100 + Latin & Greek Root Words 

The table on this page lists over 100 root words. It gives their meanings, examples of English words made from them, and the pages on EnglishHints where you can study and practice them.

This table also serves as an index to the pages where you can learn English words from Latin and Greek roots. 

More than 80 of these roots are from Latin. (Many are from Latin via French-- the biggest source of English words after Old English).

The root words that come from Greek have an asterisk (*) in front of them. (Many Latin words also originally came from Greek. These are the ones that came more directly, or kept their Greek form.)

How Root Words Can Help You Learn English 

Recognizing word roots can increase your reading comprehension as well as your vocabulary. 

I started the roots and prefix section of EnglishHints after noticing how much important vocabulary comes from a fairly small group of Latin roots.

(They dominate the Academic Word List and lists of frequent TOEFL words. Many are quite common in non-academic writing as well.)

If you know prefixes and a root’s meaning, you can often guess unknown English words that come from that root.

A few of the most common prefixes and their meanings are listed below, to help you figure out word meanings.

You can also check the List of Prefixes for a more complete list. (Greek and Latin Prefixes has a reverse list alphabetized by their meanings in English.)

         Prefix: Meaning

• ad- (or a-): toward
• ab- : away from
• com-/con-/co- : with
• ex- (or e-) : out
• in-, im-, il- : in, inside, OR not (Inactive means not active; immobile means not moveable)
• pre-: before
• pro-:  forward
• post- : after, behind
• re-: again or backward
• sub-:  under
• trans-: across or through
• un-: not

For example, the Latin root cedere (and its English forms -cede, –ceed, or -cess) mean to go. The root gradi (-gress) means to step.

So the English word precede means to go before. Process (& procedure) are the way to do something-- to cause it to go forward. A procession is (a lot of people) going forward. Progress and progression are forward steps, Recede, recession,  regress, and regression all refer to going backward.

How to Decode New English Words

The root words table below can help you decode English words you don’t know. (To decode can mean to translate a secret code into ordinary speech. It also means to look at the pieces of a word to figure out its possible meaning.)

To decode an English word, drop its prefixes and suffixes to find its root. (Take away the prefixes above and any others you recognize. Also remove word endings like -ing, -tion, -ly, -ment, or –ness.) So the root of ‘demobilize’ is ‘mobil(e),’ and the root of ‘extractible’ is ‘tract.’

Then check this table to find the root word’s meaning and pages to practice it and learn other, related words. (Many of those pages also explain meanings that have moved away from the root meaning over time.)

Root Form & Spelling Differences

You might notice that some roots have several forms. I’ve tried to put the variant English forms in parentheses when they are quite different.

For example, the Latin root videre, to see, has English derivatives like ‘video’ and ‘evidence.’  But it also has ‘visual’ and ‘invisible’—from another form (the past participle) of videre. So after videre I added (vis). 

Claudere (to close) is the root of include, inclusive, exclude and exclusive. I added (clus) after the verb name so you can see the second common base form. Pellere-- to drive-- often has a base form (puls). It’s the root of impel, impulse, repel, and repulsive, among others.

Vowels also often change. Au turns to u in claudere, above. Ae changes to e (or i) in aequare (equal, equity, and iniquity) or quaerere (quest,  inquire, and inquisitive.)

Page Abbreviations: find practice pages

Root Words, Meanings,
Examples, & Practice Pages

A - D

* Remember, you can find the practice page names and links on the pink page abbreviations' list just above the table. 

F - L

M - R

S - V

Go to the list of abbreviations and page links if you want to practice any root.

Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes  has links to all the root words’ explanation and practice pages. It also links to prefix and suffix lists. If you would like to study the roots that contribute the most to English, start with:  

So many English words come from the Latin root ponere (pon- or pos-) For example: The opposing team imposed their will until they exposed their weakness.

More English roots-- from Latin verbs of motion: attract (pull towards), & retract from the Latin root meaning 'pull;'  compel, compulsive, expel, & repulsive from the root for 'driven'-- and more.

Learn and practice the Greek roots most commonly used in English (from tele: far and graph: writing to psych: soul and logy: study of). 

If you're interested in teaching roots, check out the inexpensive lessons and practice activities on Root, Prefix, and Suffix Worksheets.

Home> Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes> Latin & Greek Root Words.

---

Didn't find what you needed? Explain what you want in the search box below. (For example, cognates, past tense practice, or 'get along with.') Click to see the related pages on EnglishHints.

site search by freefind	advanced

New! Comments

What do you think about what you just read? Leave me a comment in the box below.

site search by freefind	advanced

What's New?-- site blog

Learn about new and updated pages on EnglishHints, with just enough information to decide if you want to read more.

Knowing a few roots & prefixes can help you figure out the meanings of new words. If you know ‘form’ (shape) and ‘con’ (with), you can guess that ‘conformity’ is about trying to be like others.

Make sense of words like access, advocate, deduce, inquiry, intervention, revert, and sustainable by studying the Latin roots they come from.

Do you already use English in your profession or studies-- but realize you need more advanced English or communication skills in certain areas?

I can help-- with targeted suggestions & practice on EnglishHints or with coaching or specialized help for faster results. Let me know. I can suggest resources or we can arrange a call.

---