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  Basic Greek Elements that All English Speakers and Readers Should Know  

The 102 basic Greek elements every English speaker, writer, and reader should know for an adequate understanding of thousands of English words that are used in the mass media (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, books, and the Internet) and in scientific materials.

Please note: the lists that are presented here and on the next pages are only a very small part of the cross references, relative words, and definitions that are available at the Cross-Reference Search Dictionary that specializes in the thousands of English words that are derived from Latin and Greek origins. You may connect to this special Cross-Reference Search source of Latin-Greek-English elements here; however, you will need a User Name and Password for access. For details about how you may gain entrance to the Cross-Reference sources, go to the pre-payment, subscription page so you can see how you may become a contributing supporter and a member of this exclusive dictionary search area that includes definitions and related vocabulary quizzes (under construction).

Click this connection so you can see fourteen basic prefixes and roots considered by some to be “most useful as a short cut to a bigger vocabulary”.

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macro-, macr- (Greek: large, great; long [in extent or duration]; enlarged, or elongated, long).

-mania, -maniac, -maniacal, -manic, -manically, -maniacally (Greek: mental disorder).

mega- [MEG uh], meg- (Greek: large, great, big, powerful; a decimal prefix used in the international metric system for measurements).

meter-, metro-, metr-, -metrical, -metrically, -metron, -metric, -metrist, -meters, -metry, -metre (Greek: measure).

micro-, micr- (Greek: small, tiny; a decimal prefix used in the international metric system for measurements).

miso-, mis- (Greek: hate, hater, hatred; used as a prefix).

mne-, mnem-, mnemon-, mnes-, -mnesia, -mnesiac, -mnesic, -mnestic (Greek: memory, to remember).

mono-, mon- (Greek: one, alone, single; a number used as a prefix).

morpho-, morph-, -morphous, -morphically, -morphia, -morphosis, -morphously, -morphy, -morphic, -morphism (Greek: shape, form, figure, appearance).

naus-, nau- (Greek: ship, sailor).

neo-, ne- (Greek: new, recent, current, young).

odonto-, odont-, odon-, -odont, -odonic, -odontic, -odontia, -odontoid (Greek: tooth, teeth).

-oid, -oidal, -oidism, -ode (Greek: a suffix; like, resembling, similar to, form).

oligo-, olig- (Greek: few, small; abnormally few or small; used as a prefix).

onomato-, onoma-, onomo-, onom-, ono- (Greek: name; word).

ortho-, orth- (Greek: right, straight, correct, true; designed to correct).

pachy-, pacho-, pach- (Greek: thick, dense; large, massive).

pedo-, paedo-, ped-, paed-, paido-, paid- (Greek: child).

The British tend to use “paed-” while those in the United States tend to use “ped-”. Remember that the Greek ped- means “child” while the Latin ped- means “foot”. Don't confuse this Greek element with another Greek pedo- that means “ground, soil, earth”.

pan-, panto-, pant- (Greek: all, every).

patho-, -path-, -pathia, -pathic, -pathology, -pathetic, -pathize, -pathy (Greek: feeling, sensation, perception, suffering, [in medicine, it usually means “one who suffers from a disease of, or one who treats a disease”]).

peri- (Greek: around, about, near, enclosing; used as a prefix).

petro-, petr-, peter- (Greek: stone, rock).

phago-, phag-, -phag, -phage, -phagic, -phagia, -phagism, -phagist, -phagous (Greek: eat, consume).

philo-, phil-, -phile, -philia, -philic, -philous, -phily, -philiac, -philist, -philism (Greek: love, loving, friendly to, fondness for, attraction to, strong tendency toward, affinity for).

Note: under some circumstances, -philia means “unwholesome-sexual attraction” to something or someone, as in pedophilia (paedophilia).

-phobia, -phobias, -phobe, -phobiac, -phobist, -phobic, -phobism, -phobous; phobo-, phob- (Greek: fear, extreme fear of, morbid fear of, excessive fear of, irrational fear or terror of something or someone; however, sometimes this Greek element means a strong dislike or hatred for something).

Noun endings are formed with -phobia and -phobe; while adjectives end with -phobic.

phono-, phon-, -phone, -phonia, -phonic, -phonetic, -phonous, -phonically, -phonetically, -phony (Greek: phone; sound; voice).

photo-, phot-, -photic, -phote (Greek: light).

pneumo-, pneum-, pneumono-, pneumon- (Greek: lung [breath]).

podo-, pod-, -poda, -pod, -pode, -podium, -podia, -podial, -podous, -pody (Greek: foot, feet).

polis-, polit-, poli- (Greek: city; method of government).

poly- (Greek: many, much; too many, too much, excessive; often used as a prefix).

Don’t confuse this poly- with the next -poly that means “to sell”.

-poly, -pole, -polism, -polist, -polistic, -polistically (Greek: used as a suffix; sale, selling; one who sells; pertaining to selling).

Don’t confuse this element with the previous poly- that means “many”.

pro-, por- (Greek > Latin: used as a prefix).

¹ before
² forward
³ for, in favor of
⁴ in front of
⁵ in place of, on behalf of

pseudo-, pseud- (Greek: false, deception, lying, untrue, counterfeit; used as a prefix).

psycho-, psych-, -psyche, -psychic, -psychical, -psychically (Greek: the mind or the mental processes).

Etymologically, this element includes such meanings as, breath, life, soul, spirit, mind, and consciousness.

pyro-, pyr- (Greek: fire, burn; and sometimes “fever”; heat, produced by heating).

sarco-, sarc-, -sarcous, -sarc, -sarcoma, -sarcomatous, -sarcomatoid (Greek: flesh, meat).

sauro-, saur-, -saurus, -saurid, -saur, -sauria, -saurian (Greek: lizard).

scopo-, scop-, scept-, skept-, -scope-, -scopy, -scopia, -scopic, -scopist (Greek: see, view, sight, look at, examine).

seismo-, seism-, -seism, -seisms, -seisma, -seismically, -seismical, -seismal, -seismic (Greek: shake, earthquake [move to and fro’; to shake, move violently]).

soma-, som-, somat-, somato-, -soma, -some, -somus, -somia, -somic, -somal, -somite, -somatous, -somatia, -somatic (Greek: body; mass).

sopho-, soph-, sophic, -soph, -sopher, -sophy, -sophical, -sophically, -sophist (Greek: wise, wisdom; knowledge).

stereo-, stere- (Greek: solid, firm, hard; three-dimensional).

syn-(sy-, sym-, syl-, sys-). (Greek: together, with, along with).

By extension, syn- may also mean: together, with; united; same, similar; at the same time.

tacho-, tach-, tachy- (Greek: fast, speed, swift, rapid).

techno-, techn-, tect-, -technic[s], -technique, -technology, -technical, -technically (Greek: art, skill, craft; techne, art, skill, craft; tekton, “builder”).

tele-, tel-, telo-, -telic, -telical (Greek: far away, far off, at a distance).

Don’t confuse this tele- with the teleo- that means “end, last”.

thanato-, thanat-, thanas-, -thanasia, -thanasic (Greek: death, dead).

theo-, the-, -theism, -theist, -theistic (Greek: God, god, deity, divine).

therap-, -therapeutic[s], -therapeutically, -therapy, -therapies, -therapist (Greek: heal, cure; treatment; service done to the sick, a waiting on).

thermo-, therm-, thermi-, -thermia, -therm, -thermal, -thermic, -thermous, -thermy (Greek: heat).

toxico-, toxic-, toxi-, tox-, toxin-, -toxically, -toxaemia, -toxemia, -toxaemic, -toxemic, -toxical, -toxy, -toxis, -toxicosis, -toxism, -toxia, -toxin, -toxicity (Greek: poison).

xeno-, xen- (Greek: foreign, foreigner, strange, stranger; and by extension, guest).

The “x” in xeno- is pronounced “z”; “zeno”. Greeks are said to have considered any stranger a “guest” and modern Greek includes xenodocheion a “guest house” or “house for guests” or its modern version of “hotel”.

xero-, xer-, xir- (Greek: dry).

zoo-, zo-, -zoic, -zoid, -zoite, -zoal, -zonal, -zooid, -zoon, -zoa, -zoan (Greek: animal; living being; life).

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