GREEK/LATIN ROOT WORDS-PART3

ROOT WORD	MEANING	ORIGIN	EXAMPLES/DEFINITIONS
lact/o	milk	Latin	lactate - to give milk, nurse; lactose - the sugar contained in milk; lactic acid.
later	side	Latin	bilateral - of or involving two sides; unilateral - affecting one side of something.
leuk/o,	white, colorless	Greek	leukemia - abnormal increase of white blood cells in the blood; leukocyte - a mature white blood cell; leucine - a white, crystalline amino acid.
leuc/o
lex	word, law, reading	Greek	lexicology - the study and history of words; alexia -loss of the ability to read; illegal - not authorized by the official rules or laws.
liber	free	Latin	liberate - to set free; libertine - a person with a free, wild lifestyle; liberty - freedom.
lingu	language, tongue	Latin	linguist - one who studies languages; multilingual - able to communicate in multiple languages; linguine - long, flat "tongue-shaped" pasta.
lip/o	fat	Greek	liposuction - the mechanical removal of fat reserves in the tissue; lipase - enzyme that breaks down fat; lipoid - resembling fat.
lite, ite,	mineral, rock, fossil	Greek	apatite - a group of common minerals; granite - a hard, granular rock; monolith - a remarkable, unique stone.
lith/o
loc	place	Latin	dislocate - to put something out of its usual place; location - a place; relocate - to move to a new place.
log/o	word, doctrine, discourse	Greek	logic - correct reasoning; monologue - a long speech by one speaker;analogy - similarity, especially between things otherwise dissimilar.
loqu, locu	speak	Latin	eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully ; loquacious - very talkative; elocution - art of public speaking.
luc	light	Latin	elucidate - to explain, to throw light on; lucid - easily understood, giving off light; translucent - allowing light through.
lud, lus	to play	Latin	prelude - introduction to the major performance; illusion - misleading optical image or impression; delude - to mislead, deceive.
lumin	light	Latin	illuminate - to fill with light; lumen - unit measuring light.
lun/a/i	moon	Latin	lunar - relating to the moon; lunarscape - the surface of the moon; lunatic - insane (as if driven mad by the moon).
macro	large, great	Greek	macroevolution - large scale evolution; macromolecule - a large molecule; macroeconomics - study of the overall forces of economy.
magn/a/i	great, large	Latin	magnify - make larger; magnificent - grand; magnate - a powerful person, especially in business or industry.
mal/e	bad, ill, wrong	Latin	malcontent - wrong content; malaria - "bad air", infectious disease thought to originate from the "bad air" of the swamps, but caused by the bite of an infected mosquito; malicious - showing strong ill will.
man/i/u	hand	Latin	maneuver - to move by hand; manual - done with the hands; manuscript - a book written by hand.
mand	to order	Latin	command - an order or instruction; demand - a hard-to-ignore order; mandate - an official order.
mania	madness, insanity,	Greek	bibliomania - a crazy love of books; egomania - a mad love of oneself; maniac an insane person.
	excessive desire
mar/i	sea	Latin	marina - a harbor for pleasure boats; maritime - relating to the sea; submarine - an undersea boat; aquamarine - color of sea water.
mater,	mother	Latin	maternal - relating to motherhood; maternity - the state of being a mother; matriarch - a woman head of a household.
matr/i
max	greatest	Latin	maximal - the best or greatest possible; maximize - to make as great as possible; maximum - the greatest amount.
medi	middle	Latin	medieval - pertaining to the Middle Ages; medium - in the middle; mediocre - only of medium (inferior) quality.
mega	great, large, million	Greek	megalopolis - an area with many nearby cities; megaphone - a device that projects a loud voice; megastructure - huge building or other structure.
melan/o	black	Greek	melancholy - a state of dark emotions; melanoma - malignant dark tumor of the skin; melodrama - a dark, pathetic drama.
memor/i	remember	Latin	commemorate - to honor the memory of, as by a ceremony; memorial - related to remembering a person or event; memory: an ability to retain knowledge or an individual's stock of retained knowledge.
merge,	dip, dive	Latin	immerge or immerse - to put or dip something into a liquid; submerge to dip something completely into wate.r
mers
meso	middle	Latin	Mesoamerica - Middle America; meson - elementary particle with a mass between an electron and a proton.
		Greek
meta	change, after, beyond, between	Greek	metaphysics - study of nature and reality; metamorphosis - a complete change of form; metastasis - the transmission of disease to other parts of the body.
meter,	measure	Greek	audiometer- an instrument that measures hearing acuteness; chronometer- an instrument that measures time; metric - measured.
metr/y
micro	very small, short, minute	Greek	microbe - a very small living thing; microchip - a tiny wafer with an integrated circuit; microscope - a device to see very small things.
mid	middle	Latin	midriff - the area between the chest and the waist; midterm - middle of a term in school; midway - halfway between.
		Greek
migr	move	Latin	immigrant - a person who moves to a new country to settle; migrant - person who moves from place to place; migration - the process of moving.
milli	onethousandth	Latin	millimeter - one thousandth of a meter; millibar - one thousandth of a bar; milliliter - one thousandth of a liter.
min/i	small, less	Latin	mini - something that is very small; minuscule - extremely tiny; minutiae - very small or trivial details.
mis/o	bad, badly, wrong, wrongly,	Greek	misbehave - to behave badly; misprint - an error in printing; misnomer - an error in naming a person or thing.
	to hate
miss, mit	send, let go	Latin	dismiss - to send someone away; missile - a weapon sent into the air; emit - to send something out; admittance - entry.
mob	move	Latin	immobilize - to stop from moving; mobile - able to move freely; mobility - the quality of being able to move.
mon/o	one, single, alone	Greek	monochromat - having one color; monologue - a speech spoken by one person; monotheism - belief in one god.
mot, mov	move	Latin	motion - the act of moving; motivate - to move someone to action; promote to move someone forward; removable - able to be taken or carried away.
morph/o	form	Greek	metamorphosis - complete change of form; endorphins - chemical in the brain able to transform pain; amorphous - without distinct shape or form.
mort	death	Latin	immortal - living forever, unable to die; mortal - certain to die; mortician - an undertaker.
multi	many, more than one or two	Latin	multicolored - having many colors; multimedia - using a range of media; multitasking - doing many things at once.
mut	change	Latin	immutable - not changing; mutant - an organism that has undergone change; mutate - to undergo a change.
my/o	muscle	Latin	myocardium - the middle muscle of the heart; myasthenia - muscle fatigue or weakness; myosin - common protein in muscle tissue.
narr	tell	Latin	narrate - to tell a story; narrative - a story; narrator - a person who tells a story.
nat	born	Latin	innate - included since birth; natal - relating to birth; natural - gotten at birth, not afterward.
nav	ship	Latin	circumnavigate - to sail around a place; naval - relating to a navy or warships; navigate - to sail a ship through a place.
necr/o	dead, death	Greek	necrophil - loving death; necrosis - the death of tissue due to disease or injury; necrology - a list of persons who have recently died.
neg	no	Latin	negate - to say it didn't happen; negative - meaning "no"; renege - to go back on a promise.
neo	new, recent		neoclassic - a revival of classic form, neocolonialism - the indirect ("new") economical and political control of a region by a more powerful foreign power; neonatal - a newborn child, especially the first few weeks.
nephr/o	kidney	Greek	nephritis - inflammation of the kidneys; nephrotomy - surgical incision of a kidney; nephron - a single, excretory unit in the kidney.
neur/o	nerve	Greek	neuralgia - pain along a nerve; neurologist - doctor specializing in the nerves; neurotic - mental disorder that usually does not include an impaired perception of reality.
nom/in	name	Latin	misnomer - an error in naming a person or thing; nominal - being something in name only but not in reality; nominate - to name for election or appointment, to designate.
non	no, not, without	Latin	nondescript - with no special characteristics; nonfiction - true, real, not made-up; nonsense - without sense.
not	mark	Latin	notable - marked as worthy of attention; notarize - to certify a signature on a legal document; annotate - to add remarks.
noun,	declare	Latin	announce - to declare in public; denounce - to proclaim harsh criticism; enunciate - to speak or declare something clearly.
nunc
nov	new	Latin	innovate - to introduce a new way; novelty - something new; novice - a person who is new at a job; renovate - to make something like new again.
numer	number	Latin	enumerate - to name a number of items on a list; numerology - the study of magical uses of numbers; numerous - a large number.
ob, op	in the way, against	Latin	object - to be against something; obscure - hard to understand; opposition - the act of resistance or action against.
oct/a/o	eight	Greek	octagon - a figure with 8 sides and 8 angles; octogenarian - person in his or her 80s; octopus - sea animal with 8 arms.
ocu	eye	Latin	binoculars - lens device for seeing distances; monocula - relating to one eye; oculist - an eye doctor.
od	path, way	Greek	diode -  an electron tube having two electrodes, a cathode and an anode; odometer -  an instrument attached to a vehicle to measure the distance traversed; triode - an electron tube with an anode, a cathode, and a control grid
odor	smell, scent	Latin	deodorant - a substance that helps prevent body odor; malodorous - having a terribly bad smell; odoriferous- something that bears or diffuses a scent
omni	all	Latin	omnipotent - with all the power; omniscient - knowing all things; omnivorous eating all foods.
op/t/s	eye, visual condition, sight	Greek	optic - relating to the eyes; optician - a person who fits eyeglasses; autopsy - the examination of a dead body.
opt	best	Latin	optimal - the best, the most desirable; optimize - to make the best of; optimum - the best something could be.
ortho	straight	Greek	orthodontist - a dentist that straightens teeth; orthopedic - a doctor concerned with the proper alignment of the bones; orthography - the correct way of writing.
osteo	bone	Greek	osteoarthritis - inflammation caused by degeneration of the joints; osteopathy - therapy that uses among others manipulation of the skeleton to restore health; osteology - the study of bones.
out	goes beyond,		Outgoing - being of lively, sharing nature; outdoing - doing better than; outdoor - outside.
	surpasses, exceeds
over	excessive	English	overconfident - more confident than is appropriate; overstock - more supplies than is desirable; overexcited - ,more excited than one should be.
oxi/oxy	sharp	Greek	oxymoron - combining two ideas that sharply contradict each other; oxidize - corrode a surface.
pale/o	ancient	Greek	paleontology - study of ancient fossils; paleography - the study of ancient forms of writing; Paleolithic - period of the Stone Age.
pan	all, any, everyone	Greek	panacea - a cure for all diseases or problems; panorama - an all-around view; pantheism - the worship of all gods; pandemic - affecting all.
para	beside, beyond, abnormal,	Greek	parasite - an organism that lives on and off another living being; parallel - alongside and always an equal distance apart; paragraph - a portion of a writtenn document that presents a distinct idea.
	assistant
para	protection from		parachute - protection from falling; parasol - an umbrella used to protect from the sun;
pater,	father	Latin	paternal - relating to fathers; paternity - fatherhood; patriarch - a man who rules a group.
patr/i		Greek
path	feeling, emotion		antipathy - a feeling of great dislike; apathy - a lack of feeling or interest; empathy - ability to understand another's feelings.
ped/i/e	foot, feet	Latin	pedal - a lever pushed by the foot; pedestrian - one who walks; pedicure - cosmetic treatment of feet and toes.
pel	drive, force	Latin	compel - to force someone to act; expel - to drive someone out of a place; repel - to force back.
pent/a	five	Greek	pentagon - shape having 5 angles and 5 sides, pentagram - a five-pointed star formerly used as a symbolic figure in magic; pentathlon - an athletic contest that includes five events.
pept,	digestion	Greek	dyspepsia - abnormal digestion; peptic - aiding digestion; pepsin - a digestive enzyme.
peps
per	through, throughout	Latin	permanent - lasting throughout all time; permeate - to spread throughout; persist - to continue for a long time; perennial - lasting through many years.
peri	around, enclosing	Greek	periodontal - pertaining to bone and tissue around a tooth; peripheral - lying outside of the center; perimeter - the outer boundary of an area.