Glossary of Word Roots

a

not, without

ab

away from

aleuron

flour

andr

male

angio

box, vessel

anth

flower

antheros

flowery

anti

against

apertur

opening, hole

api

tip, apex

arche

beginning

asco

sac

ate

provided with, formed into

auto

self

basidio

small base

bi

two, double

cap

head

capill

hair

carp

fruit

caul

stem

cephal

head

chloro

green

chrom

color

cid

cut, kill

circ

circle

cleisto

closed

coll

glue

coma

hair

cyan

dark blue

cyst

bladder, bag

cyt

cell

dendr

tree

dent

tooth

derm

skin

di

two, separate

dictyo

net

dichotomos

cut into two

el

diminutive ending

endo

inside

epi

upon

equinus

horse

erythr

red

eu

true, good

ex

from, beyond

exo

outside

fer

bearer

fil

thread-like

fissio

splitting

flagellum

whip

flav

yellow

flor

flower

fol

leaf

fungus

mushroom

funiculus

a small cord

gamet

spouse, sex cell

gamo

union, marriage

gen

origin, birth

genus

race

geo

earth

glab

bald

gland

secrectory spot

glut

glue

gymn

naked

gyn

female

habitus

condition, physique

hal

salt

hemi

half

hetero

other, different

hex

six

holo

entire

homo

same, alike

hydro

water

hyph

web

hypo

below

idion

diminutive ending

il

diminutive ending

infra

below

inter

between

intra

within

iso

equal, homogenous

karyron

nut, nucleus

lab

lip

lamel

plate, layer

lamin

blade

lance

lance, blade

leuco

white

lig

strap, ribbon

lith

stone

loc

a small place, cell

ligne

wood

logos

discourse, study

macro

large, long

mega

large

meiosis

reduction

meri

part, segment, component

meso

middle

micro

small, tiny

mitos

thread

mono

one, single

morph

form, structure

myco

fungus, mushroom

myx

slime

nat

born, borne

nom

name

ode

like

oec

household

oid

like

ol

little

orth

straight

ostiol

little door

oön

egg

ov

egg

paleo

ancient

palm

hand

palustr

swamp

para

beside

pect

comb

ped, pod

foot, stalk

pelt

shield

per

through, by means of

peri

around

phellos

cork

phil

love

phloos

bark

phore

bearer

phyle

tribe

phyll

leaf

phyco

seaweed

phyte

plant

pinn

feather

plast

thing molded

ploid

fold

plume

feather

pneum

lung, air, gas

poly

many, much

por

small opening

prim

first

pro

before

protiston

the very first

proto

first, original

pseud

false

psilos

bare, mere

pterid

fern

pyle

gate

rad

root

phodon

rose color

ros

rose

sagitt

arrow

sapro

rotten

schiz

deeply divided

scis

cut

sect

cut

semi

half

septum

partition, wall, enclosure

sessilis

fit for sitting

soma

body

soros

heap

species

kind

sperm

seed

sphen

wedge

sporo

seed, spore

stell

star

strobilos

twisted object, top, pinecone

stome

mouth

stroma

cushion, mattress

stylo

pillar

sub

under, less than

super, supar

above, over

syn, sym

together, with, at the same time

taxis

arrangement, order

terra

earth

tetra

four

thall

shoot

tri

three

trichom

hair

trop

bend

troph

nourish, food

tuber

knob, swelling

ul

little

uni

one

vor

eat

xanthos

yellow

xer

dry

xylon

wood

zygo

yoke, pair