Microsoft Word - LISD - Prefix suffix root list 7-2-09

Prefix-Suffix-Root List by Grade Level

(Generally, prefixes and suffixes change the meanings of roots, but it is usually the suffix that denotes the part of speech.)

Grade

Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

-s,-es plural, more than one hats, pigs, boxes,

wishes

Anglo-Saxon

-ing action/ process helping, skipping,

running, seeing,

thinking

Anglo-Saxon Present participle of

verb

-ed past tense jumped, helped Anglo-Saxon Past tense verb

Grade (Please review affixes from prior grade.)

Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

un- not/ opposite unlock, unsafe Anglo-Saxon

re- again/ back reread, rewrite,

return

Latin

dis- not/ opposite of dislike, distrust Latin

-er person connected

with/ comparative

degree

teacher, writer,

baker, bigger,

colder, taller

Anglo-Saxon

-est superlative degree biggest, coldest,

tallest

Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective

3rd Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

dis- not/ opposite of dislike, distrust Latin

in- not inactive, insane, Latin

inexpensive

-ful full of beautiful, painful Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective

-less without careless, helpless Anglo-Saxon

-y characterized by/ like cloudy, fishy Anglo-Saxon

-ly characteristic of badly, friendly,

quickly

Anglo-Saxon Usually an adverb

Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

under- too little/ below underfed,

underground

Anglo-Saxon

over- too much/ above overdone, overhead Anglo-Saxon

non- not nonfat, nonsense Latin

pre- before preplan, pretest Latin

bi- two bicycle, binocular Latin

tri- three tricycle, triangle Latin/ Greek

quad- four quadrilateral,

quadrant

Latin

oct- eight octagon, octopus Latin/ Greek

-ion, –ation

–sion, -tion

act of/ state of/

result of

attention, vision,

invitation

Anglo-Saxon Noun

(See 6

grade for

explanation)

-ness condition/ state of darkness, fairness Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun

-ly characteristic of badly, friendly,

quickly

Anglo-Saxon Usually an adverb

-ment act/ process enjoyment,

replacement

Latin

-er, -or one who/ that which baker, boxer,

conductor, survivor

Latin Usually a noun

Use –or with Latin

roots for nouns

(inventor, elevator)

Use –er with

Anglo-Saxon roots

(heater, swimmer)

Grade (Please review affixes from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix

Root

Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

semi- half semicircle,

semicolon

Latin

super- above/ on top

of/ beyond

superfine,

superhuman,

supersonic

Latin

multi- many/ much multicolor,

multifamily

Latin

poly- many/ much polygon,

polysyllable

Greek

tele- distant/far Television,

telephone

Greek

mis- bad or badly/

wrong or

wrongly

misbehave,

misread,

misspell

Latin

inter- between intercept,

interview,

interstate

Latin

mid- middle midnight,

midweek

Anglo-Saxon

sub- under, beneath,

below/

secondary

subway, subsoil,

substitute

Latin

deca- deci- ten decathlon,

decade,

decimal,

decimeter

Latin/ Greek

kilo- 1,000 kilogram,

kilowatt

Greek

milli- mille- 1,000 millennium,

millimeter

Latin

centi- 100 centimeter,

centipede

Latin

-able, -ible can be done enjoyable,

sensible, likable

Latin -able ending words

have roots that can

stand alone.

enjoyable

-ible ending words

have roots that can

not stand alone.

sensible

-ian, -an one having a

certain skill/

relating to/

belonging to

electrician,

magician,

American,

suburban

Latin Usually a noun

-ship condition of/

skill

championship,

friendship,

hardship,

leadership

Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun

-ist one who does a

specific action

artist, tourist Latin/ Greek Usually a noun

-logy, -ology science of/

study of

biology,

chronology

Greek

-ism act/ belief/

practice of

patriotism,

idealism,

absenteeism,

Latin/ Greek Usually a noun

-ence, -ance act/ condition

persistence,

excellence,

assistance,

importance

Latin Usually a noun

-ence and –ance

sound alike because

of the schwa. –ence

is used somewhat

more often than –

ance.

-ess feminine actress, lioness Latin/ Greek Usually a noun

max(i) great maximum,

maximize

Latin

meter, metr measure diameter,

odometer,

metric,

perimeter

Greek

photo light photograph,

telephoto,

photocopy

Greek

port to carry portable,

transport

Latin

phobia,

phobic,

phobe

irrational fear

or hatred/ one

who fears/

hates

aquaphobia,

claustrophobic

technophobe

Greek There are names for

more than 500

phobias, most of

which come from the

field of medicine.

rupt break/ burst bankrupt,

rupture,

disruptive

Latin FYI: Erupt means to

explode. (The

volcano erupted.)

Irrupt means to rush

or burst in. (The

police irrupted into

the hideout.)

scrib, script to write describe,

manuscript

Latin Verbs usually use

scribe, as in

prescribe; nouns

usually use script, as

in prescription.

gram, graph written/ drawn autograph,

paragraph,

Greek

dict to say/ tell diction, dictator Latin

ject to throw inject, objection Latin

spect, spec to see/ watch/

observe

prospect,

respect,

specimen

Latin

Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix

Root

Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

en-, em- to cause to be/

to put into or

onto/ to go into

or onto

encounter,

enable, employ,

embark, encircle

Latin

fore- before/ earlier forearm,

foreword

Anglo-Saxon

de- reduce down/

away from

defeat, deform,

decrease

Latin

trans- across/ change/

through

transformation,

transportation,

transfer

Latin

anti- opposite/

against

antibiotic,

antifreeze

Greek

di-, dia- two/ through/

across

digraph,

dialogue,

diagonal

Greek

ex- out of/ away

from

extract, exhale,

extend

Latin/ Greek

auto- self autograph,

automatic

Greek

in- (il-, im-, ir-) not inability,

impatient,

irregular, illegal

Latin il- used before roots

beginning with l

illegible

im- used before roots

beginning with b, m,

immature, imbalance,

impatient

ir- used before roots

beginning with r

irregular

in- (il-, im-, ir-) in/ on/ toward infer, illustrate,

improve, irrigate

Same prefix usage is

applied as above

bio- life biography,

biological

Greek

mini- small miniature,

minimum

Latin From the Latin word

miniature… Modern

generations shortened

miniature to mini-.

micro- small/ minute microbiology,

microscope

Greek

uni- one/ single unicorn,

unicycle,

uniform

Latin

-en made of/ to

make

wooden,

dampen, tighten

Anglo-Saxon

-dom condition of boredom,

freedom,

kingdom

Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun

-ity state of/ quality

prosperity,

equality

Latin Usually a noun

-al, -ial related to/

characterized

colonial,

biennial, dental,

betrayal

Latin Usually an adjective

-ion, -ation

–sion, -tion

act of/ state of/

result of

tension,

attention,

elevation, union

Anglo-Saxon The real suffix is

–ion. Putting s or t in

front of –ion is

simply determined by

the spelling of the

root.

Usually a noun

-ish relating to/

characteristic

childish, foolish Anglo-Saxon Usually an adjective

-ent, -ant an action/

condition

student,

contestant,

immigrant

Latin Often a noun

The suffix –ant often

indicates a person

noun.

-ent, -ant causing a

specific action

obedient,

absorbent,

abundant,

elegant

Latin Often an adjective

-ent and –ant sound

alike because of the

schwa. –ent is used

somewhat more often

than –ant.

-hood the state/ the

condition/ the

quality

boyhood,

likelihood

Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun

History of the suffix

–hood

 Old English: -had

 Middle English: -

hod

 Modern English:

-hood

aqua water aquarium,

aquamarine

Latin

act put in motion/

process of

doing

action, react,

transact

Latin

mit to send emit, transmit Latin

anni, annu,

enni

year anniversary,

semiannual,

millennium

Latin Usually a noun

arch chief/ ruler archenemy,

matriarch

Greek

duct, duc lead induce, conduct Latin

geo earth/ ground/

soil

geography,

geology

Greek

man hand manicure,

manually

Latin

nym, onym name/ word antonym,

synonym

Greek

phon voice/ sound telephone,

symphony

Greek

therm heat thermometer,

thermostat

Greek

tox poison toxic,

toxicology

Latin

scope to watch/ see horoscope,

microscope,

telescope

Greek

Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix

Root

Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

ante- in front of/

before

antecedent,

antebellum

Latin Fun information –

antepenultimate

means next to the

next to the last…this

word can usually be

found on the SAT.

ab- from/ away absent, absorb,

abnormal

Latin

a- on/ in/ to across, aboard,

aside

Anglo-Saxon/

Latin

a- without/ not atypical, amoral,

asocial

Anglo-Saxon/

Latin

co-, con-, com- together/ with cooperate,

concede,

combine

Latin Concrete – meaning

to harden or to grow

together

pro- forward/

before/ in

support of

proceed,

pronoun,

prohibit

Latin/ Greek Some words with

pro- as a prefix are

often hyphenated, so

be sure to check the

dictionary.

intra- within intranet,

intramural

Latin

mega- great/ huge megabyte,

megaphone

Greek

post- after/ following postpone,

postwar

Latin

-ous,

-ious,

-eous

full of/

characterized

adventurous,

nervous,

mysterious,

courteous

Latin Usually an adjective

-ive,

-itive,

-ative

inclined/

tending toward

an action

festive,

talkative, active,

sensitive

Latin Words that end with

–de (intrude) change

the –de to s then add

–ive (intrusive).

Words that end with

silent e (create) drop

the e then add –ive

(creative).

-ic relating to/

characterized

energetic,

historic

Latin/ Greek Usually an adjective

-ize to make/ to

cause to

become

fertilize,

criticize,

apologize

Latin/ Greek Usually a verb

-fy, -ify to make satisfy, magnify Latin Usually a verb

-age result of an

action/

collection

manage,

drainage,

acreage

Latin

-some characterized

by a specified

quality,

condition, or

action

awesome,

lonesome

Anglo-Saxon Primarily used with

Anglo-Saxon base

words.

chron time chronology, Greek

synchronize

temp time temporary,

temperature

Latin

aer, aero air aerial, aerospace Greek

cede, ceed to go/ yield/

surrender

proceed, secede,

precede,

concede

Latin

cept, ceive to take/ catch/

seize/ hold/

receive

accept, deceive Latin Additional roots with

same definition:

cap (captive)

ceit (conceit)

cep (concept)

cip (municipal)

fract, frag to break fracture,

fraction,

fragment

Latin

gen race, kind, or

species/ birth

gender, genetics,

genesis

Latin

grat thanks/

pleasing

congratulations,

gratify

Latin

liber free liberty, liberate Latin

leg, lect, lig law/ to choose/

to pick/ to read/

to speak

legend, legal,

intelligent, elect,

lecture

Latin The roots lect, lect,

and lig are related to

the Greek combining

form logos, meaning

speech or word.

mater, matr,

matri

mother maternal,

matrimony,

matriarch

Latin

pater, patr father paternal, patriot Latin

mot, mob to move motivate,

mobilize

Latin

opt eye/ to make a

choice

optometry,

optic, optional

Latin

ped, pod foot pedal, Latin

pedestrian,

tripod

ped child pediatrician Greek

urb city urban, suburban Latin Exurb: a modern

word meaning large

cities that directly

surround a major city

(Arlington is an

exurb of Dallas.)

pop people population,

popular

Latin

tract to draw/ pull attract, distract,

retract

Latin

form to shape conform,

reform,

transform

Latin

pend to hang/ weigh suspend,

pendulum

Latin

Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix

Root

Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

hyper- over/ above/

excessive

hyperactive,

hypercritical

Greek

hypo-, hyp- below/ less

than normal

hypothermia,

hypnosis

Greek

omni- all omnipresent,

omniscient

Latin

homo- same homogeneous,

homonym

Latin

hetero- different/ other heterochromatic,

heterogeneous

Greek Heteronyms: words

with the same

spelling, but different

meanings

(dove – the bird;

dove – did dive)

ultra- beyond in

degree/

extreme

ultramarine,

ultraviolet

Latin

-cide kill germicide,

pesticide

Latin Usually a noun

-ery relating to/

quality/ place

where

imagery,

pottery, bakery

Anglo-Saxon Usually a noun

-ary relating to/

place where/

one who

dictionary,

infirmary

cautionary,

dietary,

missionary

Latin Noun/ adjective

-ium chemical

element/ group

helium,

aquarium

Greek Usually a noun

-tude condition/

state/ quality of

altitude,

gratitude

Latin Usually a noun

aud to hear/ listen audible, audition Latin

cred to believe credit,

incredible

Latin

archae, arche,

archi

primitive/

ancient

archaeologist,

archives,

achetype

Greek

belli war belligerent,

bellicose

Latin

claim, clam to declare/ call

out/ cry out

exclaim,

clamorous

Latin

crat, cracy rule/ strength/

power

democrat,

aristocracy

Greek

hemo, hema blood hematology,

hemophilia

Greek

luna moon lunar, lunatic Latin

mar sea maritime,

submarine

Latin

mort death mortuary,

mortality

Latin

path feeling/

suffering/

disease

apathetic,

pathology

Greek

pel to drive/ push expel, propeller Latin

struc, struct to build construct,

instructor

Latin See Affix Matrix for

the root struct on

final page of this

document.

vis, vid to see vision, evidence Latin

voc, voke to call advocate,

revoke

Latin

cogn to know cognition,

recognize

Latin

loc, loqu to speak/ talk/

say

colloquial,

ventriloquist,

loquacious

Latin

Grade (Please review affixes and roots from prior grades.)

Prefix Suffix

Root

Definition Examples Origin Additional

Information

bene well/ good benediction,

beneficial

Latin

cardi heart cardiac,

cardiology

Latin

ego self egocentric,

egoism

Latin

don, donat give/ gift donate, donation Latin

luc, lum light translucent,

illuminate

Latin

mania madness/

frenzy/

abnormal

maniac,

kleptomania

Greek

desire/

obsession

nate, nat born native, innate Latin

neg no/ deny negative, negate Latin

neo new neonatal Greek

nov new novice Latin

phys nature physics,

physical

Greek

psych mind/ soul psychic,

psychopath

Greek

reg guide/ rule regime, regent Latin

sci to know/ learn science,

conscience

Latin

sol alone solitary,

soliloquy

Latin

tact, tang to touch contact, tangible Latin

terr land terrain, territory Latin

vac empty vacate, evacuate Latin

ver, veri true/ genuine verdict,

veritable

Latin

References

Ebbers, Susan M. Vocabulary Through Morphemes. Longmont, CO: Sopris West. 2003.

Henry, Marcia K. Unlocking Literacy. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing. 2003.

Terban, Marvin. Building Your Vocabulary. New York: Scholastic Inc. 2002.

The American Heritage High School Dictionary. Fourth Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 2002

Affix Matrix

con s

ing

ive ly

or s

ion

ism

ist

ing

sub

super

infra

struct

ure

al ly

Add one or more of the above affixes to the root struct. Example: destructively (Try to create at least 60 words.)