A root won't give you an exact definition, but it often gets you close enough to answer a vocabulary question. One root can unlock a whole family of words.
Good and bad
| Latin | Greek | |
|---|---|---|
| Good | bene- (benefit) | eu- (euphoria) |
| Bad | mal- (malfunction) | dys- (dystopia) |
Speaking, writing, seeing, hearing
- dict and loqu are about speaking: predict, eloquent.
- graph (Greek) and scrib/script (Latin) are about writing: biography, manuscript.
- spec and vid/vis are about looking and seeing: spectator, evident.
- aud is hearing: audible.
Build a word from parts
- phil (love) + anthrop (human) = philanthropy, love of people, usually shown by giving.
- miso- (hate) + anthrop = misanthrope, someone who dislikes people.
- in- (not) + cred (believe) = incredulous, unable to believe.
A warning
Roots point the way; they don't prove a meaning. Mortify has mort (death) in it, but it now means to embarrass badly. Check the sentence too.
Many of these roots are Latin, which is Magister Quintus's subject on Braineos if you'd like to go further.
Independent study material, not affiliated with College Board or ETS.