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Greek and Latin Words Derivations

Greek and Latin Words Combined to Form Terms Especially in Biology and Medicine

By , About.com Guide

Codex Argenteus

Codex Argenteus

Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
The following are some confusing pairs or triplets of Greek and Latin roots that are used to make English words, mostly in the scientific fields, and especially Greek medical terms. The Latin form comes first and is lower case. The Greek form is all in caps. The - shows where other parts of the word are attached and the English definition(s) follow. There are sometimes Latin or Greek variant forms, which are listed before the English definition.

The selection of which words are confusing is mine. It is based on words that would sound similar when pronounced or might seem close in spelling. It also includes words I confuse. Let me know if you have others to add to this list.

  • al- phonological change from ad 'to' that occurs before an /l/
  • al- wing
  • ALL- other

  • ambul- to walk
  • AMBLY- dull

  • articul- joint
  • ARTHR- joint, speech sound

  • aud-, audit- hear
  • AUT- self
  • bull- bubble, blister
  • BUL- (BOUL-) will

  • bi- two
  • BI- life

  • bract- thin plate
  • BRACHY- short
  • BRACHI- arm
  • cent- hundred
  • CENTE- puncture

  • col- to inhabit
  • coll- neck
  • COL- colon
  • COLL(A)- glue

  • cord- heart
  • cori- skin
  • COR(E)- pupil of the eye

  • cre-, cresc-, cret- to grow
  • CRI- separate
  • dent- tooth
  • DENDR- tree

  • dorm- sleep
  • DROM- running
  • err- wander
  • ERG- work
  • hal-, halit- to breathe
  • HAL- salt
  • loc- place
  • LOG- word, reason, speech
  • medi- middle
  • mega- large, one million

  • ment- mind
  • ment- chin
  • MEN- moon
  • nar- nostril
  • NARC- stupor

  • nerv- nerve, vein of an insect wing or leaf
  • NEUR- nerve, nervous system, tendon

  • nod- knot
  • NOT- the back
  • ole- oil
  • OLIG- few

  • os-, or- mouth, opening
  • OSS- bone
  • palli- mantle, covering
  • PALI(N)- again, pack
  • PALE- (PALAE)- old

  • pati- pass- to suffer, to endure
  • PATH- disease, suffering

  • ped- foot
  • PED- (PAED)- child, instruction

  • pend-, pens- to hang
  • PEN- deficiency, lack
  • PENT(A)- five

  • plan- flat
  • plant- sole of the foot
  • PLAN- wandering

  • plex- to interweave, to braid
  • PLEX- stroke
  • PLEG- paralysis
  • scop- broom, brush
  • SCOP- to view

  • sep-, sept- to separate, wall
  • SEP- to rot

  • spir- to breathe
  • SPIR- coil

  • somn- sleep
  • SOM-, SOMAT- body

  • stercor-, sterc- excrement
  • STERE- solid, 3-d

  • sta-, stat- to stand
  • STA- to stand, to stop
  • terti- third
  • TETRA- four

  • tri- three
  • TRI- three
  • TRIB-, TRIP- rub, crush

Source: Bioscientific Terminology, by Donald M. Ayers 1972

A Look at Reader-Contributed Confusing Word Pairs

How Do You recognize the Root?

Affect vs. Effect

I.e. vs. E.g.

Also see these articles on words and word derivations:
  • Latin Words in English I
    English has lots of words of Latin origin. Some of these words are changed to make them more like other English words -- mostly by changing the ending (e.g., 'office' from the Latin officium), but other Latin words are kept intact in English. Of these words, there are some that remain unfamiliar and are generally italicized to show that they are foreign, but there are others that are used with nothing to set them apart as imported from Latin. Here are some such words and abbreviations.
  • Latin Words in English II
    (See preceding.)
  • On Translating Latin Into English
    Whether you want to translate a short English phrase into Latin or a Latin phrase into English, you can not just plug the words into a dictionary and expect an accurate result. You can't with most modern languages, but the lack of a one-to-one correspondence is even greater for Latin and English.
  • Latin Religious Words in English
    If you want to say that the prospects are bleak, you could say "it doesn't augur well." Augur is used as a verb in this English sentence, with no particular religious connotation. In ancient Rome, an augur was a religious figure who observed natural phenomena, like the presence and location to left or right of birds, to determine whether the prospects were good or bad for a proposed venture. Find out about more such words.

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