Surviving the Evolution of Language – Greek and Latin Roots

Because communication between humans is vital to even the most basic routines of everyday life, understanding language is a key to survival in this world. The concept of language has existed since the dawn of humanity, and just like the organisms Charles Darwin studied, which we will read more about in the next lesson, language has evolved. Words, like life forms, have changed, have adapted, and have gone extinct. From images such as hieroglyphics or cuneiform to the spoken, written, and signed words we use today, societal influences and new knowledge continue the language evolution.

Therefore, to truly know the English language, we should always go back to the roots – Greek and Latin roots, that is. By understanding Greek and Latin roots, pre-fixes, and suffixes, we can understand the meanings of words that we may not immediately recognize. However, there are other ways to help determine the unknown meanings of words. Not only can we use Greek and Latin to help us, but we can also use context clues and parts of speech to determine the meaning of a word.

In this lesson, you will learn to decode and define words that you may have never seen before in order to better understand the English language.

Greek and Latin Roots

Greek and Latin roots words make up so many of the words we use today in the English language. If you plan on going to college, you will see so many words that you may have never seen before on the tests such as the SAT and ACT along with words from college textbooks. Knowing the Greek and Latin roots will help you make meaning from word parts that you do understand.

Watch the video below to learn more.

Greek and Latin Roots

If you know Greek and Latin roots, you can determine the meaning of many unfamiliar words.

Step 1: Break Down Words - If you see "thermometer," you can break it into "therm" (heat) + "meter" (measure). So it means "a tool that measures heat."
Step 2: Look for Patterns - Once you learn a few roots, you'll start recognizing them in many words.
Step 3: Practice with Flashcards - Make flashcards with a root on one side and its meaning on the other.

Greek and Latin Roots Practice

Determine the meaning of each word below by breaking the word down and understanding the Greek or Latin root. Check your answers below.

Antiseptic
Hypercritical
Parapro
Dyslexia
Amphitheater
Interstate
Detour
Retrofit
Proactive
Sever

Check your answers here

*Note - these are not necessarily the dictionary definitions of the words. These are the meanings you might come up with as you break down words

Antiseptic

- Anti - against
- Septic - harmful bacterias
  - Definition: Something that is against harmful bacteria

Hypercritical

- Hyper - over
- Critical - expressing disapproving comments
  - Definition: Overly expressing disapproving comments or being overly disapproving

Parapro

- Para - beside, alongside
- Pro - in front of
  - Definition: Alongside the person who is "in front of" or alongside the professional

Dyslexia

- Dys - badly, hard
- Lexia - has to do with reading ability
  - Definition: Difficulty reading

Amphitheater

- Amphi - on both sides
- Theater - a building where plays are performed
  - Definition: a building where plays are performed for both sides

Interstate

- Inter - between
- State - separate political territories (in America)
  - Definition: connecting between states

Detour

- De - Away
- Tour - Journey
  - Definition: away from the journey

Retrofit

- Retro - go backward
- Fit - put something in place
  - Definition: go back and put something in place

Proactive

- Pro - forward
- Active - pursuing an activity
  - Definition: moving forward in pursuing something

Sever

- Se - apart
- Ver - no particular meaning
  - Definition: make something separate or come apart

Next, create five words using Greek or Latin roots, and use each word you created in a sentence. These will be practiced and checked on your own.

Popular Greek Roots:

Geo: Earth
Hydro: Water
Bio: Life
Chron: Time
Photo: Light
Tele: Distance
Scope: Viewing instrument
Micro: Small
Macro: Large
Meter: Measure
Therm: Heat
Anthropo: Human
Auto: Self
Dys: Bad, hard, difficult
Hyper: Over, above, beyond
Hypo: Under, below
Poly: Many, multiple
Mono: One
Poly: Many, several
Graph: Write, record

Popular Latin Roots:

Aqua: Water
Ambi: Both
Aud: to hear
Bene: good
Centri: Center
Circum: Around
Dict: To Say
Duc: To Lead
Fac: To Do/Make
Fract: Break
Ject: Throw
Mal: Bad
Mit: To Send
Mort: Death
Multi: Many
Port: To Carry
Rupt: To Break
Scrib: To Write
Sect: To Cut
Sent: To Feel/Send
Spect: To Look
Struct: To Build
Vid/Vis: To See
Voc: Voice

Now, let's practice some common Greek and Latin roots. Remember, the practice below is not a full list of all Greek and Latin roots that exist. Continue researching and learning more of these roots to help you make meaning from unfamiliar words.

Fill in the blank with the correct Greek root from the word bank below. Use each root only once.

Word Bank:
auto, bio, chron, geo, graph, hydr, meter, micro, phon, photo, scope, tele, therm, logy, psych

The __________graph measures your body temperature.
A __________scope helps scientists look at tiny organisms.
__________logy is the study of the human mind and behavior.
A __________meter is used to measure distances across the earth.
The __________phone lets people talk across great distances.
A __________graph captures sound and plays it back.
__________logy is the study of life and living organisms.
The __________cycle explains how water moves through the environment.
She wrote her own __________biography.
A __________log records events in the order they happen.
The __________scope is used to view stars and planets.
__________synthesis is how plants make food using light.
A __________graph is a machine that writes what is said.
A __________stat helps control the heat in a house.
The __________logy of rocks is part of earth science.

Check your answers here

The thermometer measures your body temperature. → **therm**
A microscope helps scientists look at tiny organisms. → **micro**
Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. → **psycho**
A geometer is used to measure distances across the earth. → **geo**
The telephone lets people talk across great distances. → **tele**
A phonograph captures sound and plays it back. → **phon**
Biology is the study of life and living organisms. → **bio**
The hydrologic cycle explains how water moves through the environment. → **hydr**
She wrote her own autobiography. → **auto**
A chronolog records events in the order they happen. → **chron**
The telescope is used to view stars and planets. → **scope**
Photosynthesis is how plants make food using light. → **photo**
A stenograph is a machine that writes what is said. → **graph**
A thermostat helps control the heat in a house. → **therm**
The geology of rocks is part of earth science. → **logy**

Fill in each blank with the correct Latin root from the word bank. Use each root only once.

Word Bank:
port, scrib, dict, ject, tract, aud, vis, cred, bene, mal, mit, form, rupt, spec, man

The teacher asked us to ____scribe our homework carefully.
A telescope helps you to ____ objects far away.
Please do not ____rupt the speaker during her talk.
The company plans to ____port new goods from overseas.
The ____dience was quiet during the performance.
She had a very ____ual reaction to the movie—it made her cry.
The magician tried to ____dict the card I would choose.
We had to ____mit our assignments before the deadline.
His excuse for being late was not very ____ible.
The farmer used a ____or to plow the fields.
I hurt my hand and had to wear a ____ual brace.
The doctor gave her a medicine to help with her ____functioning stomach.
That donation was a very ____evolent act.
I used the printer to trans**____** the image into a poster.
The ____uscript was handwritten by the author.

Check your answers here

scrib – The teacher asked us to scribe our homework carefully.
vis – A telescope helps you to visualize objects far away.
rupt – Please do not interrupt the speaker during her talk.
port – The company plans to import new goods from overseas.
aud – The audience was quiet during the performance.
spec – She had a very special reaction to the movie—it made her cry.
dict – The magician tried to predict the card I would choose.
mit – We had to submit our assignments before the deadline.
cred – His excuse for being late was not very credible.
tract – The farmer used a tractor to plow the fields.
man – I hurt my hand and had to wear a manual brace.
mal – The doctor gave her a medicine to help with her malfunctioning stomach.
bene – That donation was a very benevolent act.
form – I used the printer to transform the image into a poster.
script – The manuscript was handwritten by the author.

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