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.
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
Subscribe Now
We Are Creatinig Something Awesome And Exciting For You