Word parts

Latin roots list: meanings and example words

In short

This list has 69 Latin roots with their meanings, such as port (carry), port (harbor) and spect (look). Each links to a page of example words, 1172 in all, most shown as word sums.

A Latin root is the part of a word that holds its meaning but usually can't stand alone: port in transport, rupt in erupt, struct in construction. Prefixes and suffixes attach to it. Many roots have two or three spellings, such as mit and miss, because the ending changed when Latin added a suffix.

Teach a root with five or six words a student already half knows, then show the sum: trans + port. Ask what the words share in meaning before you name the root. That small act of noticing sticks better than a list to memorize.

Watch for look-alikes. Not every p-o-r-t is the carry root (a port can be a harbor), and not every v-e-r means "turn." Each page below names the common traps for its root.

Latin roots and what they mean

Latin roots, their meanings, sample words and how many words each page lists
Part	Meaning	Origin	Sample words	Words
act	do, or drive	Latin	react, reacts, reacted, reacting	25
anim	life, or breath	Latin	animals, animate, animated, animating	10
audalso audi, audit	hear	Latin	audible, inaudible, audience, audition	12
bene	good, or well	Latin	benefit, benefits, benefited, benefiting	11
brevalso brief	short	Latin	brevity, briefly, briefcase, briefcases	13
capalso cept	take, or catch	Latin	except, exception, intercept, reception	20
centalso centi	hundred, or a hundredth	Latin	cents, percent, percents, centimeter	14
cognalso cognit	know	Latin	recognize, recognized, recognizes, recognizing	11
credalso credit	believe, or trust	Latin	credible, incredible, credit, discredit	14
curalso curr, curs	run	Latin	current, currents, currently, recur	18
dict	say, or tell	Latin	predict, prediction, predictable, unpredictable	20
ducalso duct, duce	lead, or bring	Latin	conduct, conductor, product, production	26
equalso equi, equal	equal, or even	Latin	equivalent, equivalents, equally, unequal	21
facalso fact, fect, fic, fici, fit	make, or do	Latin	benefit, benefits, benefited, benefiting	30
fer	carry, or bring	Latin	transfer, prefer, preference, refer	22
fidalso fide, fidel	trust, or faith	Latin	confide, confides, confided, confiding	12
finalso fine	end, or limit	Latin	final, finals, finalist, finalists	22
flexalso flect	bend	Latin	reflex, inflexible, reflect, reflects	13
flualso flux	flow	Latin	fluent, fluently, influence, influenced	12
form	shape	Latin	formal, informal, inform, information	22
fortalso forc, force	strong	Latin	comfort, comforts, comforted, comforting	18
genalso gener	birth, kind, or produce	Latin	general, generally, generous, generously	21
gratalso grate, gratul, grace	pleasing, or thanks	Latin	grateful, gratefully, ungrateful, congratulations	13
gressalso grade	step, or go	Latin	centigrade, progress, progresses, progressive	20
ject	throw	Latin	project, projector, inject, injection	19
judalso judg, judge, judic, judici	judge	Latin	judges, judged, judging, judgment	13
junctalso junc, join	join	Latin	junction, junctions, conjunction, conjunctions	14
jusalso just, jur, jure	law, or what is right	Latin	unjust, unjustly, justly, injury	18
lectalso leg, lig	choose, gather, or read	Latin	elect, election, elections, elective	21
legalso legis	law	Latin	legal, legally, legality, legalities	15
levalso lieve, lief	lift, or light in weight	Latin	relieve, relief, relieved, relieving	15
liberalso libert, liberate	free	Latin	liberal, liberally, liberty, liberties	10
localso locate	place	Latin	local, locally, locality, location	16
lucalso lucid, lumin	light	Latin	luminous, luminously, luminance, translucent	16
manualso mani	hand	Latin	manual, manually, manuals, manuscript	14
mitalso miss	send	Latin	transmit, transmitter, transmission, dismiss	16
mort	death	Latin	mortal, mortals, mortally, immortal	10
motalso move, mote	move	Latin	motion, motor, emotion, promotion	22
natalso nate, nature	born	Latin	native, natives, nation, nations	16
novalso novate, novel	new	Latin	innovate, innovative, innovation, innovator	16
numer	number	Latin	numeral, numerals, numerous, numerical	10
pedalso pede, pedi	foot	Latin	pedal, pedals, pedaled, biped	16
pelalso puls, pulse	drive, or push	Latin	propel, propeller, expel, repel	17
pend	hang	Latin	depend, dependent, dependable, independent	14
port	carry	Latin	export, import, transport, portable	17
port	harbor, gate, or opening	Latin	airport, airports, passport, passports	12
posalso pose, posit, pon, pone	put, or place	Latin	position, positions, positive, positively	23
rect	straight, or right	Latin	correct, correction, corrections, correctly	20
rupt	break	Latin	erupt, eruption, interrupt, disrupt	18
scribalso scribe, script	write	Latin	describe, description, subscribe, prescription	23
sequalso secut	follow	Latin	sequence, sequences, sequencing, consequence	13
sign	mark	Latin	signature, signal, signals, signatures	16
spect	look, or see	Latin	inspect, inspector, inspection, spectator	23
spiralso spire	breathe	Latin	inspire, inspires, inspired, inspiring	17
struct	build	Latin	construct, construction, constructive, instruct	18
tactalso tang, tag	touch	Latin	contact, contacts, contacted, contacting	13
tenalso tain, tin, tinu, tinue, tent	hold, or keep	Latin	contain, container, containers, retain	22
tendalso tens, tense, tent	stretch, or reach toward	Latin	extend, extended, extension, extensive	22
tract	pull, or draw	Latin	tractor, traction, subtract, subtraction	19
tribalso tribute, tribut	give, or share out	Latin	contribute, contributes, contributed, contributing	16
vacalso vacu	empty	Latin	vacation, vacations, vacationed, vacationing	14
valalso valu, value, vail	strong, or worth	Latin	valuable, valuing, evaluation, evaluations	19
ver	true	Latin	verify, verified, verifies, verifying	10
vertalso vers, verse	turn	Latin	convert, conversion, convertible, invert	23
visalso vid, vise	see	Latin	vision, visible, invisible, revise	20
vivalso vive, vit	live, or life	Latin	revive, revived, reviving, revival	17
vocalso vok, voke, vocat	voice, or call	Latin	vocal, vocalist, vocalists, vocation	17
volalso volunt	wish, or will	Latin	benevolent, benevolence, voluntary, voluntarily	15
volvalso volve, volu, volut	roll, or turn	Latin	revolve, revolving, revolution, revolutions	17

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