GREEK ROOT-WORDS AND DERIVATIVES.

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To Greek, also, English is indebted for a considerable number of words, especially in the language of science and medicine; for the ancient physicians were commonly Greeks. Since the great revival of Greek studies in England in the 16th Century, Greek literature and art have exerted an enormous influence upon English thought and literature.

Ago, I lead: strat-egy.

a-dam-as (= in-dom-itable), steel: adamant, diamond (= Fr. diamant).

aer, air: air (Fr.), aerial, aerate.

athlos, a contest: athlete.

aesthesis, perception, feeling: aesthetic, an-aesthesia.

akouo, I hear: acoustics.

akros, top: acro-bat, acropolis.

allos, other: allo-path, par-allel.

anemos, wind: anemometer.

angelos, messenger: angel, ev-angel.

anthropos, man: anthropoid, anthropology, mis-anthrope.

arktos, a bear: arctic, antarctic.

arche, beginning, rule; arch-, (prefix), chief: archetype, an-archy, archangel.

aster, astron, a star: asterisk, astrology, dis-aster (Fr.), astral (Lat.).

autos, self: auto-crat, auto-graph, auto-matic, auto-nomy.


Ball-o, I throw; bole, throwing: dia-bol-ical, hyper-bole.

bapto, dip: baptise.

barus, heavy; baros, weight: barytone, barograph, barometer.

basis, a going, foundation: base (Fr.), basis, basement.

biblion (dimin. of biblos), book; bible, biblio-graphy, biblio-mania.

bios, life: amphi-bious, bio-logy.

botane, herbage, a plant: botany.

bronchos, windpipe: bronchial.

Character, a mark: character.

cheir, hand: chiro-graphy, chiro-mancy, chiro-pod-ist, chir-urgeon.

chilio- (e.g. chilio-pous), thousand: kilo-gramme and kilo-metre (Fr.).

chloros, green: chlorate, chlorine.

chole, bile: choler, melancholy.

choros, a dance in a ring, chorus: chorus, choral, choir (Fr.).

chrio, anoint: Christ, chrism (holy oil).

chronos, time: chronic, chronicle, chronometer, ana-chronism.


Daimon, divinity, spirit: demoniac.

deka, ten: decade, deca-logue.

demos, the people: demo-crat, dem-agogue, epi-demic.

derma (dermat-), skin: epi-dermis, hypo-dermic, pachy-dermatous.

despotes, lord: despotic, despotism.

diaita, mode of living: diet (Fr.).

diskos, quoit: disc, dish and desk.

dogma, doxa, opinion: dogma, dogmatic, heterodox.

dosis, a giving; dotos, given: dose, anti-dote, an-ec-dot-al.

drao, I do: dra-ma, drastic.

dromos, running: dromedary, hippo-drome, aero-drome.

dunamis, power, force: dynamic.


Eidos, form; eidolon, image; idea, form, look (all from id-, see): ideograph, idol, kal-eido-scope.

eikon, image: icon, iconoclast.

electron, amber: electric, electrify.

ergon, work; en-ergeia, energy: organ-ize, en-ergetic, metall-urgy.

ethnos, nation: ethnic, ethnology.

eu, well; as a prefix: eucharist, euphony, euphemism, ev-angel.


Gamos, marriage: mono-gamous.

gaster (gastr-), stomach: gastric.

gen-, begetgenos, race; genesis, origin: genea-logy, genesis, genetic.

ge, the earth: ge-o-graphy, ge-o-logy, ge-o-metric.

glossa (glotta), tongue: glossary, glottis, epiglottis, poly-glot.

gno-sis, knowledge: gnome, gnostic.

gonia, angle: diagonal, pentagon.

grapho, write; gramma, writing: graphic, epi-graphy, grammar.

gumnos, naked; gumnazo, I exercise: gymnasium, gymnastic.

gune (gunaiko-), a woman: gyn-archy, gynaeco-logy, miso-gynist.


Haima (haimato-), blood: hemal, hematite, hemorrhage, an-aemia.

hairesis, a taking: heresy (Fr.).

heteros, other: hetero-dox, hetero-geneous.

hex, six: hex-agon, hexameter.

helios, sun: heliacal, peri-helion.

hemera, day: ep-hemeral.

hieros, sacred; hiereus, priest: hierarchy, hieratic, hiero-glyph.

hippos, horse: hippo-drome.

historeo, I enquire: history (shortened in) story.

(h)odos, way: ex-odus, epis-ode, met-hod, peri-od.

homos, same; homoi-os, like: homo-centric, homo-geneous, hom-ily (ile, throng), homoeo-pathic.

(h)orizo, define, bound: horizon.

hudor, water; hydrant, hydr-aulic, hydro-gen.

Idios, private, peculiar; idiotes, private person: idiom, idiot.

ion, violet; iodes, dark-colored: iodide, iodine.

isos, equal: iso-sceles, iso-thermal.


Kakos, bad: cacography, cacophony.

kalos, beautiful: calligraphy, callis-thenics (sthenos, strength).

kalupto, krupto, I conceal: apo-calypse, eu-calyptus, crypt.

kaustos, burnt; kauterion, a branding: caustic, cautery, cauterize.

kineo, I move; kinetikos, for moving: kinetics, kinematics.

kosmos, order, ornament, universe: cosmetic, cosmic, cosmo-gony.

krateo, am strong, rule: auto-crat, demo-cracy, aristo-crat.

kri-, to separate; krisis, a separating, deciding: crisis, critic.

kuklos, wheel: cycle, cyclic, cyclone.


Lab-, take; lepsis, a taking: syl-lable, epi-lepsy, cataleptic.

lego, I pick out, say; lexis, speech; logos, discourse, reason: ec-lectic (ek, out of), lexi-con, dialect, logic.

leipo (lip-), I leave: el-lipsis, ec-lipse.

lithos, stone: lithia, lithograph.

luo, I loose; lusis, a loosing: ana-lyze, dia-lysis, paralytic, (palsy is a contraction of paralysis).


Mania, madness: mania, maniac, Anglo-mania.

math-, learn; mathema, learning: mathematics, philo-math, poly-math.

martus (martur-), a witness: martyr.

mega (megal-), large; as a prefix: mega-cephalous (kephale, head), megalithic, megaphone.

melas (melan-), black: melancholy.

melos, song: mel-ody (ode).

metron, a measure: metre, symmetry, diameter, geometric.

mechane, Lat. machina: mechanic, mechanism.

mikros, small: microbe (bios), micro-cosm, micro-scope.

miseo, I hate: misanthrope.

mne-mon-euo, I remember: mne-monics, a-mne-sty (a = not).

monos, alone, one: monad, mon-arch, monk (Ang. Sax.), monastery, monopoly.

morphe, shape: a-morphous, morph-ology, meta-morphose.

mousa, muse: music, museum.

muthos, a tale, legend: myth.


Naus, a ship: nausea, nautilus, aËro-naut (nautes, sailor.)

nekros, dead: necro-polis.

neuron, cord, nerve: neural, neur-algia (algos, pain), neuritis.

nomos, a law: eco-nomy (oikos), astro-nomy, anti-nomian.


Ode, a song: ode, hymnody, parody.

oikos, oikia, house; oikesis, inhabiting, dwelling: eco-nomy (Lat. oeconomia), di-ocese (= di-oikesis), parish (paroikia, Fr. par-oisse).

onoma (onuma), name: syn-onym.

op-, see; optika, pertaining to sight; oph-thalmos, eye: op-tics, optician, syn-opsis, synoptic, my-opia.

organon, an instrument: organic.

orthos, right, straight: ortho-doxy, ortho-graphy.

osteon, a bone: oste-itis, osteo-pathy.

oxus, sharp: oxy-gen, oxy-tone, par-oxysm.


Pais (paid-), a child; paideia, training, learning: ped-agogue, pedant.

pan (pant-, pas-), all: pan-acea (akos, remedy), pan-oply, (hopla, arms), pan-orama ((h)orao, see).

pathos, suffering, feeling: pathology, pathetic, sympathy.

pauo, I stop; pausis, cessation (Lat. pausa): pause and pose.

pente, five: pent-agon, pentameter, penta-teuch (teuchos, book), Pente-cost [pentecoste = fiftieth (day)].

petra, a rock; petros, a stone: petrify and pier (Fr.), Peter, petrology, petroleum, petrescent.

plasso, I mould, fashion: plastic, plasm, proto-plasm (protos, first).

pleura, a rib: pleurisy, pleuritic.

plege, plexis, a blow, stroke: plague (Lat. plaga), apoplexy, pleximeter.

pneuma, air; pneumon, lungs: pneumatic, pneumonia, pneumatomer.

poieo, I make: poet (Lat. poeta).

polis, a city; polites, citizen; politeia, government: metro-polis, polity, politic, police.

polus, many, poly-gon.

pous (pod-), a foot: poly-pus, polyp, antipodes.

praktos, done: practice.

protos, first: prot-agonist, protomartyr, prototype, protoplasm.

pur, fire: pyre, pyrites, pyro-latry (= worship), pyrotechnics.

poleo, I sell: biblio-pole, mono-poly.

phagein, to eat: sarcophagus (sarx, flesh).

phaino (phan-, phen-, phas-), I show: phan-tom, phan-tasm, phant-asy = fancy (Fr.), phen-omenon, phase.

phero, I bear; phora, a carrying: peri-pher-y, meta-phor, phos-phorus (phos), sema-phore, (sema, sign).

phemi, I say: eu-phem-ism, blas-pheme (blapsis, injury), pro-phet.

philos, dear, friend: phil-tre, philo-sophy.

phone, a sound: phonic, phonetic, phono-graph, eu-phony, caco-phony, sym-phony.

phos (phot-), light: phos-phor, photo-graph, photometer.

phrasis, speech: phrase, peri-phrasis, para-phrase, phraseology.

phren, the midriff, mind: frenzy and frantic (Fr.), phrenology.

phusis, nature; phuton, a plant: physi-cal, physics, physi-o-logy, meta-physics, neo-phyte.


Rheo, flow; rheuma, a flow; rhuthmos, regular motion: cata-rrh, rheumatic, rhythm.

rhetor, orator: rhetoric, rhetorician.


Sarx (sark-), flesh: sarcasm.

sitos, food: para-site.

skopeo, skept-omai, look at, consider; skop-os, watcher, mark, aim: scep-tical, scope, hor-o-scope (hora, season), epi-scop-al, bishop [epi-scop-os].

sophos, wise: sophist, philosophy.

sta-, stand; sta-sis, a placing; statos, placed: ec-sta-sy, sy-ste-m (sun, together), static, hydro-statics, apo-state.

stello (stol-), I send: apo-stle (= apostolos; apo, away), epi-stle.

stichos, a line: di-stich, hemi-stich.

stratos, army: stratagem, strategy.

strophe, a turning: strophic, anti-strophe, apo-strophe, catastrophe.

sphaira, a ball: sphere, atmo-sphere.

schizo, split: schism, schist.

schole, leisure, school: scholastic.


Tax-is, arrangement; tak-tos, ordered: syn-tax, taxi-dermist.

taphos, a tomb: epi-taph (epi, upon).

temno, I cut; tome-, tom-os, a cutting: ana-tomy, tome (Fr.), a-tom.

techne, art: tech-nic, technology.

tele, afar: tele-phone.

theos, God: theism, theo-cracy.

thermos, hot: thermal, isothermal, thermo-meter, thermo-dynamics.

the-, place; thesis, a placing; thema, proposition; the-ke, case, chest: thesis, theme, hypo-thesis, epi-thet, ana-thema.

topos, a place: topic, topography, u-topia, (u = ou, not—i.e., land of No-place).

toxicon, poison: toxin, anti-toxin, intoxicate.


Zelos, emulation: through Fr., zeal.

zoon, animal: zo-diac (zodion, dimin.), zo-ology.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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