A root word is a word or word part that can form the basis of new words through the addition of prefixes and suffixes. Understanding the meanings of common roots can help you work out the meanings of new words as you encounter them.
Many of the words we use in our daily language come from a root word. Once you pull off any prefixes or suffixes, the root is usually what remains. For example, “egotist” has a root word of “ego” plus the suffix “-ist.” “Acting” has the root word “act”; “-ing” is merely the suffix. In the examples of root words below, we’ll examine the basic (root) word as well as its additions.
Here’s a list of 100 commonly used root words for vocabulary building, including their meanings and examples:
Root Words That Can Stand Alone
These root words can be used on their own or as part of other words.
- Act – to move or do (actor, acting, reenact)
- Arbor – tree (arboreal, arboretum, arborist)
- Crypt – to hide (cryptic, cryptography, apocryphal)
- Ego – “I” (egotist, egocentric, egomaniac)
- Form – shape (conform, formulate, reform)
- Legal – related to the law (illegal, legalities, paralegal)
- Norm – typical (normality, paranormal, abnormal)
- Phobia – fear (claustrophobia, arachnophobia, hydrophobia)
- Cycle – circle (bicycle, cyclical, recycle)
- Port – carry (portal, portable, transport)
Root Words as Word Stems
These root words are from Latin or Greek and require a prefix or suffix to form a complete word.
- Acri – bitter (acrid, acrimony, acridity)
- Astro – star (astronaut, astronomy, astrophysics)
- Aud – hear (audience, audible, audio)
- Auto – self (autonomy, autocrat, automatic)
- Bene – good (benefactor, benevolent, beneficial)
- Carn – flesh (carnal, carnivorous, reincarnate)
- Corp – body (corporate, corporal, corpse)
- Cred – believe (credible, credence, incredible)
- Deca – ten (decade, decathlon, decalogue)
- Dict – say (diction, dictate, edict)
- Gen – birth (genesis, genetics, generate)
- Lum – light (luminous, luminary, lumen)
- Meter – measure (kilometer, millimeter, pedometer)
- Micro – small (microscope, microbiology, microcosm)
- Multi – many (multiple, multilingual, multifaceted)
- Sect – cut apart (dissect, sectional, transect)
- Sen – old (senior, senator, senile)
- Sent – to feel (sensation, consent, sensing)
- Tele – far (telephone, telegraph, television)
- Vor – to eat greedily (herbivore, omnivore, voracious)
Commonly Repeated Vocabulary Roots
These roots appear frequently in English words.
- Anthropo- – human (anthropology, misanthrope, philanthropist)
- Bio- – life (biology, biography, biodegradable)
- Chrono- – time (chronology, chronic, synchronize)
- Derm- – skin (dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic)
- Geo- – earth (geology, geography, geothermal)
- Hydro- – water (hydration, hydroplane, hydroelectric)
- Graph- – write or draw (autograph, graphic, paragraph)
- Phon- – sound (telephone, phonics, symphony)
- Photo- – light (photograph, photon, photogenic)
- Auto- – self (automobile, autonomy, autopilot)
- Bene- – good (beneficial, benevolence, benign)
- Mal- – bad (malfunction, malignant, malice)
- Aud- – hear (audio, audience, auditory)
- Cede- – go (recede, intercede, concede)
- Port- – carry (import, export, deport)
- Dict- – speak (dictator, predict, dictionary)
- Scrib- – write (scribe, inscribe, manuscript)
- Cent- – hundred (century, centennial, centipede)
- Dec- – ten (decade, decimal, decagon)
- Equi- – equal (equilateral, equity, equidistant)
More Root Words for Advanced Vocabulary
- Uni- – one (universe, unicorn, unify)
- Multi- – many (multimedia, multiplication, multilateral)
- Mega- – large (megaphone, megalith, megabyte)
- Micro- – small (microscope, microchip, microeconomics)
- Omni- – all (omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent)
- Poly- – many (polygon, polygamous, polytheism)
- Ject- – throw (reject, eject, inject)
- Magni- – big or great (magnify, magnitude, magnificent)
- Mal- – bad (malfunction, malpractice, malicious)
- Counter- – against (counteract, counterpoint, counterattack)
- Dem- – people (democracy, epidemic, demographic)
- Derm- – skin (dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic)
- Equi- – equal (equator, equality, equation)
- Hypno- – sleep (hypnotic, hypnosis, hypnotherapy)
- Intra- – within (intravenous, intrapersonal, intranet)
- Lum- – light (luminous, illuminate, luminary)
- Meter- – measure (barometer, thermometer, odometer)
- Morph- – shape (metamorphosis, amorphous, morphology)
- Nav- – ship (navy, navigate, naval)
- Nym- – name (synonym, antonym, pseudonym)
Additional Root Words for Expansion
- Pac- – peace (pacifist, pacify, pacification)
- Path- – feeling (sympathy, apathy, pathology)
- Phil- – love (philosophy, philanthropy, bibliophile)
- Phobia- – fear (claustrophobia, agoraphobia, xenophobia)
- Psych- – mind (psychology, psychiatrist, psyche)
- Soci- – society (sociology, social, associate)
- Struct- – build (construct, structure, destruction)
- Tact- – touch (tactile, contact, intact)
- Therm- – heat (thermal, thermometer, thermodynamics)
- Vert- – turn (convert, vertical, divert)
Final Set of Important Root Words
- Vid/Vis- – see (video, vision, visible)
- Voc- – voice (vocal, vocabulary, advocate)
- Volv- – roll (revolve, involve, evolution)
- Son- – sound (sonic, sonata, resonate)
- Sci- – know (science, conscious, omniscient)
- Civ- – citizen (civilization, civic, civil)
- Gon- – angle (polygon, hexagon, octagon)
- Liber- – free (liberty, liberal, deliberate)
- Mater- – mother (maternity, maternal, matriarch)
- Pater- – father (paternal, patriarch, patron)
- Spir- – breathe (inspire, respiration, spirit)
- San- – health (sanitary, sanity, insane)
- Temp- – time (temporary, tempo, contemporary)
- Terra- – earth (terrain, territory, terrestrial)
- Tract- – drag or pull (attract, tractor, subtract)
- Vor- – eat (herbivore, carnivore, omnivore)
- Fort- – strong (fortress, fortify, fortitude)
- Fract- – break (fracture, fraction, refract)
- Leg- – law (legal, legislature, legitimate)
- Not- – mark (notable, notation, annotate)
Vocabulary roots, also known as morphemes, are the fundamental building blocks of words in a language. These roots carry core meanings and can stand alone or combine with other roots, prefixes, and suffixes to create a wide variety of words. Understanding vocabulary roots is essential for improving your language skills and expanding your vocabulary.
Roots are typically of Latin or Greek origin and provide insight into the meaning of a word. For example, the root “bene-” means “good,” and it appears in words like “beneficial” (good for something) and “benevolent” (showing kindness or goodwill).
When roots combine with prefixes (added to the beginning of a word) or suffixes (added to the end of a word), they alter or specify the root’s meaning. For instance, adding the prefix “un-” to “happy” (root: “hap-,” meaning luck or fortune) transforms it into “unhappy,” meaning not happy or sad.
Here are a few key points about vocabulary roots:
- Roots Provide Meaning: Roots are the core of a word’s meaning. Understanding the meaning of common roots can help you decipher unfamiliar words.
- Prefixes Modify Roots: Prefixes add nuances or negate the root’s meaning. For instance, “mis-” (wrong) in “misunderstand” changes the meaning to “not understanding correctly.”
- Suffixes Modify Roots: Suffixes often change the word’s grammatical role or meaning. For example, “-ing” in “running” turns the verb “run” into its present participle form.
- Roots Are Multilingual: Many languages share common roots. For example, Latin and Greek roots are prevalent in English, but similar roots may appear in other languages, making them useful for learning multiple languages.
- Roots Aid Vocabulary Development: Learning roots can accelerate vocabulary growth because you can recognize and understand words more easily by breaking them down into their component parts.
In summary, vocabulary roots are essential linguistic elements that underpin word meanings. By grasping the meanings of common roots and how they combine with prefixes and suffixes, you can enhance your vocabulary, read and comprehend texts more effectively, and communicate more precisely.
