Understanding Word Meanings Through Roots and Affixes in Education
Exploring how to decipher unfamiliar words by analyzing their roots, prefixes, and suffixes from a linguistic perspective. Latin roots and examples are provided to demonstrate how word parts contribute to the overall meaning of a word.
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Guessing Meanings from Roots and Affixes Wipada Prasansaph (D.Ed. TESOL) Faculty of Education SSRU Thailand
Besides the guessing meaning from contexts, we can also guess meanings of unfamiliar words from the word parts: roots (stems), prefixes (letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning), and suffixes (letters added to the end of a word to make a new word).
The root of a word expresses the primary meaning and frequently appears in combination with either a prefix or a suffix, or both. Prefixes and suffixes are called affixes.
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example ambidextrous (able to use both hands equally well) aquarium (a building where people can go to see water creatures) ambi both aqua water
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example audience (group of people who have gathered to listen to a concert/ watch a play) aud to hear benevolent (kind, helpful and generous) bene good
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example cent one hundred century (one hundred years) circumference (a line that goes around a circle or any curved shape) circum around
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example contradict (opposite), encounter (experience something (unpleasant) while you are trying to do something else) dictation (the act of speaking so that somebody can write down the word) contra/counter against dict to say
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example conduct (to lead or organize an activity) duc/duct to lead manufacture (to make or produce) fac to do; to make
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example reform (to make as a shape again) fortitude (courage shown by somebody who is suffering great pain or facing great difficulties) form shape fort strength
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example fraction (a small part of something) eject (to push something out suddenly with a lot of force) fract break ject throw
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example judicial (connected with a court, a judge, or a judgment) malnutrition (a poor condition of health caused by lack of food) jud judge mal bad
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example maternity (the state of being/becoming a mother) mater mother Transmit (to send an electronic signal) mit to send
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example mort death mortal (be able to die) multimedia (the condition of using several kinds of media to produce something) multi many
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example paternity (the fact of being a father of a child) pater father portable (to be able to be carried) port to carry
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example bankrupt (without enough money to pay what you owe) inscription (words written in front of a book or cut in stone or metal) rupt to break scrib/script to write
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example bisect (to divide something into two equal parts) sect/sec to cut consent (permission to do something) sent to feel; to send
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example spect to look inspect (to look closely) restructure (to organize system of something in a new way) struct to build
Common Latin Roots Latin Root Definition Example vivid (producing very clear picture in your mind) vid/vis to see voc voice; to call vocalist ( a singer)
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example philanthropy (the practice of helping the poor and those in need, especially by giving money) autobiography (the story of a person s life written by that person) man; human; humanity anthropo auto self
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example biology (the study of living things) bio life chronological (the arrangement according to the time order) chron time
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example dynamite (powerful explosive) dyslexia (a slight disorder of brain that causes difficulty in reading and spelling) dyna power dys bad; hard; unlucky
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example epigram ( a short poem or phrase that expresses an idea in a clever or amusing way) epigraph (a line of writing short phrase on a building or statue, or as an introduction to part of a book) gram thing written graph writing
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example heterogeneous (consisting of many kinds of people or things) homogenous (consisting of people or things that are all the same) hetero different homo same
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example hydration (making something absorb water) hydr water hyperactive (too much active) hyper over; above; beyond
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example hypothermia ( a medical condition in which the body temperature is much lower than normal) astrology (the study of the positions of stars in the belief that they influence human affair) hypo below; beneath logy study of
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example thermometer (a device for measuring temperature) meter/metr measure microscope (an instrument used for examining very small living things) micro small
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example misanthrope ( a person who hates and avoid other people) mis/miso hate monologue (a speech made by one person) mono one
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example morphology (the forms of words) antonym (a word with opposite meaning with another word) synonym (a word with the same meaning with another word morph form; shape nym name
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example philosophy (the love of wisdom) phil love claustrophobia (an extreme fear of being in small confined place) phobia fear
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example photosynthesis (the process by which green plants turn carbon dioxide and water into food using energy obtained from light from the sun) photo/phos light
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example pseudonym (a name used by somebody, especially a writer, instead of their real name) pseudo false
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example psychology (the study of mind and spirit) psycho soul; spirit telescope (an instrument using to observe faraway objects) scope viewing instrument
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example technique (a particular way of doing something especially one in which you have to learn special skills) techno art; science; skill
Common Greek Roots Greek Root Definition Example telephone (an instrument you use to speak with someone who is far from you) tele far off thermal (connected with heat) therm heat
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example antigovernment (having ideas against the government) anti- against devalue (lower the value of something) de- opposite
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example disorganized (not organized, messy) dis- not; opposite of en-, em- cause to empower (to give power to)
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example foreshadow (to be a sign of something that will happen in the future) fore- before; front of income in-, im- in (money you receive)
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example indirect (not direct way), immoral (not in good way) illiterate (cannot read or write), irreverent (not connected) in-, im-, il-, ir- not
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example interrupt (speak between/ among a conversation) inter- between; among midfield (the central part of a sport field) mid- middle
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example mis- wrongly misspell (spell wrongly) non- not nonviolent (not violent)
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example over- over; too much overeat (eat too much) preview (look before you do something else) pre- before
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example re- again rewrite (write again) semicircle (one half of a circle) semi- half; partly; not fully
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example subway (the train running under the ground) sub- under superhuman ( a human with much greater power or knowledge than normal) super- above; beyond
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example transfer ( to move from one place to another) trans- across unusual (strange, not normal) un- not; opposite of
Common Prefixes Prefix Definition Example underestimate (to think or guess that the amount, size, or cost of something is lower than it really is) under- under; too little
Common Suffixes Suffix Definition Example affordable (be able to afford something) -able, -ible is; can be universal (having the characteristics of the universe, of the universe) -al, -ial having characteristics of
Common Suffixes Suffix Definition Example past tense verbs; adjectives -ed any regular past verbs -en made of golden (made of gold)
Common Suffixes Suffix Definition Example teacher (the person who teach) one who; -er, -or person connected with comparative degree adverbs/ adjectives -er more
Common Suffixes Suffix Definition Example superlative degree adverbs/ adjectives -est the most -ful full of helpful (full of help)
Common Suffixes Suffix Definition Example verb forms; present participles -ing verbs with ing ending -ion, -tion, -ation, - ition act; process edition (the act of editing)