a little etymology - greek and latin roots and a little etymology - stems, prefixes, and affixes

8/3/2019 A Little Etymology - Greek and Latin Roots and a Little Etymology - Stems, Prefixes, And Affixes

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A Little Etymology

Stems, Prefixes, and Affixes

If you recognize the parts, you'll understand the whole: learn the Greek and Latin roots, the prefixes and affixes.

" As someone trained in foreign languages and theoretical linguistics, I completely agree with the experts quoted in Why your kids should learn

Latin. I would add that the study of Ancient Greek stems and affixes is equally valuable. As a follow-up to this article, I would suggest that you

compile a short course on the meanings of Greek and Latin stems and affixes, focussing upon their value as reading aids in English and the

Romance languages."

- Anonymous, from Users Feedback

This feature (from May 1998) is meant to be an introduction to Classical stems and affixes -- not an introduction to linguistics. Following the advice of

William Harr is, the major expert quoted in my feature named above, I found the small, but dense 1953 gem, Scientific Terminology , invaluable.

In ordinary life, knowing Greek and Latin components of English enhances understanding and facilitates communication, but in the sciences, particularly in

areas of medicine, it could be more serious.

Hypothetically, Why You Need to Know Your Affixes

Root + Suffix=Word

The suffix on please is an e. Does that surprise you? It did me. But if you look at the word pleas-ure, it makes sense, since removing its suffix leaves

the same root as in pleas-e. As John Hough, in Scientific Terminology, points out, roots rarely exist alone. They usually precede suffixes. The same is

true of Greek and Latin, even if, when borrowing, we sometimes drop the suffix. Thus, the word cell in English is really the Latin cella, from which we've

dropped the a suffix.

Not only do almost all English words contain roots plus suffixes, but, according to Hough, suffixes can't stand alone. A suffix does not have meaning on its

own, but needs to be connected to the root.

Suffix - Definition:

A suffix is an inseparable form that cannot be used alone but that carries an indication of quality, action, or relation. When added to a combining

form, it makes a complete word and will determine whether the word is a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb....

Compound Words

A suffix combined with a root is different from a compound word which, in loose English usage, is usually thought of as just another case of root + suffix.

Sometimes two Greek or Latin words are put together to form a compound word. Often we think of these words as suffixes when they aren't, technically,

although they may be thought of as end forms.

End Forms

You've all heard the story about the fellow who went in for a routine exam only to land on the operating table. This could conceivably happen to a

patient seeking a routine colonoscopy. Way back, when I was TAing Medical Terms, there were many students who wouldn't have selected the right

tools -- or even the right orifice for the colonoscopy. There are many who would have gone straight for a woman's reproductive organs, searching for

growths to cut away, mistaking not only the colon for the vagina, but an examination for a cutting procedure. The confusion went the other way as

well, with students mistaking a colposcopy (examination of the cervix and vagina) for a colectomy (the removal of the large bowel).

-Why Study Terminology ([http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/medical-etymology.html#why] - Accessed October 28, 2010). How knowing the

etymology of rhinoceros will help you understand your doctor's diagnoses:

"Sometime during the 14th century someone decided to give this mammal its present day name. The characteristic of the animal that struck them the

most was the large horn that grew from its nose. The Greek word for nose is rhis, and the combining form (the form that is used when it is combined

with other word elements) is rhin-. The Greek word for horn is keras. So this animal was named a "nose-horn animal" or a 'rhinoceros.'"

...

"You take a peek in your file and discover that .. . [the doctor] wrote 'acute rhinitis' as your diagnosis. Now having taken this course, you know that

'acute' just means sudden onset ... and you know that "-itis" simply means an inflammation."

Ancient / Classical History Share Print

le Etymology - Greek and Latin Roots and a Little Etymology - Stems... http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa05

9/19/2011



The following is a chart of some common Greek "end forms." An example is the word neurology (study of the nervous system) which comes from the

Greek neuro- the combining form of the noun neuron (nerve) plus -logy , listed below. We think of these end forms as merely suffixes, but they are fully

productive words.

Greek Word Ending Meaning

αλγος -algia -pain

βιος -be life

κηλη -cele tumor

τοµος -ectomy cut

αιµα -(a)emia blood

λογος -logy study

ειδος -oid form

πολεω -poesis make

σκοπεω -scope see into

στοµα -stomy mouth

(Note: breathing marks are missing. These forms and the other tables are excerpted from Hough's book but have been modified based

on corrections submitted by readers.)

And from the Latin, we have:

Latin Word Ending Meaning

fugere -fuge flee

Root + Suffix/Prefix=Word

Prefixes are usually adverbs or prepositions derived from Greek or Latin that can't be used alone in English and appear at the beginnings of words.

Suffixes, which appear at the ends of words, aren't usually adverbs or prepositions, but they can't be used alone in English, either. While suffixes are

often joined to the the end of roots by separate connecting vowels, the transformation of these prepositional and adverbial prefixes is more direct, even

though the final letter of the prefix may be changed or eliminated. In 2-letter prefixes, this can be confusing. Among other changes, n can become m or s

and a final b or d may be changed to match the first letter of the root. Think of this confusion as designed to ease pronunciation.

This list won't help you figure out antipasto, but it will prevent you from describing the antonym of precedent as antident or polydent .

Note: Greek forms are capitalized, Latin in normal case.

Latin Prefix/ GREEK PREFIX Meaning

A-, AN- "alpha privative", a negative

ab- away from

ad- to, towards, near

ambi- both

ANA- up, back again, throughout, against

ante- before, in front of

ANTI- against

APO- away from

bi-/bis- twice, double

CATA- down, across, under

circum- around

con- with

contra- against

de- down, from, away from

DI- two, twice, double

DIA- through

dis- apart, removed

DYS- hard, difficult, bad

e-, ex- (Lat.)

EC- EX- (GK.)

out of


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ECTO- outside

EXO- outside, outward

EN- in

endo- within

epi- on, upon

extra- outside, beyond, in addition to

EU- well, good, easy

HEMI- half

HYPER- over, above,

HYPO- below, under

in- in, into, on

You often see this prefix as im.

Used with verbal roots.

in- not; occasionally , beyond belief

infra- below

inter- between

intro- within

intus- within

META- with, after, beyond

non- not

OPISTHO- behind

PALIN- again

PARA- along side of, beside

per- through, thorough, complete

PERI- around, near

post- after, behind

pre- in front of, before

PRO- before, in front of

PROSO- onwards, in front

re- back, again

retro- backward

semi- half

sub- under, below

super-, supra- above, upper

SYN- withtrans- across

ultra- beyond

Adjective + Root + Suffix=Word

The following tables contain Greek and Latin adjectives in the form used to combine with English words or with other Latin or Greek parts to make English

words -- like megalomaniac or macroeconomics, to take examples from the top of the table.

GREEK & Latin

Meaning in English

MEGA-, MEGALO-, MAKRO-; magni-, grandi- big

MICRO-; parvi- little

MACRO-, DOLICHO; longi- long

BRACHY-; brevi- short

EURY, PLATY-; lati- wide

STENO-; angusti- narrow

CYCLO-, GYRO; circuli- round

quadrati- rectanguli- square

PACHY-, PYCNO-, STEATO-; crassi- thick

LEPTO-; tenui- thin

BARY-; gravi- heavy

SCLERO-, SCIRRHO-; duri- hard

MALACO-; molli- soft


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HYGRO-, HYDRO-; humidi- wet

XERO-; sicci- dry (Xerox®)

OXY-; acri- sharp

CRYO- PSYCHRO-; frigidi- cold

THERMO-; calidi- hot

DEXIO-; dextri- right

SCAIO-; scaevo- levi, sinistri- left

PROSO-, PROTO-; frontali- front

MESO-; medio- middle

POLY-; MULTI- many

OLIGO-; pauci- few

STHENO-; validi-, potenti- strong

HYPO-; imi-, intimi- bottom

PALEO-, ARCHEO-; veteri-, seni- old

NEO-, CENO-; novi new

CRYPTO-, CALYPTO-; operti- hidden

TAUTO-; identi- same

HOMO-, HOMEO-; simili- alike

EU-, KALO-, KALLO-; boni- good

DYS-, CACO-; mali- bad

CENO-, COELO-; vacuo- empty

HOLO-; toti- entirely

IDIO-; proprio-, sui- one's own

ALLO-; alieni- another's

GLYCO-; dulci- sweet

PICRO-; amari- bitter

ISO-; equi- equal

HETERO-, ALLO-; vario- different

Colors

A medical example of a Greek-based color word is erythrokinetics (e·ryth·ro·ki·net·ics), which Your Dictionary Medical Definitions defines as "A study of

the kinetics of red blood cells from their generation to destruction."

GREEK & Latin

Meaning in English

COCCINO-, ERYTHTO-, RHODO-, EO-; purpureo-, rubri-, rufi-, rutuli-, rossi-, roseo-, flammeo- Reds of various shades

CHRYSO-, CIRRHO-; aureo-, flavo-, fulvi- orange

XANTHO-, OCHREO-; fusci-, luteo- yellow

CHLORO-; prasini-, viridi- green

CYANO-, IODO-; ceruleo-, violaceo- blue

PORPHYRO-; puniceo-, purpureo- violet

LEUKO-; albo-, argenti- white

POLIO-, GLAUCO-, AMAURO-; cani-, cinereo-, atri- gray

MELANO-; nigri- black

Numerals

Here are more combining forms that are important to know since they are numbers. If you've ever had trouble remembering whether millimeter or

kilometer was closer to an inch, pay attention here. Note that the milli- is Latin and the kilo- is Greek; the Latin is the smaller unit, and the Greek the

larger, so millimeter is a 1000th part of a meter (.0363 of an inch) and the kilometer is 1000 meters (39370 inches).

Some of these numerals are derived from adverbs, most from adjectives.

GREEK & Latin

Meaning in English

SEMI-; hemi- 1/2

HEN- ; uni- 1

sesqui- 1-1/2


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DYO (DI-, DIS-) ; duo- (bi-, bis-) 2

TRI-; tri- 3

TETRA-, TESSARO- ;quadri- 4

PENTA-;quinque 5

HEX, HEXA-;sex- 6

HEPTA-;septem- 7

OCTO-;octo- 8

ENNEA-;novem- 9

DECA-;decem- 10

DODECA-; duodecim 12

HECATONTA-;centi- 100

CHILIO-;milli- 1000

MYRI-, MYRIAD-; any large or countless number

Source:

John Hough, Scientific Terminology ; New York: Rhinehart & Company, Inc. 1953.

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a little etymology - greek and latin roots and a little etymology - stems, prefixes, and affixes

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