Word part · Latin root
Jus root words: meaning and 18 examples
In short
The Latin root jus (from Latin) means "law, or what is right". It is also spelled just, jur and jure. Words with it include unjust, unjustly, justly, injury, injure and injured. Jur and just are the same root.
- Part
- jus
- Meaning
- law, or what is right
- Origin
- Latin
- Also spelled
- just, jur, jure
- Words listed
- 18
Jur and just are the same root. An injury was first a wrong done to someone, something not right.
Words with the Latin root jus
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| injure | in (prefix)+jure (root or base)→injure | hurt or harm |
| injured | in (prefix)+jure (root or base)+ed (suffix)→injureddrop the e | hurt or harmed |
| jury | jur (root or base)+y (suffix)→jury | a group of people who decide a case by the law |
More words: justice
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| unjust | un (prefix)+just (root or base)→unjust | not fair, not right |
| justly | just (root or base)+ly (suffix)→justly | in a fair and right way |
| injury | in (prefix)+jur (root or base)+y (suffix)→injury | harm done to a body; first, a wrong done to someone |
| juries | jur (root or base)+y (suffix)+es (suffix)→jurieschange y to i | more than one jury |
| juror | jur (root or base)+or (suffix)→juror | one person who serves on a jury |
| jurors | jur (root or base)+or (suffix)+s (suffix)→jurors | more than one juror |
More words: injustice, justify, justified, injuries, perjury
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| unjustly | un (prefix)+just (root or base)+ly (suffix)→unjustly | in a way that is not fair |
More words: justification, jurisdiction
Where does jus sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- justly, jury, juries, juror, jurors
- In the middle:
- unjustly, injury
- At the end:
- unjust, injure, injured
How do you teach the root jus?
Open with just, in the sense of fair: "That was a just decision." Many students only know just as "only," so give them two sentences and let them hear the difference. Then add the jur spelling with jury and juror, people who decide by the law. Save injury for last. Ask the student to split it, in + jur + y, and explain how "not right" turned into harm to the body.
A quick routine
Draw two columns headed just and jur. Say, "Both spellings mean law, or what is right. Sort these words into the right column." Read unjust, justly, jury, juror, injure and justice aloud while the student sorts the written cards. Then the student picks one word from each column and uses it in a sentence about a game or a class rule. Thirty seconds of talk per word is plenty.
What do students mix up with jus?
Adjust looks like it belongs here, but it comes from a different word meaning near, so leave it out of lists. The other trap is just meaning only, as in "just a minute." That sense grew out of the fair one long ago, and students do not need the history. Teach just as fair or right when you teach the root, and accept that the everyday word has a second job.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root jus mean?
Jus means "law, or what is right". It is a Latin root, also spelled just, jur and jure. Jur and just are the same root. An injury was first a wrong done to someone, something not right.
What are some words with the root jus?
Start with injure, injured, jury and justice. Then move to unjust, justly, unjustly and justification. This page lists 18 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Is injury really from the root for law?
Yes. The parts are in (not) and jur (right), so an injury first meant a wrong done to someone. Over time it came to mean harm to the body. It is a good word for showing how meanings shift.
Related word parts
- judjudge
- in-not
- un-not, or the opposite of
- -ora person or thing that does something
- -ythe act, state or result of
- -lyin a certain way
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
Teach word parts with ready lessons
Literacy Trail has word parts lessons with words to read, build, split and spell, and full-screen players for the student. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.