HONORS BIOLOGY ROOT WORDS
To learn Biology, you must be able to understand many unfamiliar, difficult terms. Nearly all of these terms are derived from
Latin and Greek word parts. These words parts include roots (core part), prefixes (beginning part), and suffixes (end part). But
for sake of simplicity, we will refer to all word parts as “roots”. Roots are the building blocks that join together to construct words.
Each root has a specific meaning and they combine together to form words. Learning these meanings will greatly help you to
understand scientific terminology.
Group a-; an- not; without; lacking Group -chem- dealing with chemicals
1 ab- away from; out from 4 chlor(o)- green
-able capable of chondr(o)- cartilage
ac-, ad- , at- to; toward chrom-; -chrome color
-aceous of or pertaining to chron(o)- time
aero- air -cid-; -cis- cut; kill; fall
agri- field; soil circum- around; about
-al having the character of co-; com-; con-; cor- with; together
alb- white coni- cone
amphi-; ambi both contra-; counter- against
ana- away; up; back; again corp- body
andr(o)- man; masculine crani- skull
angio- vessel, duct -cul-; -cule small; diminutive
anter- front cuti- skin
anti- against; opposite -cycle; cycl- ring; circle
anthropo- man; human -cyst- sac; pouch
cyt-; -cyte cell; hollow container
Group aqu- water Group -dactyl-; digit- finger; toe
2 arachni- spider 5 de- away from; down
archaeo- primitive; ancient deca-; deka- ten
arteri- artery deci- (Latin) tenth; ten
arthr- joint; articulation dendr- tree; branching
-ary; -arium a place for; related to dent-; -odont tooth; teeth
-ase enzyme -derm- skin
-asis state or condition di-; dipl- ; du- two; double
astro- star di-; dia- through; across
-ate; -ation the act of di-; dis-; dif- apart; separate
audi- hear dorm- sleep
auto- self dors- back
avi- bird -duc-; -duct- to lead
baro- pressure dys- bad; abnormal; difficult; ill
bi- (Latin) two; twice
bi; bio- (Greek) life; living
Group brachi- arm Group ec-; ecto- out of; away from; outside of
3 -brev- short 6 eco- environment; habitat
bronch- windpipe en-; endo-; ent-; eso- in; into; within; inner
calor- heat entom(o)- insects
carcin- cancer epi- upon; above; over
cardi- heart erythro- red
carn- meat; flesh eu- well; good; true; normal
carpal- wrist ex-; exo- out of; away from
cata- breakdown; downward extra- beyond; outside
-cell- chamber; small room fibr-; fil- fiber; thread
cen-; -cene now; recent -fid; fiss- split; divided into
cent(i)- hundred(th) -flect; -flex bend
centr- center flor- flower
-cephal- head flu-; fluct-; -flux- flow
cervi- neck -form- shape
fract- ; frag- break
Group -gam- marriage Group macr(o)- large
7 gastr(o)- stomach 11 mal- bad, evil
geo- land; earth mamm-; mast- breast
-gen; -genic producer; cause marg- border; edge
-gene- origin; birth; descent mega- million; great
-gest- carry; produce mela-; melan- black; dark
gluc-; glyc- sweet; sugar men(o)- month
-gon angle; corner -mer part
-grad-; -gree; -gress step mes(o)- middle; intermediate
-gram; -graph record; writing met-; meta- between; along; after
-grav- heavy -meter; -metry measurement
gymno- naked; bare micro- small; millionth
gyn(o)-; gyne- female milli- thousandth
mis- wrong; incorrect
Group -hal-; -hale breathe; breath Group mon(o)- one; single
8 hapl- single 12 mort- death
hem- ; -emia blood -mot- move
hemi- half morph- shape; form; structure
hepat- liver multi- many
herpet- reptile mut- change
herb- grass; plants my(o)- muscle
hetero- different; other myc(o)- fungus
hex- six -moll- soft
hist- tissue; woven narc- to numb; deaden
homo- ; -hum- man; human nas(o)- nose
homo-; homeo- same; alike necr(o)- dead; corpse
hydr(o)- water neo- new; recent
hyper- above; beyond; over nephr(o)- kidney
hypo- below; under; less neur- nerve
Group noct-; nox- night
Group -ia; -ism state; condition 13 -nom-; -nomy name; arrangement
9 -iac person afflicted with disease non- not
ichthy- fish nuc- center
ign- fire; burn ob- against
in-; il-; im-; ir- not; toward, into, within ocul-; opt-; -opia eye
-in(e) of or pertaining to; made of oct- eight
infra-; infer- below; beneath -oid form; shape; appearance
inter- between olf-; olfact- smell
intra- within; inside -oma; onc(o)- tumor; growth; cancer
iso- equal; same omni- all
-ist person who deals with... oo-; ov-; o- egg
-itis inflammation; disease ora- mouth
-ium body part; type of element orb- circle; round; ring
ornith- bird
orth- straight; correct; right
Group -kary- cell nucleus; body
10 kilo- thousand Group -ose sugar; carbohydrate
kine- move 14 -osis abnormal condition
lact- milk oste(o)- bone
lat- side -ous; -ious full of
-less without oxy- sharp; acute, acid, oxygen
leuc-; leuk- white paleo- old; ancient
liga- to bind pan- all
lingu- tongue par-; para- beside; near; equal
lip(o)- fat path-; -pathy disease; suffering
loc- place paed-; ped- (Greek) child; children
-(o)logist one who studies... -ped-; -pod (Latin) foot; feet
-(o)logy the study of... pent- five
-lumin- light; bright per- through
-lys-; -lyt-; -lyst decompose; split; dissolve peri- around
Group -phase stage; condition Group spec-; spic- look at
15 phag(o)- eat 18 -sperm-; -spor- seed
phen(o)- show -spher- ball; round
-phil- loving; fond of spir-; -spire breathe
-phobia; -phobic fear; hate; dread stat-; -stasis standing; staying
phon-; -phone sound stern- chest
photo- light stom-; -stome mouth
-phyll leaf strat- layer
physi- nature; natural -strict- to draw tight
phyt(o)-; -phyte plant stereo- solid; 3-dimensional
-plasm-; -plast- form; formed into sub- under; below
plat(y)- flat super-; supra-; sur- over; above; on top
pneumo-; pulmo- lung; rib; air sym-; syn- together
poly- many; several
por- opening
post- after; behind
Group pre- before; prior to Group tachy- quick; swift
16 prim-; proto- first; primary 19 tax- arrange; put in order
pro- forward; favoring; before tele- far off; distant
pseud(o)- false; deceptive telo- end
psych(o)- mind -terr- earth; land
-puls- drive; push tetr- four
pyr- heat; fire -therm- heat
quadr- four -thorac- chest
quin- five -tom-; -tomy cut; split
re- again; back tox(ico)- poison
ren- kidney trache(o)- windpipe
rhin(o)- nose trans- across
-sacchar- sugar; sweet tri- three
-saur- lizard trich- hair
-trop- turn; change
-troph- nourishment; feed
Group -sci- know Group -ul-; -ule small; diminutive
17 -sclero- hard 20 ultra- beyond
-scop- look; observe uni- one
-scribe; -script- write vas(o)- vessel
-sect- cut ventr- belly; underside
semi- half; partly -verge turn; slant
sept- partition; seven vig- strong
-septic- infection vit-; viv- life; alive
sex- six -volv- change; turn; roll
-sis ; -osis condition; state -vor- devour; eat
sol- sun xanth- yellow
-solv- loosen; free zo-; -zoa animal
somat-; -some body zyg(o)- joined together; yolk
-somn- sleep
son- sound
