Nov 18, 2008

SAT Prep | Roots

ROOT	MEANING	EXAMPLE
act, ag	do, act, drive	activate — to make active agile — having quick motion
alt	high	altitude — height alto — high singing voice
alter, altr	other, change	alternative — choice between two things altruism — living for the good of others
am, ami	love, friend	amiable — worthy of affection amity — friendship
anim	mind, spirit	animated — spirited animosity — violent hatred
annu, enni	year	annual — every year centennial — every hundred years
aqua	water	aquarium — tank for water animals and plants aquamarine — semiprecious stone of sea-green color
arch	first, ruler	archenemy — chief enemy archetype — original pattern from which things are copied
aud, audit	hear	audible — capable of being heard audience — assembly of hearers audition — the power or act of hearing
auto	self	automatic — self-acting autobiography — story about a person who also wrote it
bell	war	belligerent — a party taking part in a war bellicose — warlike
ben, bene	good	benign — kindly disposition beneficial — advantageous
bio	life	biotic — relating to life biology — the science of life
brev	short	abbreviate — make shorter brevity — shortness
cad, cas	fall	cadence — fall in voice casualty — loss caused by death
capit, cap	head	captain — the head or chief decapitate — to cut off the head
cede, ceed, cess	to go, to yield	recede — to move or fall back proceed — to move onward recessive — tending to go back
cent	hundred	century — hundred years centipede — insect with a hundred legs
chron	time	chronology — science dealing with historical dates chronicle — register of events in order of time
cide, cis	to kill, to cut	homicide — one who kills; planned killing of a person incision — a cut
clam, claim	to shout	acclaim — receive with applause proclamation — announce publicly
cogn	to know	recognize — to know again cognition — awareness
corp	body	incorporate — combine into one body corpse — dead body
cred	to trust, to believe	incredible — unbelievable credulous — too prone to believe
cur, curr, curs	to run	current — flowing body of air or water excursion — short trip
dem	people	democracy — government formed for the people epidemic — affecting all people
dic, dict	to say	dictate — to read aloud for another to transcribe verdict — decision of a jury
doc, doct	to teach	docile — easily instructed indoctrinate — to instruct
domin	to rule	dominate — to rule dominion — territory of rule
duc, duct	to lead	conduct — act of guiding induce — to overcome by persuasion
eu	well, good	eulogy — speech or writing in praise euphony — pleasantness or smoothness of sound
fac, fact, fect, fic	to do, to make	facilitate — to make easier factory — location of production confect — to put together fiction — something invented or imagined
fer	to bear, to carry	transfer — to move from one place to another refer — to direct to
fin	end, limit	infinity — unlimited finite — limited in quantity
flect, flex	to bend	flexible — easily bent reflect — to throw back
fort	luck	fortunate — lucky fortuitous — happening by chance
fort	strong	fortify — strengthen fortress — stronghold
frag, fract	break	fragile — easily broken fracture — break
fug	flee	fugitive — fleeing refugee — one who flees to a place of safety
gen	class, race	engender — to breed generic — of a general nature in regard to all members
grad, gress	to go, to step	regree — to go back graduate — to divide into regular steps
graph	writing	telegraph — message sent into regular steps autograph — person's own handwriting or signature
ject	to throw	projectile — capable of being thrown reject — to throw away
leg	law	legitimate — lawful legal — defined by law
leg, lig, lect	to choose, gather, read	illegible — incapable of being read ligature — something that binds election — the act of choosing
liber	free	liberal — favoring freedom of ideals liberty — freedom from restraint
log	study, speech	archaeology — study of human antiquities prologue — address spoken before a performance
luc, lum	light	translucent — slightly transparent illuminate — to light up
luc, lum	light	translucent — slightly transparent illuminate — to light up
magn	large, great	magnify — to make larger magnificent — great
mal, male	bad, wrong	malfunction — to operate incorrectly malevolent — evil
mar	sea	marine — pertaining to the sea submarine — below the surface of the sea
mater, matr	mother	maternal — motherly matriarchy — government by mothers or women
mit, miss	to send	transmit — to send from one person or place to another mission — the act of sending
morph	shape	metamorphosis — a changing in shape anthropomorphic — having a human shape
mut	change	mutable — subject to change mutate — to change
nat	born	innate — inborn native — a person born in a place
neg	deny	negative — expressing denial renege — to deny
nom	name	nominate — to put forward a name nomenclature — process of naming
nov	new	novel — new renovate — to make as good as new
omni	all	omnipotent — all powerful omnipresent — all present
oper	to work	operate — to work on something cooperate — to work with others
pass, path	to feel	pathetic — affecting the tender emotions passionate — moved by strong emotion
pater, patr	father	paternal — fatherly patriarchy — government by fathers or men
ped, pod	foot	pedestrian — one who travels on foot podiatrist — foot doctor
pel, puls	to drive, to push	impel — to drive forward compulsion — irresistible force
phil	love, to push	philharmonic — loving harmony or music philanthropist — one who loves and seeks to do good for others
port	carry	export — to carry out of the country portable — able to be carried
psych	mind	psychology — study of the mind psychiatrist — specialist in mental disorders
quer, ques, quir, quis	to ask	querist — one who inquires inquiry — to ask about question — that which is asked inquisitive — inclined to ask questions
rid, ris	to laugh	ridiculous — laughable derision — to mock
rupt	to break	interrupt — to break in upon erupt — to break through
sci	to know	science — systematic knowledge of physical or natural phenomena conscious — having inward knowledge
scrib, script	to write	transcribe — to write over again script — text of words
sent, sens	to feel, to think	sentimental — feel great emotion sensitive — easily affected by changes
sequ, secut	to follow	sequence — connected series consecutive — following one another in unbroken order
solv, solu, solut	to loosen	dissolve — to break up absolute — without restraint
spect	to look at	spectator — one who watches inspect — to look at closely
spir	to breathe	inspire — to breathe in respiration — process of breathing
string, strict	to bind	stringent — binding strongly restrict — to restrain within bounds
stru, struct	to build	strut — a structural piece designed to resist pressure construct — to build
tang, ting, tact, tig	to touch	tactile — perceptible by touching tangent — touching, but not intersecting contact — touching contiguous — to touch along a boundary
ten, tent, tain	to hold	tenure — holding of office contain — to hold
term	to end	terminate — to end terminal — having an end
terr	earth	terrain — tract of land terrestrial — existing on earth
therm	heat	thermal — pertaining to heat thermometer — instrument for measuring temperature
tort, tors	to twist	contortionist — one who twists violently torsion — act of turning or twisting
tract	to pull, to draw	attract — draw toward distract — to draw away
vac	empty	vacant — empty evacuate — to empty out
ven, vent	to come	prevent — to stop from coming intervene — to come between
ver	true	verify — to prove to be true veracious — truthful
verb	word	verbose — use of excess words verbatim — word for word
vid, vis	to see	video — picture phrase of television vision — act of seeing external objects
vinc, vict, vanq	to conquer	invincible — unconquerable victory — defeat of enemy vanquish — to defeat
viv, vit	life	vital — necessary to life vivacious — lively
voc	to call	vocation — a summons to a course of action vocal — uttered by voice
vol	to wish, to will	involuntary — outside the control of will volition — the act of willing or choosing