As described in more detail elsewhere, English has three main ancestors: Old German (including Saxon, Angle, and old Danish from Jutland), Old Norman French (including influences of the Norsemen) and Church Latin.
Our vocabulary for ideas, thoughts and abstractions comes mainly from Latin. Though it gave us directly only about 20% of the words we use day-to-day, Latin was the only written language in use before the renaissance, and it was the language of both faith and scholarship.
The story does not end there, however. Latin, in turn, was an evolution from a mixture of other dialects and languages, including a large helping from ancient Greece.
From around 600 BC until 100 AD (from the era of Alexander the Great through the events of the New Testament) Greek was a common tongue for much of the Mediterranean. It was used in Egypt and the Holy Land, and had been exported to Italy and farther west to Southern France.
Why does this matter? It matters because a large budget of words in English are made up of Greek words, especially those terms used to describe ideas and concepts. People in most jobs may never need to use (or understand) the word “anthropomorphism,” for example. But if you go to college, rest assured that it will come up. If you know a little Greek, the word is not mysterious at all. “Anthropos” means “man” — as in mankind — and then “–morph” is a combining term meaning “having the shape of.” The “–ism” particle is, as you probably know, a flag for a belief system, practice or method of thinking. So this word means the practice of attributing human-like qualities to non-human entities, whether gods, animals or inanimate objects.
It’s fair to assume that you will not be learning Greek, especially ancient or New Testament Greek, any time soon. So the second best solution is to learn the meanings of these Greek-origin combination forms found so often in educated English writing. These are word particles that the Romans found useful to incorporate into Latin, and now, a couple of millennia later, they appear in English. They are called “morphemes,” and the study of them is one of the three areas embraced within the general heading of “grammar.” Here I’ve included them under “Vocabulary.”
What follows is a table of 95 morphemes that come to us from Greek, together with their meanings and examples of English words that contain them. The Greek word is also given, in the Greek alphabet (which you would do well to learn) and in our alphabet (called the Latin alphabet). If you master these morphemes, you will have the key to thousands of English terms. The table is paginated in groups of 20.
Greek Morphemes
Meaning Example In English Usage
acr- height, summit, tip ἄκρος (ákros) "high", "extreme" acrobatics, acrophobia, acropolis
aero- air, atmosphere ἀήρ, ἀέρος (āḗr, āéros) "air" aerobic, aerodynamic, aeronautics, aerosol
aesth- feeling, sensation αἰσθάνεσθαι ( aisthánesthai ) "to perceive" aesthetics, anaesthetic
aether-, ether- upper pure, bright air αἴθειν ( aíthein ), αἰθήρ ( aithḗr ) ether, ethereal
alg- pain ἄλγος ( álgos ), ἀλγεινός, ἀλγεῖν ( algeîn ), ἄλγησις ( álgēsis ) analgesic, neuralgia, nostalgia
amph-, amphi- both, on both sides of, both kinds ἀμφί (amphí) "on both sides" amphibious, amphitheatre
an-, a-, am-, ar- not, without ἀν-/ἀ- "not" ambrosia, anaerobic, anhydrous, atheism, atypical
anem- wind ἄνεμος (ánemos) anemometer, anemone
ant-, anti- against, opposed to, preventive ἀντί (antí) "against" antagonize, antibiotic, antipodes
anthrop- human ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos) "man" anthropology, misanthrope, philanthropy
archae-, arche- ancient ἀρχαῖος ( arkhaîos ) "ancient" from ἀρχή ( arkhḗ ) "rule" archaeology, archaic
arct- Relating to the North Pole ἄρκτος (árktos) "bear" (Ursa Major), ἀρκτικός (arktikós) Antarctica, Arctic Ocean
aster-, astr- star, star-shaped ἄστρον ( ástron ) "star" aster, asterisk, asteroid, astrology, astronomy, astronaut
aut-, auto- self; directed from within αὐτός (autós) "self", "same" autarchy, authentic, autism, autocracy, autograph, automatic, autonomy
bapt- dip βάπτειν (báptein) baptism, baptize
bio-, bi- life βίος ( bíos ) "life" biography, biohazard, biology
botan- plant βοτάνη, βότανον (botánē, bótanon) botanist, botany
cardi- heart καρδιά (kardía) cardiac, cardiology, electrocardiogram
caust-, caut- burn καυστός/καυτός (kaustós) calm, caustic, cauterize, holocaust
chore- relating to dance χορεία ( khoreia ) "dancing in unison" choreography, chorus
chrom- color χρῶμα (chrōma) chromatic, chrome, chromosome, monochrome
chron- time χρόνος (chronos) anachronism, chronic, chronicle, chronology, chronometer, synchronize
-cracy, -crat government, rule, authority κράτος (krάtos), κρατία (kratía) aristocracy, autocrat, bureaucracy, democrat, plutocracy, technocrat, theocracy
crypt- hidden κρύπτειν ( kruptein ) "to hide" apocryphal, cryptic, cryptography
dec- ten δέκα ( déka ) "ten" decade, Decalogue, decathlon
dem- people δῆμος (dēmos) demagogue, democracy, demography, epidemic
di- two δι- ( di- ) diode, dipole
dia- apart, through διά (diá) diagram, dialysis, diameter
dyna- power δύναμις (dúnamai) dynamic, dynamite, dynamo, dynasty
ec- out ἐκ (ek) eccentric, ecstasy, ecstatic
eco- house οἶκος (oikos) ecology, economics, ecumenism
ep-, epi- above, upon, outer ἐπί (epi) epicenter, epidemic, epitaph, epiphany
ethn- people, race, tribe, nation ἔθνος (ethnos) ethnic, ethnicity
eu- well, good εὖ (eu) euphoria, euthanasia, eulogy
ger- old γέρων, γέροντος (gérōn, gérontos) geriatric, gerontocracy
gloss-, glot- tongue γλῶσσα (glóssa), γλωττίς (glōttís) epiglottis, gloss, glossary, polyglot
glyph- carve γλύφειν (glúphein) glyph, glyptograph, petroglyph
graph- draw, write γράφειν ( gráphein ) autograph, graph, graphic, graphite, holograph, monograph, orthography, paragraph, photograph, telegraphy
gymn- nude γυμνός (gumnós) gymnasium, gymnastics
hemi- half ἥμισυς (hēmisus) hemicycle, hemisphere
heter- different, other ἕτερος (heteros) heterodoxy, heterogeneous, heterosexual
hol- whole ὅλος (holos) holistic, holography
hom- same ὁμός (homos) homogeneous, homophone, homonym, homosexual
hydr- water ὕδωρ (hudōr) dehydrate, hydrant, hydraulic, hydrogen, hydrolysis, hydrophily, hydrophobia, hydrous
hyp- under ὑπό (hupo) hypoallergenic, hypodermic, hypothermia
hyper- above, over ὑπέρ (huper) hyperactive, hyperbole
hypn- sleep ὕπνος (hupnos) hypnosis, hypnotize
idi- own, peculiarity ἴδιος (ídios), "private, personal, one's own" idiom, idiosyncrasy, idiot
is-, iso- equal, same ἴσος (ísos) isometric, isomorphic, isosceles
kine-, cine- movement, motion κινεῖν ( kineîn ), κίνησις ( kínēsis ), κίνημα ( kínēma ) cinema, kinesthetic, kinetic, telekinesis
klept- steal κλέπτειν ( kléptein) kleptomania, kleptocracy
lith- stone λίθος (lithos) megalith, Mesolithic, monolith, Neolithic
log-, -logy word, reason, speech, thought λόγος ( logos ), λογία ( logia ) apology, dialogue, etymology, eulogy, logic, monologue, neologism, prologue, terminology, theology
macro- long μακρός (makrós) macrobiotic, macroeconomics, macron
mania mental illness, craziness μανία (manίā) kleptomania, mania, maniac, pyromania
meta- above, among, beyond μετά (metá) metabolism, metamorphosis, metaphor, metaphysics, meteor, method
meter-, metr- measure μέτρον (métron) barometer, diameter, isometric, meter, metronome, parameter, perimeter, symmetric, telemetry, thermometer
micro- small μικρός (mikrós) microcosm, microeconomics, micrometer, microphone, microscope
mim- repeat μιμεῖσθαι ( mīmeîsthai ), μίμος ( mimos ) mime, mimeograph, mimic, pantomime
mis- hate μισεῖν ( miseîn ) misanthrope, misogynist, misotheism
mne- memory μνήμη (mnēmē) amnesia, amnesty, mnemonic
mon- alone, one μόνος (mónos) monarchy, monastery, monolith, monopoly, monotone
mor- foolish, dull μωρός (mōrós) moron, oxymoron, sophomore
morph- form, shape μορφή (morphē) amorphous, anthropomorphism, endomorph, metamorphosis, morpheme, morphology, polymorphic
myth- story μῦθος (mûthos) myth, mythic, mythology
narc- numb νάρκη (narkē) narcolepsy, narcosis, narcotic
naut- ship ναύτης ( nautes ) astronaut, nautical
ne-, neo- new νέος (neos) Neolithic, neologism, neonate, neophyte
necr- dead νεκρός (nekros) necrophobia, necrotic
nom- arrangement, law, order νόμος (nomos) astronomy, autonomous, gastronomy, metronome, numismatic, polynomial, taxonomy
-oid like -οειδής (-oeidēs) asteroid, humanoid, organoid
olig- few ὀλίγος ( oligos ) oligarchy, oligopoly
pan- all πᾶς, παντός (pas, pantos) Pan-American, panacea, pandemic, pandemonium, panoply
path- feeling, disease πάθος (pathos) antipathy, apathy, empathy, pathetic, pathology, sociopath, sympathy
peri- around περί (perí) perimeter, period, periphery, periscope
pher-, phor- bear, carry φέρω ( pherō ), φόρος ( phoros ) metaphor, pheromone
phil-, -phile love, friendship φιλέω (phileō) bibliophile, philanthropy, philharmonic, philosophy
phob- fear φόβος (phobos) acrophobia, claustrophobia, homophobia, hydrophobia
phos-, phot- light φῶς, φωτός ( phōs , phōtos ) phosphor, phosphorus, photic, photo, photoelectric, photogenic, photograph, photosynthesis
physi- nature φύσις (phusis) physics
plut- wealth πλοῦτος (ploutos) plutocracy
pneu- air, breath, lung pnein, πνεῦμα (pneuma) apnoea, pneumatic, pneumonia
pod- foot πούς, ποδός ( pous , podos ) antipode, podiatry, tripod
pole-, poli- city πόλις (polis) acropolis, cosmopolitan, metropolis, police, policy, politics
polem- war πόλεμος (polemos) polemic, polemology
poly- many πολύς (polus) polyandry, polygamy, polygon, polytheistic
pro- before, in front of πρό (pro) prologue, prominent
prot- first πρῶτος (prōtos) protagonist, protocol, protoplasm, prototype, protozoan
pseud- false ψευδής (pseudēs) pseudonym
psych- mind ψυχή (psuchē) psyche, psychiatry, psychology, psychosis
scop-, scept- look at, examine, view, observe σκέπτομαι, σκοπός (skeptomai, skopos) horoscope, microscope, periscope, skeptic, stethoscope, telescope
soma- body σῶμα, σώματος (sōma, sōmatos) psychosomatic, somatotype
soph- wise σοφός (sophos) philosophy, sophistry, sophistication, sophomoric
syn-, sy-, syl-, sym- with σύν (sun) symbol, symmetry, sympathy, synchronous, synonym
tele- far, end τῆλε (tēle) telegram, telemetry, telepathy, telephone, telescope, television
xen- foreign ξένος (xenos) xenogamy, xenophobia, xenon
