Latin Roots for Better Vocabulary Posted by Brittany Britanniae on Aug 27, 2021 in Grammar, Latin Language
One benefit of studying Latin roots is that it will increase your vocabulary. You will be able to parse together a word’s meaning through Latin. This is extremely useful for exams that assess your vocabulary.
Benefits of Latin Roots
Photo by Justin Case on Unsplash
Learning roots younger and younger will allow students and individuals to understand more complex words easier. Most roots have 100 words (if not more) utilizing it.
- A root word is a basic word with no prefix or suffix added to it.
- A suffix is a group of letters that is added at the end of a base word.
- A prefix is a group of letters that comes at the stating of a root word.
Below are some of the most popular roots, suffixes, and prefixes. This is by NO means all of them. If you are interested in a longer list, I would recommend a post I did seven years ago.
Latin Roots
| Latin root | Basic meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| -dict- | to say | contradict, dictate, diction, edict, predict |
| -duc- | to lead, bring, take | deduce, produce, reduce |
| -gress- | to walk | digress, progress, transgress |
| -ject- | to throw | eject, inject, interject, project, reject, subject |
| -pel- | to drive | compel, dispel, impel, repel |
| -pend- | to hang | append, depend, impend, pendant, pendulum |
| -port- | to carry | comport, deport, export, import, report, support |
| -scrib-, -script- | to write | describe, description, prescribe, prescription, subscribe, subscription, transcribe, transcription |
| -tract- | to pull, drag, draw | attract, contract, detract, extract, protract, retract, traction |
| -vert- | to turn | convert, divert, invert, revert |
Latin Suffixes
| Latin suffix | Basic meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| -able, -ible | forms adjectives and means ?capable or worthy of? | likable, flexible |
| -ation | forms nouns from verbs | creation, civilization, automation, speculation, information |
| -fy, -ify | forms verbs and means ?to make or cause to become? | purify, acidify, humidify |
| -ment | forms nouns from verbs | entertainment, amazement, statement, banishment |
| -ty, -ity | forms nouns from adjectives | subtlety, certainty, cruelty, frailty, loyalty, royalty; eccentricity, electricity, peculiarity, similarity, technicality |
Latin Prefixes
| Latin prefix | Basic meaning | Example words |
|---|---|---|
| co- | together | coauthor, coedit, coheir |
| de- | away, off; generally indicates reversal or removal in English | deactivate, debone, defrost, decompress, deplane |
| dis- | not, not any | disbelief, discomfort, discredit, disrepair, disrespect |
| inter- | between, among | international, interfaith, intertwine, intercellular, interject |
| non- | not | nonessential, nonmetallic, nonresident, nonviolence, nonskid, nonstop |
| post- | after | postdate, postwar, postnasal, postnatal |
| pre- | before | preconceive, preexist, premeditate, predispose, prepossess, prepay |
| re- | again; back, backward | rearrange, rebuild, recall, remake, rerun, rewrite |
| sub- | under | submarine, subsoil, subway, subhuman, substandard |
| trans- | across, beyond, through | transatlantic, transpolar |
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Brittany Britanniae
Hello There! Please feel free to ask me anything about Latin Grammar, Syntax, or the Ancient World.