Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

-ist/-ism [from Greek]

(suffix)

professional/professing

anachronism

antagonist [literally, ‘(the professional) against the (first professional) competitor (or champion);’ the one against the protagonist.]

hedonist [literally, ‘professional at pleasure;’ a person devoted to the pursuit of pleasures, especially carnal pleasures.]

nihilism [literally, ‘professing nothing;’ the philosophical doctrine that all values are without foundation and that nothing can be known with certainty.]

protagonist [literally, ‘first professional competitor or champion;’ the central figure in a play or other literary work.]

sophist

anachronism (noun) [literally, ‘professing up-time;’ something or someone presented as appearing in a time period earlier than the time period in which it could have appeared first; deliberately moving something up in time, especially in a work of fiction.]

sophist (noun) [literally, ‘professional wise (person);’ in ancient Greece, a professional teacher of rhetoric; one who is skilled at elaborate and deceptive reasoning that “makes the weaker argument appear to be the stronger.”]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

erg-/urg- [from Greek]

(noun)

work

allergy [literally, ‘the work of another (upon oneself);’ an unusually high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens or foods.]

erg [literally, ‘work;’ the unit of energy or work equal to the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter.]

ergonomic

energy [literally, ‘in a work (state);’ the ability of a physical system to perform work; personal vivacity and intensity.]

metallurgy

synergy [literally, 'working together with;’ the interaction of two or more actors or forces so that their combined effect is bigger than the sum of their individual effects; cooperative interaction between groups.]

ergonomic (adjective) [literally, ‘pertaining to work law;’ designed to meet the special requirements of a work station or workplace.]

metallurgy (noun) [literally, ‘metal working’ the study of the nature and manipulation of metals.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

prim- [from Latin]

(adjective)

first

primacy [literally, ‘firstness;’ the condition of being first or most important.]

primal [literally, ‘first;’ first in time or in emotional importance to an individual’s , a group’s, or a culture’s development.]

primary [literally, ‘first (in rank);’ first in importance.]

primate

primitive [literally, ‘first-like;’ crude or unsophisticated, as in the earliest stages of the development of something.]

primordial

primate (noun) [literally, ‘firstish (one);’ a mammal of the order that includes the anthropoids and prosimians; a bishop of the highest rank.]

primordial (adjective) [literally, ‘first arising;’ pertaining to the beginning of the sequence of time.] 

prot- [from Greek]

(adjective)

first

protagonist

protein [literally, ‘firstish (thing);’ one of a group of complex organic macromolecules that contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and usually sulfur, that are composed of one or more chains of amino acids, and that are fundamental components of all living cells.]

proton

protoplasm [literally, ‘first fashioned (thing);’ the semi-fluid, translucent substance that constitutes the essential living matter of plant and animal cells and that includes the nucleus and cytoplasm.]

prototype [literally, ‘first outline;’ the original model that serves as the basis for all other items of the same sort.]

protozoan [literally, ‘first animal;’ one of a large group of single-celled, usually microscopic, organisms, such as amoebae.]

protagonist (noun) [literally, ‘first professional competitor or champion;’ the central figure in a play or other literary work.]

proton (noun) [literally, ‘first (thing);’ a stable, positively charged subatomic particle.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

omn- [from Latin]

(adjective)

all, every

omnibus

omnidirectional [literally, ‘in all directions;’ able to transmit or to receive signals from every direction.]

omnifarious [literally, ‘on all sides;’ of every type.]

omnipotent

omniscient [literally, ‘knowing all things.’]

omnivorous [literally, ‘devouring all things;’ eating both animal flesh and vegetation; devouring anything.]

omnibus (noun) [literally, ‘for all (persons);’ a large vehicle for public transportation (later shortened to “bus”); an anthology of literary selections, either by one author or by various authors on one theme or in one genre.]

omnipotent (adjective) [literally, ‘all-powerful.’]

pan(t)- [from Greek]

(adjective)

all, every

panacea [literally, ‘cure-all;’ a cure for all diseases, woes, or evils.]

pancreas [literally, ‘all flesh;’ a gland in vertebrates, behind the stomach, that secretes juice into the duodenum and insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin into the bloodstream.]

pandemonium

panoply

pantheism [literally, ‘god in all (things)-ism;’ the philosophical position or religious belief that God is present in everything.]

pantomime [literally, ‘imitating all (things);’ telling a story or communicating silently, by means of gestures and movements alone.]

pandemonium (noun) [literally, ‘all demoniacality;’ noisy tumult bordering on chaos.]

panoply (noun) [literally, ‘all armor;’ a magnificent display; full ceremonial dress.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

-phobia/-phobe [from Greek]

(noun)

fear

acrophobia

agoraphobia [literally, ‘fear of the marketplace;’ irrational fear of open spaces.]

arachnophobia [literally, ‘fear of spiders.’]

hydrophobia [literally, ‘fear of water;’ irrational fear of water; rabies.]

triskaidekaphobia

xenophobe [literally, ‘fearer of the strange or foreign;’ person who hates and avoids foreign persons, cultures, or peoples.]

acrophobia (noun) [literally, ‘fear of the high;’ irrational fear of heights.]

triskaidekaphobia (noun) [literally, ‘fear of thirteen;’ irrational fear of the number thirteen.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

-cracy/-crat [from Greek]

(verb/noun)

to master/mastery

aristocrat [literally, ‘the best master;’ a member of the nobility or ruling class.]

autocrat

bureaucracy [literally, ‘mastery by bureaus (or offices);’ government by departments staffed by non-elected officials.]

democracy [literally, ‘mastery by a people;’ government by the people, either participatory (direct) or republican (through representatives).]

plutocracy [literally, ‘mastery by wealth;’ government by the wealthy.]

technocracy

autocrat (noun) [literally, ‘(one)self the master;’ a ruler with absolute power; a tyrant or despot.]

technocracy (noun) [literally, ‘mastery by art;’ rule by scientists or technicians.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

-tomy [from Greek]

(verb)

to cut

anatomy

appendectomy [literally, ‘cutting the appendix;’ surgical removal of the appendix.]

dichotomy

hysterectomy [literally, ‘cutting the uterus;’ surgical removal of the uterus, either wholly or in part.]

lobotomy [literally, ‘cutting the lobe;’ surgical removal of part of the frontal lobe of the brain.]

tonsillectomy [literally, ‘cutting the tonsils;’ surgical removal of the tonsils.]

anatomy (noun) [literally, ‘cutting up;’ the science that cuts into a plant or animal to study its structure.]

dichotomy (noun) [literally, ‘cutting in two;’ division into two approximately equal parts or categories.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

vers-/vert- [from Latin]

(verb)

to turn

conversion [literally, ‘turning together with;’ adopting of a new belief, especially a religion.]

to reverse [literally, ‘to turn back;’ to turn backward.]

versatile

vertebra [literally, ‘turning point;’ one of the bones that form the spinal column.]

vertex

vertigo [literally, ‘turning around;’ feeling of dizziness.]

versatile (adjective) [literally, ‘able to turn;’ able to do many things well.]

vertex (noun) [literally, ‘turning post;’ highest point; point of intersection of the sides of an angle.]

trop- [from Greek]

(verb)

to turn

entropy

heliotropic [literally, ‘turning to the sun;’ growth of an organism in the direction of the sun.]

trope

trophy [literally, ‘(over)turning;’ prize for victory.]

tropism [literally, ‘turningness;’ the turning of an organism away from an outside stimulus, such as heat or light.]

troposphere [literally, ‘turning sphere;’ the lowest region of the earth’s atmosphere.]

entropy (noun) [literally, ‘turning in;’ tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to move toward a state of inert uniformity.]

trope (noun) [literally, ‘turn (of speech);’ figurative speech; figure of speech.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

nom(y)- [from Greek]

(noun)

law

astronomy [literally, ‘star law;’ the science that studies the nature and motions of heavenly bodies.]

autonomy [literally, ‘law to oneself;’ self-determination; self-regulation; independence.]

economics

ergonomic [literally, ‘pertaining to work law;’ designed to meet the special requirements of a work station or workplace.]

gastronomic [literally, ‘pertaining to the law of the stomach;’ pertaining to fine dining.]

taxonomy

economics (noun) [literally, ‘household law skill;’ the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.]

taxonomy (noun) [literally, ‘law of ordering;’ classification of beings or phenomena into an ordered system.]

Root

Original Meaning/

Usage Notes

English Derivatives

Vocabulary

orth- [from Greek]

(adjective)

correct, right

orthodontia [literally, ‘tooth correctness;’ the specialty in dental medicine that corrects tooth irregularities, e.g., by braces.]

orthodox

orthogonal [literally, ‘pertaining to right angles;’ pertaining to, or composed of, right angles.]

orthography

orthopedics [literally, ‘correct child-educating skill;’ the medical specialty that deals with disorders of the skeletal system and associated musculature.]

orthostatic [literally, ‘pertaining to standing upright.’]

orthodox (adjective) [literally, ‘correct opinion;’ pertaining to, or practicing, traditionally accepted beliefs and practices, especially of a religion.]

orthography (noun) [literally, ‘correct writing;’ the branch of grammar that studies the rules of correct spelling.]