Knowing the meaning of Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes, is a good way to improve your English

vocabulary, since quite a few English words are based on them. Please translate the example words.

Root: Meaning: Example:

anthropo human being, anthropology =
mankind anthropologist =
misanthrope =
philanthropy =
demo people democrat =
democracy =
epidemic =
crat, cracy strength, rule aristocracy =
miso hatred misogynist =
gyn woman gynecologist =
ped child pedagogue =
pediatrician =
auto self automobile =
autonomy =
autobiography =
psych mind, soul psychology, psychologist =
psychiatrist =
psychic =
psychopath =
gam marriage polygamy =
bigamy, bigamist =
monogamy, monogamous =
mono alone, single, monarch =
one monologue =
monotheistic =
poly many polytheism =
theo god theology =
pantheism =
atheism =
physio nature physics =
 physiology =
physique =
graph, gram writing telegram =
graphic =
geography =
onym name synonym =
antonym =
helio sun helium =

Exercise 1
Which words from the list of Greek roots fit in the blanks?

1) My husband is a professor of . You know, he’s interested in the study of

different tribes of people and stuff like that.

2) Most women hate going to the . You lie there, stark-naked with your legs
in stirrup. It’s very embarrassing. Men are lucky they don’t have to go through it.

3) I’m going to write my . After all, I’m the one who’s lived my life.
Besides, I don’t trust anyone else to do it properly.

4) Unfortunately some married men are (gyn) .

5) The (ped) told the parents that their baby was suffering from
pneumonia.

6) means that you can be married to more than one person at the same time.

7) In the past, the rich and noble (cracy) had a far better life than the
common peasants did.

8) The actor charmed the audience with a moving (mono) in the first act of the
play.

9) He looks like a mad scientist, and the funny things is he studies (physio) .

10) The of black is white and the of the word “ocean” is the
word “sea”.
PART 2:

Root: Meaning: Example:

scope view microscope =
telescope =
tele far telecommunication =
telepathy =
micro small microfilm =
macro long, large macroscopic =
mega great megaphone =
megalomania =
baro weight barometer =
eu beautiful, good eulogy =
euphemism =
euphony =
euphoria =
ortho straight, orthodontist =
correct orthodox =
orthopedics =
soph wise philosophy =
sophisticated =
sophomore =
phil love philanthropy =
pedophile =
geo earth geology =
geography =
geometry =
astro star asterisk =
asteroid =
astronomy =
astrology =
polis, polit city metropolis =
cosmopolitan =
acro highest, Acropolis =
outermost acrobat =
 acrophobia =
phobia fear, dislike hydrophobia =
claustrophobia =
arachnophobia =
mania madness kleptomania =
pyromania =
pyro fire pyromaniac =
hydro water dehydrate =
hydrogen =
petro stone petrified =
petroleum =
photo, phos light photosynthesis =
thermo heat geothermal heating =
thermometer =
thermostat =
chrono time chronology =
chronic =
chronicle =
agon a contest protagonist =
antagonist =
pan all pandemic =
Pan-American =
pantheism =
pandemonium =
arch first, ruler, archetype =
chief archbishop =

Exercise 2:
Try to figure out which words from PART 2 fit in the blanks.

1) My front teeth are crooked. I have to see an (ortho) .

2) I’m not surprised he’s wise. After all, he is a (soph) .

3) He always asks about people‘s birth signs. He’s into (astro) .

4) She lights fires wherever she goes. She’s a (pyro) .

5) In the desert, the survivors of the plane crash suffered from (hydro) .

6) If I saw a rat, I would become (petro) .

7) Icelanders use (thermo) energy to heat their houses.

8) It’s the increase in air pressure that makes the (baro) fall.

9) I’m afraid of spiders. I suffer from (phobia) .

10) I hate all math except (metry) .

11) The student was right about the leading character in the play being called (agon)
and his opponent (agon) .