Root Words | Definition, List & Examples
A root word is the most basic form of a word that cannot be further divided into meaningful segments. Root words are used to form new words by adding letters at the beginning (i.e., a prefix) and/or the end (i.e., a suffix).
For example, the word “unfaithful” is made up of these different parts:
prefix root word suffix
By adding a suffix and/or a prefix to a root word like “faith,” we can make other words such as “faithful,” “faithfully,” “unfaithful,” and “unfaithfully.” These words are linked both in terms of spelling and meaning and are called a word family.
What are root words?
A root word is the fundamental unit of a word. A root word has nothing added at the beginning or the end. While some root words are standalone words in English, others need a prefix (like “anti-” or “un-”) and/or a suffix (like “-able” or “-ist”) to create a meaningful word.
For example, “cede” is a root word for other words like “recede” or “precedent,” but it is also a word on its own (meaning “to give up”). On the other hand, the root word “struct” does not constitute an understandable word in itself and other letters need to be added for it to make sense (e.g, “instructor,” “destruction,” “structural”).
Many words are created from Latin or Greek root words and usually cannot function as standalone words in English. For example, “chrono” comes from Greek and is the root of words like “chronology,” “synchronize,” and “chronic,” but it’s not a separate word in English.
Learning about root words can help you work out the meaning of new or longer words. When you know how to decode unknown words by identifying their root words and affixes (i.e., the prefix or suffix attached to them), you can navigate more complex or specialized texts. For example, many root words derived from Latin and Greek are common in math and science terminology, like “centi” (“hundred”) or “geo” (“earth”).
- When added at the beginning of the word, they are called prefixes. Common prefixes include: “an-” (“without”), anti- (“against”), “hyper-” (“over”), “non-” (“lack of”), “pre-” (“before”), and “post-” (“after”).
- When added at the end of the word, they are called suffixes. Common suffixes include: “-acy” (“state or quality”), “-able/-ible” (“capable of”), “-al” (“pertaining to”), “-ic/-ical” (“having the form”), and “-less” (“without”).
Example root words
Some root words can be used independently, while others need to be combined with a prefix (i.e., letters at the beginning), a suffix (i.e., letters at the end) or another root word (e.g., -logue) to form a standalone word.
| Root word | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| act | to do | react, action, activity |
| centr/o/i | center | eccentric, egocentric, centrifuge |
| cycl | circle | cycle, bicycle, encyclopedia |
| domin | master | domineering, dominate, dominant |
| ego | I (first person singular) | egomaniac, egotistic, superego |
| employ | apply/make use of | unemployment, employee, disemploy |
| form | shape | uniform, formality, information |
| friend | friend | unfriendly, befriend, friendship |
| norm | a carpenter’s square/ a pattern | abnormal, enormous, normalize |
| note | comment upon | keynote, denote, connotation |
| place | spot | misplaced, displaced, workplace |
| use | take or hold | user, useless, misuse |
Root words vs. base words
The terms root words and base words are often used interchangeably. However, they are not exactly the same. While root words cannot always be used as standalone words in English, base words can be used on their own or combined with other words or letters to create complex words.
For example, “code” is a base word that can be used independently or to create other words like “barcode,” “decode,” or “codify.” On the other hand, the root word “aud” (which comes from Latin) cannot be used by itself and has to be combined with other letters to form words like “auditorium,” “audition,” and “audible.” Because many root words are of Latin or Greek origin, they don’t make sense as independent words in English.
Sometimes, root words and base words overlap. For example, the word “act” is a root word of Latin origin, but also a standalone word in English. By adding a prefix or suffix, we get new words like “reaction,” “exact,” and “actor.” In this case, “act” is both a root word and a base word.
Latin root words (free downloadable list)
Below is a list containing common Latin root words, their meaning, and examples of words based on each root. You can also download this list in the format of your choice below.
Download PDF list Download Google Docs list
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| anim(a) | breath or soul | animate, animal, unanimous |
| aqua | water | aquarium, aquatic, aquamarine |
| aud | to hear/listen | audio, inaudible, audition |
| bene | good | benefactor, benefit, benign |
| brev | short | abbreviation, brevity, brief |
| cand/cend | to glow/shine | incandescent, candid, candidate |
| carn | meat or flesh | carnivorous, carnage, reincarnation |
| cred | to believe/trust | incredible, credentials, creed |
| dict/dic | to say | dictionary, diction, dedicate |
| doc | to teach | doctrine, docile, document |
| don | to give/grant | donor, condone, pardon |
| duce/duct | to lead | deduce, induction, produce |
| hospit | host, guest | hospital, inhospitable, hostess |
| jur/jus | law/right/oath | conjure, jurisdiction, justice |
| libr | book | library, libretto, librarian |
| luc/lum | brightness/clarity | elucidate, lucid, illuminate |
| magn | great/large | magnanimous, magnificent, magnifying |
| manu | hand | manuscript, manicure, manipulate |
| pac | peace | Pacific, pacifier, pacifist |
| port | to carry | export, import, reporter |
| scrib/script | to write | describe, script, nondescript |
| sens | to feel | sense, consensus, desensitize |
| terr | earth | terrain, territory, extraterrestrial |
| vac | empty | evacuate, vacancy, vacuum |
| vis/vid | to see | invisible, video, evidence |
Greek root words (free downloadable list)
Below is a list containing common Greek root words, their meaning, and examples of words based on each root. You can also download this list in the format of your choice below.
Download PDF list Download Google Docs list
| Root | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| aero | air | aerodynamic, aeronautics, aerobic |
| aesthet | related to the senses | aesthetic, anesthetic, anesthesia |
| anthrop | human | anthropology, misanthrope, philanthropist |
| astro/aster | star | astronomy, astronaut, asteroid |
| auto | self | automatic, autobiography, autofocus |
| biblio | book | bibliography, bible, bibliophile |
| bio | life | biology, biography, symbiosis |
| chrome | color | monochrome, chromosome, chromatic |
| chrono | time | chronicle, chronological, synchronize |
| cosm(o) | world/universe | cosmology, cosmopolitan, microcosm |
| dyn | power | dynamic, dynamite, electrodynamics |
| gnos | know | diagnosis, prognosticate, agnostic |
| graph | write | telegraph, calligraphy, geography |
| hydr | water | hydrogen, hydration, dehydrate |
| logy | study | epistemology, ecology, trilogy |
| mania | frenzy | mania, megalomaniac, egomania |
| melan | black | melatonin, melamin, melancholy |
| metr/meter | measure | metric, asymmetry, diameter |
| narc | numbness/sleep | narcotic, narcolepsy, narcosis |
| paleo | old | paleontology, Paleolithic, paleobotany |
| phon | sound/voice | microphone, telephone, symphony |
| photo | light | photograph, photon, photocopy |
| psych | soul/spirit | psychology, psychiatrist, psychic |
| rhe | flow | rhythm, rheology, diarrhea |
| schem | shape/manner | scheme, schematic, schemer |
| therm | heat | hypothermia, thermometer, thermostat |
Base words
Base words can stand alone, but can also be combined with other letters to create new words.
| Base word | Derived Word |
|---|---|
| act | transaction |
| appear | disappear |
| break | unbreakable |
| care | careful |
| color | discolored |
| do | undo |
| harm | harmful |
| honest | honestly |
| hope | hopeless |
| kind | kindness |
| like | dislike |
| love | beloved |
| mark | unmarked |
| pack | unpack |
| paint | repainted |
| place | displacement |
| play | downplay |
| reason | unreasonable |
| spell | spellbound |
| worth | worthless |
Worksheet: Root words
Want to test your understanding of root words? Try the worksheet below. In each sentence, see if you can identify the root word(s) of the highlighted word.
- The hotel lost our reservation, and the receptionist was really unhelpful.
- We came to a unanimous decision that more staff is needed during peak hours.
- ANOVA is an abbreviation of “Analysis of Variance”.
- My father is agnostic when it comes to religious matters.
- One of the three aqueducts supplying water to the Los Angeles area is from the Colorado River.
- The root word is help. The word “unhelpful” is made of three parts: “un-” (prefix), ”help” (root word), and “ful” (suffix).
- The root word is anim. The word “unanimous” is made of two parts: “unus” (meaning “one” in Latin) and “animus” (meaning “spirit” or “mind” in Latin).
- The root word is brev. The word “abbreviation” comes from Latin “ad” (prefix meaning “to”) and “breviare” (“shorten”), from brevis (“short”).
- The root word is gnost. The word “agnostic” is made of three parts: “a” (prefix meaning “not” or “without”), “gnost” (root word meaning “to know” in Greek) and “ic” (suffix).
- This word contains two Latin root words: aqua (“water”) and duct (“to lead”).
Frequently asked questions about root words
- How do you find the root of a word?
-
Although there is no particular rule for finding the root of a word, one way to do this is to check if the word has any affixes (suffix and/or prefix) added to it.
For example, the word “hyperactive” has the prefix “hyper-” (meaning “over”) and the suffix “-ive” (meaning “having the nature of”). If we remove the affixes, we get the root word (“act”).
- What does the root word “dorm” mean?
-
The root word “dorm” means “sleep” in Latin. So words with this root word will have a meaning related to sleep. For example, the words “dormant,” “dormitory,” and “dormouse” all come from the same root word.
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Nikolopoulou, K. (2023, September 13). Root Words | Definition, List & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/language-rules/root-words/
