Basic Latin Elements that All English Speakers and Readers Should Know  

The 125 basic Latin elements every English speaker/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).

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.

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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lav-, lava-, lavat- (Latin: wash, bathe).

linguo-, lingu-, lingua-, -linguist, -linguistic, -linguistical, -linguistically (Latin: tongue, language).

luco-, luc-, luci-, lux, -lucence, -lucent (Latin: light, shine).

locu-, loc- (Latin: talk, speak, say, word, speech).

lumen-, lumin-, lum- (Latin: light, shine; source).

luna-, luni-, lun-, lunu- (Latin: moon, light, shine).

magni-, magn- (Latin: large, big, great).

mal-, male-, mali- (Latin: bad, badly, harsh, wrong; ill; evil; abnormal, defective).

This combining form has no etymological connection to “male”, meaning “man” or “masculine”; despite what some women may think.

manu-, man-, mani- (Latin: hand).

medio-, medi- (Latin: middle).

migr-, migrat- (Latin: wander, moving).

milli- [MIL i], mille-, mill-, mili- (Latin: thousand; a decimal prefix used in the international metric system for measurements).

In the metric [decimal] system, milli- denotes 1/1 000 of a unit, thousandth [U.S.] and thousandth part [U.K.]; 10^-3 [0.001] The metric symbol for milli- is m.

mini-, minor-, minut-, minu- (Latin: small, little).

miss-, -miss, -mis-, -mit, -mitt- (Latin: send, let go, cause to go; throw, hurl, cast).

mort-, mor-, mori- (Latin: death, dead).

multi-, mult- (Latin: many, much; used as a prefix).

nom-, nomen-, nomin-, -nomia, -nomic (Latin: name).

Don’t confuse this element with the Greek nomo- that means “law”.

non- (Latin: nothing, not).

novo-, nov-, novi- (Latin: new, recent; used as a prefix).

omni-, omn- (Latin: all, every).

pac-, peac-, peas- (Latin: peace, calm).

pari-, par- (Greek: same, equal, equality, equal value). and peer, pair (Latin: same, equal, similar).

pass-, pati- (Latin: suffering, feeling; enduring).

ped-, pedi-, -pedal, -ped, -pede, -pedia (Latin: foot).

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

port-, portat- (Latin: carry, bring, bear).

port- (Latin: door, gate, entrance, harbor).

poten-, pot-, poss-, -potent, -potence, -potency, -potential (Latin: power, strength, ability).

pre- (prae-) (Latin: before [both in time and place]; used as a prefix).

pro-, por- (Greek > Latin: before; forward; for, in favor of; in front of; in place of, on behalf of; used as a prefix).

quir-, quisit-, quis-, que-, quer-, quest-, -quirement, -quirable, -quisition, -quisitive (Latin: ask, seek).

re-, red- (Latin: back, backward, again; used as a prefix).

retro-, retr- (Latin: back, backward, behind; used as a prefix).

rupt-, -rupting, -ruption (Latin: break, tear, rend; burst).

sana-, sani-, san- (Latin: healthy, whole; by extension: cure, heal, take care of).

sci-, -science, -sciently, -scientific, -scientifically, -scient, -sciently (Latin: know, learn, knowledge).

scrib-, script-, -scribe, -scription, -scriptive (Latin: write, record).

sec-, seg-, -sect, -section, -sectional (Latin: to cut).

semi- (Latin: half, partly, twice; used as a prefix).

senso-, sens-, sensi-, sensori-, sent- (Latin: feeling, sensation, perception through the senses, be aware, discern by the senses).

sed-, sedat-, -sid, -sess (Latin: sit).

sol-, soli-, solo- (Latin: sun).

soli-, sol- (Latin: one, alone, only).

solv-, -solu-, solut-, -sol, -soluble, -solubility, -solvent (Latin: loosen, dissolve; untie, set free).

sono-, son-, sona-, -sonous, -sonic, -sonically (Latin: sound).

spec-, spic-, spect-, spectat-, spectro- -spectr, -spectful, -spection, -spective (Latin: see, sight, look, appear, behold, and examine).

spiro-, spir-, spira-, spirat-, -spire, -spiring, -spiration, -spirational (Latin: breath of life, breath, breathing, mind, spirit, courage, “soul”).

stato-, stat-, sta-, -static, -stasi, staso-, -stasis, -stasia, -stacy, -stitute, -stitution, -sist, -stasic, -stit- (Greek: standing, stay, make firm, fixed).

stell- (Latin: star).

stru-, struct-, -structure, -struction, -structive (Latin: build, construct, place together, arrange).

sub- (Latin: under, below [suc-, suf-, sug-, sum-, sup-, sur-, sus-]; used as a prefix) andsubter- (Latin: under, beneath, secretly, less than; formed from sub-; used as a prefix).

 Don’t confuse the sur- in this element with the sur- in super-. Note: sub- regularly means “under”, but it often changes its form as it retains its meaning:

super-, supra-, sur- (Latin: above, over, more than; excessive).

Sur- is a form of super- formed through the French and shouldn’t be confused with another assimilated sur- form that comes from sub- and means: “under, below, beneath”. In some words, super- is amplified to mean: “on top of; higher in rank or position than; superior to; greater in quality, amount, or degree than others of its kind; to a degree greater than others of its kind; to a degree greater than normal; extra, additional”.

tempo-, tempor- (Latin: time, occasion).

Don’t confuse this tempo- element with other words that refer to the temples, such as the flattened sides of the forehead or the buildings used for religious worship or services. They simply have no connection.

ten-, tent-, tin-, -tain, -tainment, -tenance, -tinence (Latin: hold, grasp, have).

trans-, tran-, tra- (Latin: across, through, over, beyond, on the far side of; used as a prefix).

Don’t confuse the tra- in this element with another tra- in “drag” or “draw”. Trans- becomes tra- before the consonants -d, -j, -l, -m, -n, and -v.

ultra-, ult- (Latin: beyond, on the other side; excessive, to an extreme degree).

uni-, un- (Latin: one, single; a number used as a prefix).

vaga-, vag- (Latin: wander, move around).

veloci-, veloc-, velo- (Latin: fast, speed, swift, and rapid).

veri-, ver- (Latin: true, truth, real, truthfulness).

verg-, -vergent, -vergence (Latin: bend, curve, turn, tend toward, incline).

vers-, vert-, -verse, -version, -version, -versation, -versary, -vert, vort-, vors- (Latin: bend, turn).

via- [-vey, -voy-] (Latin: way, road, path).

vid-, video-, vis-, -vision, -visional, -visionally, visuo-, vu- (Latin: see, sight, view, look, perceive).

vir-, viri-, virtu-(Latin: man, manliness; manhood; husband).

vita-, vito-, vit- (Latin: life, living, pertaining to life, essential to life).

voc-, voca-, vocat-, -vocation, -vocative, -vocable, vok-, -voke (Latin: call, talk, speak, say, voice, word).

volen-, volunt-, voli-, vol- (Latin: will, free will, free choice; wish, personal desire).

volv-, volu-, -volve, volut-, -volute, -volution (Latin: bend, curve, turn, twist, roll).

vor-, vora-, -vore, -vorous, -vores, -vora, -vory (Latin: eat, consume, devour).

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