English is a living language. It changes and grows all the time. One of the best ways to understand the history of the English language and to unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words is to learn Latin and Greek word parts. As you study biology, you will learn more and more of these word parts, and once you know them, you will begin to recognize them in all kinds of words—and you’ll find that your knowledge of those word parts will help you decipher the meanings of unfamiliar words.
Roots are the “base” of plants, and Latin and Greek roots form the base of many English words. For example, the Latin root audi means “to hear.” How many modern English words can you think of that include the root audi?
Next, take a look at each word part below. Beside each part is a word from The Tell-Tale Start containing that word part. You can find the word in context on the page number in parentheses.
- ap – apex (6)
- in – incorrigible (8)
- log – terminology (21)
- non, com, mit, al – noncommital (41)
- re, und – redundancy (47)
- rot – rotund (161)
- Can you determine the meaning of the root from your knowledge of the word beside it?
- If not, think of other words that you know that also contain that root. What do those words have in common? Based on that common element, can you figure out the meaning of the root?
- If you’re still stumped, check out this list of Latin and Greek roots.
Now that you know the meaning of the root, how many words can you generate that use the root?
- Pick one of the word parts above and leave a reply below to share others words that use the same part with the same meaning.
- Make up your own new words (called “neologisms”) by combining the parts. See if other TIPsters can determine the meaning of your neologism.