Root Words – Prefixes — Suffixes
Root words will be normally at the front or the back of the remaining word. A little digging will uncover just what the root word really means. For example, in a word such as scissors, the root word is sciss, which means cut.
- Determining a Root Word
Some examples of root words can be found in everyday language. The root word for bicycle would be cycle and the root word for transactions would be action.
Words can even have two root words, such as schoolhouse.
- Root Words Can Have Their Own Meaning
There are many root words that are frequently used as parts of common words in the English language. For example, the following root words are provided with their meaning and, in italics, with an example of the root word as part of a word:
- Aqua – means water. Aquamarine
- Arbor – means tree. Arboreal
- Audio – means sound or hearing. Audible
- Dict – means say. Dictation
- Geo – means earth. Geography
- Graph – means write. Graphics
- Hydra – means water. Hydrofoil
- Man – means hand. Manual
- Min – means small. Minimal
- Nov – means new. Novice
- Path – means feeling or suffering. Pathetic and Apathy
- Sol – means sun. Solar
- Therm – means heat. Thermometer
- Vac – means empty. Vacuum
- Vent – means opening to let air in. Ventilate
- Vit – means life. Vitamin
Liter, glyph, cap, morph, crypt, plan, ego, scent, and zoo are also root words. For example, animal is the actual meaning of the root word zoo, so when they named the zoo, they were right.
Prefix
A group of words added at the beginning of a root word to form a new word with different meaning.
For example, the word “unhappy” consists of the prefix “un-“ [which means “not”] combined with the root word “happy”; the word “unhappy” means “not happy”
A Short List of Prefixes:
|
PREFIX |
MEANING |
EXAMPLES |
|
de- |
from, down, away reverse, opposite |
decode, decrease |
|
dis- |
not, opposite, reverse, away |
disagree, disappear |
|
ex- |
out of, away from, lacking, former |
exhale, explosion |
|
il- |
not |
illegal, illogical |
|
im- |
not, without |
impossible, improper |
|
in- |
not, without |
inaction, invisible |
|
mis- |
bad, wrong |
mislead, misplace |
|
non- |
not |
nonfiction, nonsense |
|
pre- |
before |
prefix, prehistory |
|
pro- |
for, forward, before |
proactive, profess, program |
|
re- |
again, back |
react, reappear |
|
un- |
against, not, opposite |
undo, unequal, unusual |
Suffix
A suffix is a group of letters placed after the root of a word. For example, the word flavorless consists of the root word “flavor” combined with the suffix “-less” [which means “without”]; the word “flavorless” means “having no flavor”.
A Short List of Prefixes:
|
SUFFIX |
MEANING |
EXAMPLES |
|
-able |
able to, having the quality of |
comfortable, portable |
|
-al |
relating to |
annual, comical |
|
-er |
comparative |
bigger, stronger |
|
-est |
superlative |
strongest, tiniest |
|
-ful |
full of |
beautiful, grateful |
|
-ible |
forming an adjective |
reversible, terrible |
|
-ily |
forming an adverb |
eerily, happily, lazily |
|
-ing |
denoting an action, a material, or a gerund |
acting, showing |
|
-less |
without, not affected by |
friendless, tireless |
|
-ly |
forming an adjective |
clearly, hourly |
|
-ness |
denoting a state or condition |
kindness, wilderness |
|
-y |
full of, denoting a condition, or a diminutive |
glory, messy, victory, |
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