Improving Vocabulary by Learning Root Words

The English language has its roots in languages like Greek and Latin. An understanding of the common root words will help us make educated guesses about the meaning of new words and substantially strengthen our vocabulary.
Given below is a list of commonly used root words, their meanings and some examples of words formed using these root words.

ROOT	MEANING	EXAMPLE  WORDS
Ambi	Both	Ambidextrous – Use both hands well Ambiguity – Double meaning, can be interpreted in more than one way
Aqua	Water	Aquarium – Artificial environment for water plants and animals Aquatic – Plant or animal living in water
Art	Skill	Artistic – Natural skill in art Artisan – Skilled manual work
Auto	Self	Automatic – Working by itself Autonomous – Having self-government
Bi	Two, Twice	Biannual – Occurring twice in a year Bigamy – Being married twice
Bio	Life	Biology – Study of living things Biohazard – Risk to living things
Cardio	Heart	Cardiology – Branch of medicine dealing with the heart Cardiovascular – Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels
Cent	Hundred	Centenary – Hundredth Anniversary Centenarian – Person who is hundred or more years old
Cert	Sure	Certificate – Document attesting a fact like birth, death, graduation, marriage etc Certitude – Feeling of certainty
Chrono	Time	Chronology – Study of events in the order of their occurrence Chronograph – Instrument that records time with high accuracy
Counter	Contrary	Counter-intuitive – Contrary to intuition Counter-productive – Having the opposite effect as intended
De	Remove	Detoxify – Remove the poisonous substances Dethrone – Remove from the throne
Dem	People	Democracy – System of government elected by the people Demography  - Statistics of births, deaths, mortality etc. of people
Derm	Skin	Dermatologist – Doctor specialized in the study of skin disorders Dermatitis – Inflammation of the skin
Flor	Flower	Florist – Person who sells flowers Floral – Decorated with flowers
Gastro	Stomach	Gastritis – Inflammation of the stomach lining Gastroenterologist – Doctor specialized in the study of stomach and intestinal disorders
Grat	Pleasing	Gratify – Delight or please someone Gratuity – Tip, token of appreciation
Hepa	Liver	Hepatitis – Inflammation of the liver Hepatic – Relating to the liver
Hept	Seven	Heptagon – Figure with seven sides Heptathlon – Athletic event having seven events
Hex	Six	Hexagon – Figure with six sides Hexavalent – Having a valency of six
Inter	Between	Interconnect – Connect with each other Interdepend – Depend on each other
Iso	Equal	Isosceles – Triangle having two equal sides Isobar – Line on map connecting points of equal barometer pressures
Jud	Law	Judiciary – Collective of judges Judgement – Decision of a court
Kilo	Thousand	Kilogram – Thousand grams Kilolitre – Thousand litres
Lacto	Milk	Lactic – Obtained from mil Lactose – Sugar occurring in milk
Mal	Bad	Malevolent – Wishing bad things on others Malice – Intention to do evil
Mort	Death	Mortuary – Place where dead bodies are kept until they are cremated or buried Mortician - Undertaker
Narr	Tell	Narrate - To tell a story Narrator - Person who tells a story.
Nov	New	Novelty – Newness or originality Novice - Beginner
Oct	Eight	Octagon – Figure with eight sides Octave – Stanza of eight lines
Ocu	Eye	Ocular – Connected with the eyes Oculist – Specialist in the medical treatment of eye disorders
Omni	All	Omnipresent – Present everywhere at the same time Omnivorous – Eating all kinds of foods
Ortho	Straight	Orthodontics – Dealing with straightening of teeth Orthopaedics – Dealing with the straightening of bones
Pan	All	Panorama – An all-around view Pandemic – Prevalent all over a country or world
Ped	Foot	Pedicure – Treatment of the feet Pedal – Foot operated lever
Poly	Many	Polygon – Figure with many sides Polygamy – Having more than one husband or wife at the same time
Psych	Mind	Psychiatry – Study of mental diseases Psych – Prepare oneself mentally for a task
Quad	Four	Quadruple – Increase four times Quadrangle – Figure having four sides
Quin	Five	Quintuple – Increase five times Quintuplet – Five children born at the same time
Semi	Half	Semi-circle – Half of a circle Semiaquatic – Animal living partly on land and partly in water
Sept	Seven	Septuplet – Seven children born at the same time Septuagenarian – People aged before 70 and 79
Trans	Across	Transpacific – Across the Pacific Ocean Transnational – Across national boundaries
Tri	Three	Triangle – Figure with three sides Triathlon - Athletic event having three events
Uni	One	Unitarian – People who believes God is one person Unique – One of a kind
Vince	Conquer	Invincible – One who cannot be conquered Convince – Persuade a person