What Are Affixes and Roots?
Many English words contain a simple word with the combination of prefixes or suffixes to them that depict their meaning. This basic simple word is called root and the prefix or suffix added to it is generally called the affix. Both roots and affixes have played a vital role in the development of many new words, but many students are not completely aware of them. Given below is the detailed explanation of both of them along with some commonly used affixes and roots:
Affixes
Word affix means to stick, attach or join. Affixes are a set of letters, which get stuck to words to give these words a new meaning. Affixes can be added at the beginning or end of the word and based on this, affixes are divided into two main categories. These categories are prefixes and suffixes. As word pre means before, the prefixes are the affixes added at the beginning of the words i.e. in word ‘unsuccessful' affix un- is added at the beginning hence it is acting as a prefix. On the other hand, suffixes are the affixes added at the end of the word. For example, in word ‘national' affix -al comes at the end. Some commonly used affixes are anti-, -ful, inter-, pre-, -ly, -ness.
Roots
Most of the words of the English language are formed with the help of a simple word and a prefix or suffix joined to it. The main or simple word to which an affix is attached is called root word or simply the root. In short, root is the basis of a word. As Greek and Latin languages played a vital role in the development of the English language, most of the words used as root are either Greek or Latin. Some commonly used roots are logy, micro, scope, etc.
How to Use Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots to Define Words?
Greek and Latin are one of those very few languages that have an important role in the formation of the English language. Most of the words we hear, read, and write in the English language today have come down to us either from Latin or Greek.
Greek and Latin elements can either make up the root of a word or its affixes, either prefix or suffix. No matter what form these are present in the word, their presence can contribute a lot to the meaning of the word. These Latin and Greek roots and affixes can give a clear direction to a word's meaning if one knows how to work on them.
Here are steps to follow in this regard:
Break Word into Parts
Once you have figured out that a word consists of either Latin or Greek elements, try breaking the word in smaller parts. Make sure that the smaller parts you have divided the word in have a meaning of their own. Try not to simply start pulling out the letters from the words, instead, try looking for specific affixes and roots you have already heard from in any of these languages.
Understand the Meanings of Parts
Once removed, try to see if those affixes or roots are from Latin or Greek. Search for their meaning If you don't know and use more than one source to be sure about the meaning.
Join the Word Parts and Meanings
Now that you know what a specific word part means, try to combine and merge that Latin or Greek word's meaning with that of the rest of the word - you will be able to identify the word's meaning easily.
Examples of Greek and Latin Affixes and Roots
Here is the complete list of the most commonly used Greek and Latin affixes and root words.
Greek Root Words
| Root |
Meaning |
Examples |
| Anti |
Against |
Antibacterial |
| Aqu |
Water |
Aquarium |
| Biblio |
Book |
Bibliophil |
| Chrome |
Color |
Phytochrome |
| Doc |
Teach |
Doctrinal |
| Geo |
Earth |
Geometry |
| Graph |
Write |
Demographic |
| Kinesis |
Movement |
Photokinesis |
| Narc |
Sleep |
Narcolepsy |
| Phil |
Love |
Philosophy, Philanthropy |
| Photo |
Light |
Photocopy |
| Syn |
Together With |
Photosynthesis |
| Tropos |
Turning |
Tropical |
Latin Root Words
| Root |
Meaning |
Examples |
| Ab |
To Move Away |
Aversion |
| Acer, Acri |
Bitter |
Exacerbate |
| Brev |
Short |
Brief |
Dict
|
Say |
Dictionary |
| Fund |
Bottom |
Funding |
| Hab |
To HaveAbility |
Inhabit |
| Lev |
To Lift |
Leverage |
| Luc, Lum |
Light |
Translucent |
| Mis, Mit |
Send |
Permit |
Pac
|
Peace |
Pacifist |
| Quit |
Silent |
Acquit |
| Sens |
To Feel |
Resent |
| Tim |
To Fear |
Timorous |
| Vid |
To See |
Video |
Greek And Latin Prefixes
| Prefix |
Meaning |
Example |
A, An
|
Without, Not |
Anachronism |
| Ad |
Toward |
Adumbrate |
| Amphi |
Round |
Amphibian |
| Anthro |
Man |
Anthropomorphic |
| Aqua |
Water |
Aqueous |
Archos
|
Leader |
Architect |
| Auto |
Self |
Auto-Immune |
| Bi |
Two |
Bicuspid, Bivalve |
| Bible |
Book |
Bibliophile |
| Caco |
Bad |
Cacophony |
| Circum |
Around |
Circumnavigate |
| Corpus |
Body |
Corpus Callosum |
Demos
|
People |
Demographic |
| Dia |
Across |
Diagnosis |
Dis
|
Apart |
Distend |
| Ego |
I, Self |
Egocentric |
| Ex |
Out |
Exophalmic, Exoskeleton |
| Frater |
Brother |
Fratricide |
| Graph |
Record |
Graphology, |
| Homo |
Same |
Homeostasis |
| Ideo |
Idea |
Ideal |
| Inter |
Between |
Interstitial |
| Lexis |
Word |
Lexicography |
| Locus |
Place |
Circumlocution |
| Meter |
Measure |
Odometer |
| Mittere |
Send |
Remit |
| Mortis |
Death |
Morbid |
| Nomen |
Name |
Nominal |
| Pater |
Father |
Patricide |
| Peri |
Around |
Peritoneum |
| Phobos |
Phon |
Polein |
Poly
|
Many |
Polyphonic |
| Pre |
Before |
Prescient |
| Riparia |
River |
Riparian |
| Scribo |
Write |
Script |
| Tele |
Distance |
Teleology |
| Utilis |
Useful |
Utilitarian |
Greek And Latin Suffixes
| Suffix |
Meaning |
Examples |
| Ac |
Pertaining To |
Cardiac |
| Ate |
Subject To |
Visualize |
| Cele |
Protrusion |
Cystocele (Bladder Hernia) |
Cle
|
Small |
Follicle |
| Ectomy |
Cutting Out |
Appendectomy |
| Esis |
State Or Condition |
Paresis |
| Stormy |
Surgical Opening |
Gastrostomy |
How to Using Affixes and Roots To Determine Word Meanings
The English language has a vast variety of words. It contains thousands of words that are used in daily conversations and text. All the words in the English language are almost impossible to memorize. It is also not necessary for anyone to memorize all the words in order to become an expert in the language. This is because there are many other ways to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. One can always refer to the dictionary to find out meanings. However, this method is not always resourceful because not everyone carries a dictionary along with them. In your academic and professional life, you will come across many new words that might seem impossible to figure out at first but with a special technique, you can easily guess the meaning accurately. The presence of an unknown word won't become a hindrance in your work or assessment.
The technique involves the use of affixes and root words. All words of the English language can be broken down into parts. These parts of the word are affixes and root words. You can use the help of them to find out the meaning of any unfamiliar or complex word.
Root Words
Root words are the words that already have a predefined meaning. They cannot be broken down any further. The root word is the primary part of the word. It does not have any affixes attached to it. The root word present in any word is the part that contains the most significance. The main meaning of the word comes from the root word.
For example,
Anthropology
This word contains two root words i.e anthropo and logy. Anthropo means human behavior and logy means study. Therefore, combining the meanings of both, the meaning of the word becomes the study of human behavior.
Affixes
Suffixes and prefixes are the two types of affixes. They are mentioned either in the beginning or the ending of the word.
For example,
Unhappy
The word unhappy has the root word happy. Un is the prefix that means not. Hence, the meaning becomes, not happy.
