15 May, 2020

Latin Prefixes, roots and suffixes in english

Latin was the language spoken by the ancient Romans. As the Romans conquered most of Europe, the Latin language spread throughout the region. Over time, the Latin spoken in different areas developed into separate languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. These languages are considered “sisters,” as they all descended from Latin, their “mother” language.

Linguists estimate that some 60% of our common everyday English vocabulary today comes from French. Thus, many Latin words came into English indirectly through French.

Many Latin words came into English directly, though, too. Monks from Rome brought religious vocabulary as well as Christianity to England beginning in the 6th century. From the Middle Ages onward many scientific, scholarly, and legal terms were borrowed from Latin.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, dictionary writers and grammarians generally felt that English was an imperfect language whereas Latin was perfect. In order to improve the language, they deliberately made up a lot of English words from Latin words. For example, fraternity, from Latin fraternitas, was thought to be better than the native English word brotherhood.

Many English words and word parts can be traced back to Latin and Greek. This latin prefixes and suffixes table, we list some common Latin roots, latin prefixes numbers and suffixes.

You can also check out this post on common Latin words in English language

Prefixes

The following table gives a list of Latin prefixes worksheet and their basic meanings.

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

Suffixes and root

Words and word roots may also combine with suffixes. Here are examples of some important English suffixes that come from Latin

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 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

Others

Here are some more Latin prefixes that you can commonly find in English Language

Prefix	Meaning	Example
a, an	without, not	asexual, amoral, anarchy, anhydrous, Anabaptist, anachronism
ab, abs, a	apart, away from	abnormal, abduct, abductor (muscle), abscission .See ad in Prefixes,
Ad	toward	adhere, adductor (muscle) . See ab in Prefixes section), adumbrate
Agree	act	agent, agency, agenda
amphi, ambi	round, both sides	amphitheater, amphibian, ambidextrous, ambivalent
Ante	before	antedate, anteroom, antecedent, anterior
Anthro	man	anthropology, anthropomorphic
Anti	against	antipathy, antitank, anticlimax
Aqua	water	aquarium, aqueous
archaios	ancient	archeology, archetype, archaic, archeozoic
Archos	leader, first, chief	monarchy, oligarchy, anarchy, archetype, architect
Audio	hear	audiophile, audiometer, auditory
Auto	self	automatic, automaton, auto-immune
Bi	two	bi-partisan, bisexual, biennial, binary, bicuspid, bivalve
Bene	well, favorable	benefit, benevolent, benefactor, beneficent
Bible	book	bibliography, Bible, bibliophile
Bio	life	biology, biography, bio-active
Caco	Bad	cacophony
Cide	kill	homicide, parricide, germicidal, ecocide
Circum	around	circumference, circumlocution, circumnavigate
constitutus	stand	constitution, statute
Corpus	body	corpse, corporeal punishment, corpus callosum
Cracy	rule	democracy, theocrat, technocracy
Credo	belief	credit, (see also roots section)
Demos	people	democracy, demographic
Di	two, double	dimorphism, dicotyledon, diatomic
Dia	across, through	diagonal, dialectic, dialogue, diagnosis
Dis	not, apart	disperse, disinherit, disenfranchise, distend
dominus	lord	dominant, dominion
dynasthai	be able	dynamic, dynamo, dynasty, dynamite
Ego	I, self	ego, egomaniac, egocentric,

Epi	upon, over	epidermis, epidemic, epigram, epitaph, epithet, epiphyte, epistasis, epinephrine, epiphysis
Ex	out	exotic, exterior, extraneous, extemporaneous, exophalmic, exogenous, exothermic, exoskeleton
federis	league, pact	federation, confederate
Frater	brother	fraternize, fraternity, fraternal, fratricide
Geo	earth	geology, geography, geocentric, geomancy
Graph	write, record	graphic, graphite, graphology,
Hetero	mixed, unlike	heterogeneous, heterosexual, heterodox, heterodont, hetero atom, heterocyclic, heterozygous,
Homo	same, alike	homogeneous, homogenized, homozygous, homolytic fission, Homo sapiens, homonid, homeostasis
Idem	the same	identity, idiopathic, I, individual
Ideo	idea	ideology, ideation, ideal
Idios	one’s own	idiom, idiosyncrasy, idiopathic
In	in	incarcerate, incorporate, inculcate, induction, inductance, indigenous, indicator, inspiration
in, im	not	incredible, ignoble, inglorious, inhospitable, infinite, infinitesimal, immoral

SOURCES

Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes – InfoPlease. https://www.infoplease.com/arts-entertainment/writing-and-language/latin-roots-prefixes-and-suffixes

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Latin Prefixes, roots and suffixes in english

Latin Prefixes, roots and suffixes in english

Prefixes

Suffixes and root

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