseudonym for Samuel Clemens. auto- by oneself automaton (n) a robot; a person The workers on the assembly or by itself who seems to act line looked like automatons. mechanically and without thinking co- together with, cohesive (adj) having a tendency Though they came from jointly to bond or stick different backgrounds, they together; united have formed a remarkably cohesive team. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 159  Suffixes A suffix is a syllable added to the end of a word to change or add to its meaning. The following table lists some of the most common suffixes in the English language. They are grouped together by similar meanings. SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE -en to cause broaden (v) to make more Traveling around the world will to become broad; to widen broaden your understanding of other cultures. -ate to cause resuscitate (v) to bring or come Thanks to a generous gift from to be back to life or an alumnus, we were able to consciousness; resuscitate the study-abroad to revive program. -ify/-fy to make or electrify (v) to charge with The singer electrified the cause to be electricity audience with her performance. -ize to make, alphabetize (v) to put in alphabetical Please alphabetize these files to give order for me. -al capable of, practical (adj) suitable for use; He has years of practical, suitable for involving activity, on-the-job experience. as distinct from study or theory -ial pertaining to commercial of or engaged Commercial vehicles must (adj) in commerce have special license plates. -ic pertaining to aristocratic of or pertaining Though he was never rich or (adj) to the aristocracy powerful, he has very aristocratic manners. -ly resembling, tenderly (adv) done with tenderness; He held the newborn baby having the gently, delicately, and tenderly in his arms. qualities of lovingly -ly in the manner boldly (adv) in a bold manner Despite his fear, he stepped of boldly onto the stage. -ful full of meaningful significant; When Robert walked into the (adj) full of meaning room with Annette, she cast me a meaningful glance. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 160 SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE -ous, -ose full of humorous (adj) full of humor; funny His humorous speech made the evening go by quickly. -ive having the descriptive (adj) giving a description The letter was so descriptive quality of that I could picture every place he had been. -less lacking, painless (adj) without pain; The doctor assured me that it free of not causing pain is a painless procedure. -ish having the childish (adj) like a child; unsuitable He did not get the job because quality of for a grown person of his childish behavior during the interview. -ance/ quality or tolerance (n) willingness or ability He has a high level of -ence state of to tolerate a person tolerance for rudeness. or thing -acy quality or indeterminacy state or quality of The indeterminacy of his state state of (n) being undetermined ment made it impossible to tell (without defined limits) which side he was on. or vague -tion act, state, completion (n) the act of completing; The second siren signaled the or condition of the state of being completion of the fire drill. completed or finished -or/-er one who does narrator (n) one who tells the story; A first-person narrator is or performs the gives an account of usually not objective. action of -atrium/ place for arboretum a garden devoted They built a deck with an -orium (n) primarily to trees arboretum for their bonsai tree and shrubs collection. -ary place for, sanctuary (n) a sacred place; refuge With three noisy roommates, pertaining to Ellen frequently sought the quiet sanctuary of the library. -cide kill pesticide (n) substance for killing This pesticide is also insects dangerous for humans. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 161 SUFFIX MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE -ism quality, state, optimism (n) belief that things Her optimism makes people or condition will turn out for the want to be around her. of; doctrine of best; tendency to take a hopeful view of things -ity quality or morality (n) state or quality He argued that the basic state of of being moral morality of civilized societies has not changed much over the centuries. -itis inflammation tonsillitis (n) inflammation and Her tonsillitis was so severe of infection of the that doctors had to remove her tonsils tonsils immediately. -ment act or judgment (n) ability to judge or He exercised good judgment condition of make decisions wisely; by keeping his mouth shut act of judging during the meeting. -ology the study of zoology (n) the scientific study She took a summer job at the of animal life zoo because of her strong interest in zoology.  Common Latin Word Roots Many words in the English language derive from Latin. The following table shows the original Latin words that are used to create various English words. The Latin words serve as roots, providing the core meaning of the words; prefixes, suffixes, and other alterations give each word its distinct meaning. The word roots are listed in alphabetical order. ROOT MEANING EXAMPLE DEFINITION SENTENCE amare to love amorous (adj) readily showing She told him to stop his or feeling love amorous advances, as she was already engaged. audire to hear audience (n) assembled group of The audience was stunned listeners or spectators; when the game show host people within hearing slapped the contestant. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 162 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 [...]... psychosomatic illness, matic (adj) the mind and body physical symptoms are caused by emotional distress 166 – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 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... song time/rhythm 165 – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 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 animal and human pathos suffering, pathetic (adj) Willy Loman is a complex of pity or sadness feeling arousing feelings character who is both pathetic and heroic philos loving...– PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 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 chronological arranged in the order The story is confusing because (adj) in which... to go on the or hates foreigners trip; he is a xenophobe or strange cultures or customs photos living or thriving only Plants are photobiotic and will in the presence of light die without light podiatrist (n) an expert in diagnosis The podiatrist saw that the and treatment of ingrown toenail had become ailments of the human foot photobiotic (adj) podos light infected foot psuedein to deceive pseudonym... 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 handwriting She used calligraphy when she addressed the wedding invitations krates member of democrat (n) I have always been a or advocates democ- democrat, but I refuse to join racy as a principle a group... but it is uncommon at a time union the practice or custom of having more than polygamy (n) rashes one spouse or mate marriage, always been plagued by diseases gamos dermatology because she has the skin and its today deliberate extermination The recent genocide in Bosnia 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 . prefixes, suffixes, and word roots; their meanings; an example of a word with that prefix, suffix, or word root; the meaning of that word; and a sentence that. remarkably cohesive team. – PREFIXES, SUFFIXES, AND WORD ROOTS – 159  Suffixes A suffix is a syllable added to the end of a word to change or add to its