A

  • a-; an- not without, lacking; deficient
  • ab- away from, out from
  • -able capable of
  • ac- to; toward
  • -acer- sour; bitter; sharp
  • -aceous of or pertaining to
  • acou-; acous- hear
  • ad- to; toward
  • aden- gland
  • adip- fat
  • aero- air
  • agri- field; soil
  • -al having the character of
  • alb- white
  • alg-; -algia pain
  • alto- high
  • ambi- both
  • ameb- change; alternation
  • amni- fetal membrane
  • amphi-; ampho- both
  • amyl- starch
  • ana- up; back; again
  • andro- man; masculine
  • anemo- wind
  • ang- choke; feel pain
  • angi- blood vessel; duct
  • ante- before; ahead of time
  • anter- front
  • antho- flower
  • anthropo- man; human
  • anti- against; opposite
  • -ap-; -aph- touch
  • apo-; ap- away from
  • aqu- water
  • archaeo- primitive; ancient
  • aroma- spice, fragrance, seasoning
  • -ary; -arium a place for something
  • arteri- artery
  • arthr- joint; articulation
  • -ase forms names of enzymes
  • aster-; astr- star
  • -ate verb form - the act of...
  • ather- fatty deposit
  • -ation noun form - the act of...
  • atmo- vapor
  • audi- hear
  • aur- ear
  • auto- self
B

  • bacter-; bactr- bacterium; stick; club
  • barb- beard
  • baro- weight; pressure
  • bath- depth; height
  • bene- well; good
  • bi- two; twice
  • bi-; bio- life; living
  • -blast- sprout; germ; bud
  • blatta-; blatto- cockroach
  • brachi- arm
  • brachy- short
  • brady- slow
  • branchi- fin
  • brev- short
  • bronch- windpipe
C

  • cac- bad
  • calor- heat
  • -calyx- case; husk
  • capill- hair
  • capit- head
  • carcin- cancer
  • cardi- heart
  • carn- meat; flesh
  • carp- fruit
  • carpal- wrist
  • cata- breakdown; downward
  • caud- tail
  • -cell- chamber; small room
  • cen-; -cene now; recent
  • cente- pierce
  • centi- hundredth
  • centr- center
  • cephal- head
  • cerat- horn
  • cerebr- brain
  • cervic- neck
  • chel- claw
  • chem- dealing with chemicals
  • chir- hand
  • chlor- green
  • chondr- cartilage
  • chrom-; -chrome color
  • chron- time
  • -chym- juice
  • -cid-; -cis- cut; kill; fall
  • circa-; circum- around; about
  • cirru- hairlike curls
  • co- with; together
  • cocc- seed; berry
  • coel- hollow
  • coll- glue
  • com- together; associated
  • coni- cone
  • contra- against
  • corp- body
  • cort-; cortic- outer layer
  • cosmo- world; order; form
  • cotyl- cup
  • counter- against
  • crani- skull
  • crat- advocate, participant
  • cresc-; cret- begin to grow
  • crypt- hidden; covered
  • cryo- cold
  • -cul-; -cule small; diminutive
  • cumul- heaped
  • cuti- skin
  • cyan- blue
  • -cycle; cycl- ring; circle
  • -cyst- sac; pouch; bladder
  • cyt-; -cyte cell; hollow container
D

  • dactyl- finger
  • de- away from; down
  • deca- ten
  • deci- tenth
  • deliquesc- become fluid
  • demi- half
  • demo- people
  • dendr- tree
  • dent- tooth
  • derm- skin
  • di-; dipl- two; double
  • di-; dia- through; across; apart
  • dia- day
  • digit- finger; toe
  • din- terrible
  • dis- apart; out
  • dorm- sleep
  • dors- back
  • du-; duo- two
  • -duct lead
  • dynam- power
  • dys- bad; abnormal; difficult
E

  • ec- out of; away from
  • echin- spiny; prickly
  • eco- house
  • ecto- outside of
  • -elle; -ella small
  • -emia blood
  • en-; endo-; ent- in; into; within
  • -en made of
  • encephal- brain
  • enter- intestine; gut
  • entom- insects
  • -eous nature of; like
  • epi- upon; above; over
  • -err- wander; go astray
  • erythro- red
  • -escent becoming
  • eso- inward; within; inner
  • eu- well; good; true; normal
  • eury- widen
  • ex- out of; away from
  • extra- beyond; outside
F

  • femto- denoting 10-15
  • -fer- bear; carry; produce
  • ferro- iron
  • fibr- fiber; thread
  • -fid; fiss- split; divided into
  • -flect; -flex bend
  • flor- flower
  • flu-; fluct- flux; flow
  • foli- leaf
  • fract- break
G

  • -gam- marriage
  • gastr- stomach
  • -gen; -gine producer; former
  • -gene- origin; birth
  • geo- land; earth
  • -gest- carry; produce; bear
  • glabr- hairless
  • -glen- eyeball
  • -glob- ball; round
  • gloss- tongue
  • glauc-; glauco- silvery; gleaming gray
  • gluc-; glyc- sweet; sugar
  • glut- buttock
  • gnath- jaw
  • -gon angle; corner
  • -grad- step
  • -gram; graph record; writing
  • grav- heavy
  • -gross- thick
  • gymno- naked; bare
  • gyn- female
  • gyr- ring; circle; spiral
H

  • -hal-; -hale breathe; breath
  • halo- salt
  • hapl- simple
  • hecto- hundred
  • heli-, helic- spiral
  • helio-, helia- Sun
  • -helminth- worm
  • hem- blood
  • hemi- half
  • hepar-; hepat- liver
  • herb- grass; plants
  • hetero- different; other
  • hex- six
  • hibern- winter
  • hidr- sweat
  • hipp- horse
  • hist- tissue
  • holo- entire; whole
  • homeo- same; alike
  • Homo- man; human
  • homo- same; alike
  • hort- garden
  • hydr- water
  • hygr- moist; wet
  • hymeno- membrane; skin
  • hyper- above; beyond; over
  • hyph- weaving; web
  • hypno- sleep
  • hypo- below; under; less
  • hyster- womb; uterus
I

  • -iac afflicted with disease
  • -iasis disease; abnormal state
  • -ic (adjective former)
  • ichthy- fish
  • idio- own, distinct, personal
  • ign- fire
  • in-; il-; im-; ir- not
  • in-; il-; im-; ir- to; toward; into
  • in- very; thoroughly
  • -ine of or pertaining to
  • infra- below; beneath
  • inter- between
  • intra- within; inside
  • -ism a state or condition
  • iso- equal; same
  • -ist person who deals with...
  • -itis inflammation; disease
  • -ium refers to a body part
J

K

  • -kary- nut; cell nucleus
  • kel- tumor; swelling
  • kerat- horn
  • kilo- thousand
  • kine- move
L

  • lachry- tear
  • lact- milk
  • lat- side
  • leio- smooth
  • -less without
  • leuc-; leuk- white; bright; light
  • lig- to bind or tie
  • lign- wood
  • limn- lake
  • lin- line
  • lingu- tongue
  • lip- fat
  • lith-; -lite stone; petrifying
  • loc- place
  • -log- word; speech
  • -logist one who studies...
  • -logy study of...
  • lumin- light
  • -lys-; -lyt-; -lyst decompose; split; dissolve
M

  • macr- large
  • malac- soft
  • malle- hammer
  • mamm- breast
  • marg- border; edge
  • mast- breast
  • med- middle
  • meg- million; great
  • mela-; melan- black; dark
  • -mer part
  • mes- middle; half; intermediate
  • met-; meta- between; along; after
  • -meter; -metry measurement
  • micro- small; millionth
  • milli- thousandth
  • mis- wrong; incorrect
  • mito- thread
  • mole- mass
  • moll- soft
  • mono- one; single
  • morph- shape; form
  • mort- death
  • -mot- move
  • multi- many
  • mut- change
  • my-; myo muscle
  • myc- fungus
  • mycel- threadlike
  • myria- many
  • myxo- slime; mucus
N

  • nas- nose
  • necr- corpse; dead
  • nemat- thread
  • neo- new; recent
  • nephro- kidney
  • -ner- moist; liquid
  • neur- nerve
  • noct-; nox- night
  • -node knot
  • -nom-; -nomy ordered knowledge; law
  • non- not
  • not- back
  • nuc- center
O

  • ob- against
  • oct- eight
  • ocul- eye
  • odont- tooth
  • -oid form; appearance
  • olf- smell
  • oligo- few; little
  • -oma abnormal state; tumor
  • omni- all
  • onc- mass; tumor
  • oo- egg
  • opt- eye
  • opthalm- eye
  • orb- circle; round; ring
  • -orium; -ory place for something
  • ornith- bird
  • ortho- straight; correct; right
  • oscu- mouth
  • -osis state of being; condition
  • oste- bone
  • oto- ear
  • -ous full of
  • ov- egg
  • oxy- sharp; acid; oxygen
P

  • pachy- thick
  • paleo- old; ancient
  • palm- broad; flat
  • pan- all
  • par-; para- beside; near; equal
  • path-; -pathy disease; suffering
  • -ped- foot
  • -ped- child
  • pent- five
  • per- through
  • peri- near
  • peri- around
  • permea- pass; go
  • peron- outer leg
  • phaeo- gray; dusky; brown
  • phag- eat
  • phan-; phanero- to show; make visible
  • pheno- show
  • -phil- loving; fond of
  • phlo- bark of a tree
  • phon-; -phone sound
  • -phore; pher- bear; carry
  • photo- light
  • phren- mind; diaphragm
  • phyc- seaweed; algae
  • phyl- related group
  • -phyll leaf
  • physi- nature; natural qualities
  • phyt-; -phyte plant
  • pino- drink
  • pinni- feather
  • plan- roaming; wandering
  • plasm-; -plast- form; formed into
  • platy- flat
  • pleur- lung; rib; side
  • pneumo- lungs; air
  • -pod foot
  • poikilo- variable
  • poly- many; several
  • pom- fruit
  • por- opening
  • port- carry
  • post- after; behind
  • pre- before; ahead of time
  • prim- first
  • pro- forward; favoring; before
  • proto- first; primary
  • proxim- near; close to
  • pseudo- false; deceptive
  • psych- mind
  • pter- having wings or fins
  • pulmo- lung
  • puls- drive; push
  • pyr- heat; fire
Q

  • quadr- four
  • quin- five
R

  • radi- ray
  • re- again; back
  • rect- straight; correct
  • ren- kidney
  • ret- net; made like a net
  • rhag-; -rrhage burst forth
  • rhe-; -rrhea flow
  • rhin- nose
  • rhiz- root
  • rhodo- rose, red
  • roto- wheel
  • rubr- red
S

  • sacchar- sugar
  • sapr- rotten
  • sarc- flesh
  • saur- lizard
  • schis-; schiz- split; divide
  • sci- know
  • scler- hard
  • -scop- look; device for seeing
  • -scribe; -script write
  • seism- shaking; caused by an earthquake
  • semi- half; partly
  • sept- partition; seven
  • -septic infection; putrefaction
  • sess- sit
  • sex- six
  • -sis condition; state
  • sol- sun
  • solv-; solu loosen; explain
  • som(e)-; somat- body
  • somn- sleep
  • son- sound
  • spec-; spic- look at
  • -sperm- seed
  • -spher- ball; round
  • spir-; -spire breathe
  • -spor- seed
  • stat-; -stasis standing; placed; staying
  • stell- stars
  • sten- narrow
  • stereo- three-dimensionality
  • stern- chest; breast
  • stoich- element
  • stom-; -stome mouth
  • strat- layer
  • stereo- solid; 3-dimensional
  • strict- drawn tight
  • styl- pillar
  • sub- under; below
  • super-; sur- over; above; on top
  • sym-; syn- together
T

  • tachy- quick; swift
  • tarso- ankle
  • tax- arrange; put in order
  • tele- far off; distant
  • telo- end
  • terr- earth; land
  • tetr- four
  • thall- young shoot
  • -the-; -thes- put
  • -thel- cover a surface
  • -therm- heat
  • -tom- cut; slice
  • top- place
  • toxico- poison
  • trache- windpipe
  • trans- across
  • tri- three
  • trich- hair
  • -trop- turn; change
  • -troph- nourishment; one who feeds
  • turb- whirl
U

  • -ul-; -ule diminutive; small
  • ultra- beyond
  • uni- one
  • ur- urine
  • -ura tail
V

  • vas- vessel
  • vect- carry
  • ven-; vent- come
  • ventr- belly; underside
  • -verge turn; slant
  • vestig- footprint, remnant
  • vig- strong
  • vit-; viv- life
  • volv- roll; wander
  • -vor- devour; eat
W

X

  • xanth- yellow
  • xero- dry
  • xyl- wood
Y

  • yocto- denoting 10-24
Z

  • zepto- denoting 10-21
  • zo-; -zoa animal
  • zyg- join; paired; yoke
  • zym- yeast