Word with greek origin

The Greek language has contributed to the English lexicon in five main ways:

• vernacular borrowings, transmitted orally through Vulgar Latin directly into Old English, e.g., ‘butter’ (butere, from Latin butyrum < βούτυρον), or through French, e.g., ‘ochre’;
• learned borrowings from classical Greek texts, often via Latin, e.g., ‘physics’ (< Latin physica < τὰ φυσικά);
• a few borrowings transmitted through other languages, notably Arabic scientific and philosophical writing, e.g., ‘alchemy’ (< χημεία);
• direct borrowings from Modern Greek, e.g., ‘ouzo’ (ούζο);
• neologisms (coinages) in post-classical Latin or modern languages using classical Greek roots, e.g., ‘telephone’ (< τῆλε + φωνή) or a mixture of Greek and other roots, e.g., ‘television’ (< Greek τῆλε + English vision < Latin visio); these are often shared among the modern European languages, including Modern Greek.

Of these, the neologisms are by far the most numerous.

Indirect and direct borrowings[edit]

Since the living Greek and English languages were not in direct contact until modern times, borrowings were necessarily indirect, coming either through Latin (through texts or through French and other vernaculars), or from Ancient Greek texts, not the living spoken language.^[5][6]

Vernacular borrowings[edit]

Romance languages[edit]

Some Greek words were borrowed into Latin and its descendants, the Romance languages. English often received these words from French. Some have remained very close to the Greek original, e.g., lamp (Latin lampas; Greek λαμπάς). In others, the phonetic and orthographic form has changed considerably. For instance, place was borrowed both by Old English and by French from Latin platea, itself borrowed from πλατεία (ὁδός), ‘broad (street)’; the Italian piazza and Spanish plaza have the same origin, and have been borrowed into English in parallel.

The word olive comes through the Romance from the Latin olīva, which in turn comes from the archaic Greek elaíwā (ἐλαίϝᾱ).^[7] A later Greek word, boútȳron (βούτυρον),^[8] becomes Latin butyrum and eventually English butter. A large group of early borrowings, again transmitted first through Latin, then through various vernaculars, comes from Christian vocabulary:

• chair << καθέδρα (cf. ‘cathedra’);
• bishop << epískopos (ἐπίσκοπος ‘overseer’);
• priest << presbýteros (πρεσβύτερος ‘elder’); and

In some cases, the orthography of these words was later changed to reflect the Greek—and Latin—spelling: e.g., quire was respelled as choir in the 17th century. Sometimes this was done incorrectly: ache is from a Germanic root; the spelling ache reflects Samuel Johnson’s incorrect etymology from ἄχος.^[9]

Other[edit]

Exceptionally, church came into Old English as cirice, circe via a West Germanic language. The Greek form was probably kȳriakḗ [oikía] (κυριακή [οἰκία] ‘lord’s [house]’). In contrast, the Romance languages generally used the Latin words ecclēsia or basilica, both borrowed from Greek.

Learned borrowings[edit]

Many more words were borrowed by scholars writing in Medieval and Renaissance Latin. Some words were borrowed in essentially their original meaning, often transmitted through Classical Latin: topic, type, physics, iambic, eta, necromancy, cosmopolite. A few result from scribal errors: encyclopedia < ἐγκύκλιος παιδεία ‘the circle of learning’ (not a compound in Greek); acne < ἀκνή (erroneous) < ἀκμή ‘high point, acme’. Some kept their Latin form, e.g., podium < πόδιον.

Others were borrowed unchanged as technical terms, but with specific, novel meanings:

• telescope < τηλεσκόπος ‘far-seeing’, refers to an optical instrument for seeing far away rather than a person who can see far into the distance;
• phlogiston < φλογιστόν ‘burnt thing’, is a supposed fire-making potential rather than something which has been burned, or can be burned; and
• bacterium < βακτήριον ‘stick (diminutive)’, is a kind of microorganism rather than a small stick or staff.

Usage in neologisms[edit]

But by far the largest Greek contribution to English vocabulary is the huge number of scientific, medical, and technical neologisms that have been coined by compounding Greek roots and affixes to produce novel words which never existed in the Greek language:

• utopia (1516; οὐ ‘not’ + τόπος ‘place’)^[10]
• zoology (1669; ζῷον + λογία)
• hydrodynamics (1738; ὕδωρ + δυναμικός)
• photography (1834; φῶς + γραφικός)
• oocyte (1895; ᾠόν + κύτος)
• helicobacter (1989; ἕλιξ + βακτήριον)

So it is really the combining forms of Greek roots and affixes that are borrowed, not the words. Neologisms using these elements are coined in all the European languages, and spread to the others freely—including to Modern Greek, where they are considered to be reborrowings. Traditionally, these coinages were constructed using only Greek morphemes, e.g., metamathematics, but increasingly, Greek, Latin, and other morphemes are combined. These hybrid words were formerly considered to be ‘barbarisms’, such as:

• television (τῆλε + Latin vision);
• metalinguistic (μετά + Latin lingua + -ιστής + -ικος); and
• garbology (English garbage + -ολογία).

Some derivations are idiosyncratic, not following Greek compounding patterns, for example:^[11]

• gas (< χάος) is irregular both in formation and in spelling;
• hadron < ἁδρός with the suffix -on, itself abstracted from Greek anion (ἀνιόν);
• henotheism < ἑνό(ς) ‘one’ + θεός ‘god’, though heno- is not used as a prefix in Greek;
• taxonomy < τάξις ‘order’ + -nomy (-νομία ‘study of’), where the «more etymological form» is taxinomy,^[1][12] as found in ταξίαρχος, ‘taxiarch’, and the neologism taxidermy. Modern Greek uses ταξινομία in its reborrowing.^[13]
• psychedelic < ψυχή ‘psyche’ + δηλοῦν ‘make manifest, reveal’; the regular formation would be psychodelotic;
• telegram; the regular formation would have been telegrapheme;^[14]
• hecto-, kilo-, myria-, etymologically hecato-, chilio-, myrio-;^[15]
• heuristic, regular formation heuretic;
• chrysalis, regular spelling chrysallis;
• ptomaine, regular formation ptomatine;
• kerosene, hydrant, symbiont.

Many combining forms have specific technical meanings in neologisms, not predictable from the Greek sense:

• -cyte or cyto- < κύτος ‘container’, means biological cells, not arbitrary containers.
• -oma < -ωμα, a generic morpheme forming deverbal nouns, such as diploma (‘a folded thing’) and glaucoma (‘greyness’), comes to have the very narrow meaning of ‘tumor’ or ‘swelling’, on the model of words like carcinoma < καρκίνωμα. For example, melanoma does not come from μελάνωμα ‘blackness’, but rather from the modern combining forms melano- (‘dark’ [in biology]) + -oma (‘tumor’).
• -itis < -ῖτις, a generic adjectival suffix; in medicine used to mean a disease characterized by inflammation: appendicitis, conjunctivitis, …, and now facetiously generalized to mean «feverish excitement».^[16]
• -osis < -ωσις, originally a state, condition, or process; in medicine, used for a disease.^[16]

In standard chemical nomenclature, the numerical prefixes are «only loosely based on the corresponding Greek words», e.g. octaconta- is used for 80 instead of the Greek ogdoeconta- ’80’. There are also «mixtures of Greek and Latin roots», e.g., nonaconta-, for 90, is a blend of the Latin nona- for 9 and the Greek -conta- found in words such as ἐνενήκοντα enenekonta ’90’.^[17] The Greek form is, however, used in the names of polygons in mathematics, though the names of polyhedra are more idiosyncratic.

Many Greek affixes such as anti- and -ic have become productive in English, combining with arbitrary English words: antichoice, Fascistic.

Some words in English have been reanalyzed as a base plus suffix, leading to suffixes based on Greek words, but which are not suffixes in Greek (cf. libfix). Their meaning relates to the full word they were shortened from, not the Greek meaning:

• -athon or -a-thon (from the portmanteau word walkathon, from walk + (mar)athon).
• -ase, used in chemistry for enzymes, is abstracted from diastase, where —ασις is not a morpheme at all in Greek.
• -on for elementary particles, from electron: lepton, neutron, phonon, …
• -nomics refers specifically to economics: Reaganomics.

Through other languages[edit]

Some Greek words were borrowed through Arabic and then Romance. Many are learned:

• alchemy (al- + χημεία or χημία)
  • chemist is a back-formation from alchemist
• elixir (al- + ξήριον)
• alembic (al- + ἄμβιξ)

Others are popular:

• bottarga (ᾠοτάριχον)
• tajine (τάγηνον)
• carat (κεράτιον)
• talisman (τέλεσμα)
• possibly quintal (κεντηνάριον < Latin centenarium (pondus)).

A few words took other routes:^[18]

• seine (a kind of fishing net) comes from a West Germanic form *sagīna, from Latin sagēna, from σαγήνη.
• effendi comes from Turkish, borrowed from Medieval Greek αυθέντης (/afˈθendis/, ‘lord’).
• hora (the dance) comes from Romanian and Modern Hebrew, borrowed from χορός ‘dance’.

Vernacular or learned doublets[edit]

Some Greek words have given rise to etymological doublets, being borrowed both through a later learned, direct route, and earlier through an organic, indirect route:^[19][20]

Other doublets come from differentiation in the borrowing languages:

From modern Greek[edit]

Finally, with the growth of tourism and emigration, some words reflecting modern Greek culture have been borrowed into English—many of them originally borrowings into Greek themselves:

Greek as an intermediary[edit]

Many words from the Hebrew Bible were transmitted to the western languages through the Greek of the Septuagint, often without morphological regularization:

• rabbi (ραββί)
• seraphim (σεραφείμ, σεραφίμ)
• paradise (παράδεισος < Hebrew < Persian)
• pharaoh (Φαραώ < Hebrew < Egyptian)

Written form of Greek words in English[edit]

Many Greek words, especially those borrowed through the literary tradition, are recognizable as such from their spelling. Latin had standard orthographies for Greek borrowings, including, but not limited to:

• Greek υ was written as ‘y’
• η as ‘e’
• χ as ‘ch’
• φ as ‘ph’
• κ as ‘c’
• rough breathings as ‘h’
• both ι and ει as ‘i’

These conventions, which originally reflected pronunciation, have carried over into English and other languages with historical orthography, like French.^[22] They make it possible to recognize words of Greek origin, and give hints as to their pronunciation and inflection.

The romanization of some digraphs is rendered in various ways in English. The diphthongs αι and οι may be spelled in three different ways in English:

1. the Latinate digraphs ae and oe;
2. the ligatures æ and œ; and
3. the simple letter e.

The ligatures have largely fallen out of use worldwide; the digraphs are uncommon in American usage, but remain common in British usage. The spelling depends mostly on the variety of English, not on the particular word. Examples include: encyclopaedia / encyclopædia / encyclopedia; haemoglobin / hæmoglobin / hemoglobin; and oedema / œdema / edema. Some words are almost always written with the digraph or ligature: amoeba / amœba, rarely ameba; Oedipus / Œdipus, rarely Edipus; others are almost always written with the single letter: sphære and hæresie were obsolete by 1700; phænomenon by 1800; phænotype and phænol by 1930. The verbal ending -ίζω is spelled -ize in American English, and -ise or -ize in British English.

Since the 19th century, a few learned words were introduced using a direct transliteration of Ancient Greek and including the Greek endings, rather than the traditional Latin-based spelling: nous (νοῦς), koine (κοινή), hoi polloi (οἱ πολλοί), kudos (κύδος), moron (μωρόν), kubernetes (κυβερνήτης). For this reason, the Ancient Greek digraph ει is rendered differently in different words—as i, following the standard Latin form: idol < εἴδωλον; or as ei, transliterating the Greek directly: eidetic (< εἰδητικός), deixis, seismic. Most plurals of words ending in -is are -es (pronounced [iːz]), using the regular Latin plural rather than the Greek -εις: crises, analyses, bases, with only a few didactic words having English plurals in -eis: poleis, necropoleis, and acropoleis (though acropolises is by far the most common English plural).

Most learned borrowings and coinages follow the Latin system, but there are some irregularities:

• eureka (cf. heuristic);
• kaleidoscope (the regular spelling would be calidoscope^[6])
• kinetic (cf. cinematography);
• krypton (cf. cryptic);
• acolyte (< ἀκόλουθος; acoluth would be the etymological spelling, but acolythus, acolotus, acolithus are all found in Latin);^[23]
• stoichiometry (< στοιχεῖον; regular spelling would be st(o)echio-).
• aneurysm was formerly often spelled aneurism on the assumption that it uses the usual -ism ending.

Some words whose spelling in French and Middle English did not reflect their Greco-Latin origins were refashioned with etymological spellings in the 16th and 17th centuries: caracter became character and quire became choir.

In some cases, a word’s spelling clearly shows its Greek origin:

• If it includes ph pronounced as /f/ or y between consonants, it is very likely Greek, with some exceptions, such as nephew, cipher, triumph.^[24]
• If it includes rrh, phth, or chth; or starts with hy-, ps-, pn-, or chr-; or the rarer pt-, ct-, chth-, rh-, x-, sth-, mn-, tm-, gn- or bd-, then it is Greek, with some exceptions: gnat, gnaw, gneiss.

Other exceptions include:

• ptarmigan is from a Gaelic word, the p having been added by false etymology;
• style is probably written with a ‘y’ because the Greek word στῦλος ‘column’ (as in peristyle, ‘surrounded by columns’) and the Latin word stilus, ‘stake, pointed instrument’, were confused.
• trophy, though ultimately of Greek origin, did not have a φ but a π in its Greek form, τρόπαιον.

Pronunciation[edit]

In clusters such as ps-, pn-, and gn- which are not allowed by English phonotactics, the usual English pronunciation drops the first consonant (e.g., psychology) at the start of a word; compare gnostic [nɒstɪk] and agnostic [ægnɒstɪk]; there are a few exceptions: tmesis [t(ə)miːsɪs].

Initial x- is pronounced z. Ch is pronounced like k rather than as in «church»: e.g., character, chaos. The consecutive vowel letters ‘ea’ are generally pronounced separately rather than forming a single vowel sound when transcribing a Greek εα, which was not a digraph, but simply a sequence of two vowels with hiatus, as in genealogy or pancreas (cf., however, ocean, ωκεανός); zeal (earlier zele) comes irregularly from the η in ζήλος.

Some sound sequences in English are only found in borrowings from Greek, notably initial sequences of two fricatives, as in sphere.^[25] Most initial /z/ sounds are found in Greek borrowings.^[25]

The stress on borrowings via Latin which keep their Latin form generally follows the traditional English pronunciation of Latin, which depends on the syllable structure in Latin, not in Greek. For example, in Greek, both ὑπόθεσις (hypothesis) and ἐξήγησις (exegesis) are accented on the antepenult, and indeed the penult has a long vowel in exegesis; but because the penult of Latin exegēsis is heavy by Latin rules, the accent falls on the penult in Latin and therefore in English.

Inflectional endings and plurals[edit]

Though many English words derived from Greek through the literary route drop the inflectional endings (tripod, zoology, pentagon) or use Latin endings (papyrus, mausoleum), some preserve the Greek endings:

• -ον: phenomenon, criterion, neuron, lexicon;
• —∅: plasma, drama, dilemma, trauma (-ma is derivational, not inflectional);
• -ος: chaos, ethos, asbestos, pathos, cosmos;
• -ς: climax (ξ x = k + s), helix, larynx, eros, pancreas, atlas;
• -η: catastrophe, agape, psyche;
• -ις: analysis, basis, crisis, emphasis;
• -ης: diabetes, herpes, isosceles.

In cases like scene, zone, fame, though the Greek words ended in -η, the silent English e is not derived from it.

In the case of Greek endings, the plurals sometimes follow the Greek rules: phenomenon, phenomena; tetrahedron, tetrahedra; crisis, crises; hypothesis, hypotheses; polis, poleis; stigma, stigmata; topos, topoi; cyclops, cyclopes; but often do not: colon, colons not *cola (except for the very rare technical term of rhetoric); pentathlon, pentathlons not *pentathla; demon, demons not *demones; climaxes, not *climaces.

Usage is mixed in some cases: schema, schemas or schemata; lexicon, lexicons or lexica; helix, helixes or helices; sphinx, sphinges or sphinxes; clitoris, clitorises or clitorides. And there are misleading cases: pentagon comes from Greek pentagonon, so its plural cannot be *pentaga; it is pentagons—the Greek form would be *pentagona (cf. Plurals from Latin and Greek).

Verbs[edit]

A few dozen English verbs are derived from the corresponding Greek verbs; examples are baptize, blame and blaspheme, stigmatize, ostracize, and cauterize. In addition, the Greek verbal suffix -ize is productive in Latin, the Romance languages, and English: words like metabolize, though composed of a Greek root and a Greek suffix, are modern compounds. A few of these also existed in Ancient Greek, such as crystallize, characterize, and democratize, but were probably coined independently in modern languages. This is particularly clear in cases like allegorize and synergize, where the Greek verbs ἀλληγορεῖν and συνεργεῖν do not end in -ize at all. Some English verbs with ultimate Greek etymologies, like pause and cycle, were formed as denominal verbs in English, even though there are corresponding Greek verbs, παῦειν/παυσ- and κυκλεῖν.

Borrowings and cognates[edit]

Greek and English share many Indo-European cognates. In some cases, the cognates can be confused with borrowings. For example, the English mouse is cognate with Greek μῦς /mys/ and Latin mūs, all from an Indo-European word *mūs; they are not borrowings. Similarly, acre is cognate to Latin ager and Greek αγρός, but not a borrowing; the prefix agro- is a borrowing from Greek, and the prefix agri- a borrowing from Latin.

Phrases[edit]

Many Latin phrases are used verbatim in English texts—et cetera (etc.), ad nauseam, modus operandi (M.O.), ad hoc, in flagrante delicto, mea culpa, and so on—but this is rarer for Greek phrases or expressions:

• hoi polloi ‘the many’
• eureka ‘I have found [it]’
• kalos kagathos ‘beautiful and virtuous’
• hapax legomenon ‘once said’
• kyrie eleison ‘Lord, have mercy’

Calques and translations[edit]

Greek technical terminology was often calqued in Latin rather than borrowed,^[26][27] and then borrowed from Latin into English. Examples include:^[26]

• (grammatical) case, from casus (‘an event’, something that has fallen’), a semantic calque of Greek πτώσις (‘a fall’);
• nominative, from nōminātīvus, a translation of Greek ὀνομαστική;
• adverb, a morphological calque of Greek ἐπίρρημα as ad- + verbum;
• magnanimous, from Greek μεγάθυμος (lit. ‘great spirit’);
• essence, from essentia, which was constructed from the notional present participle *essens, imitating Greek οὐσία.^[28]
• Substance, from substantia, a calque of Greek υπόστασις (cf. hypostasis);^[29]
• Cicero coined moral on analogy with Greek ηθικός.^[30]
• Recant is modeled on παλινῳδεῖν.^[31]

Greek phrases were also calqued in Latin, then borrowed or translated into English:

• English commonplace is a calque of locus communis, itself a calque of Greek κοινός τόπος.
• deus ex machina ‘god out of the machine’ was calqued from the Greek apò mēkhanês theós (ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός).
• materia medica is a short form of Dioscorides‘ De Materia Medica, from Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς.
• quod erat demonstrandum (Q.E.D.) is a calque of ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
• subject matter is a calque of subiecta māteria, itself a calque of Aristotle’s phrase «ἡ ὑποκειμένη ὕλη.»
• wisdom tooth came to English from dentes sapientiae, from Arabic aḍrāsu ‘lḥikmi, from σωϕρονιστῆρες, used by Hippocrates.
• political animal is from πολιτικὸν ζῷον (in Aristotle’s Politics).
• quintessence is post-classical quinta essentia, from Greek πέμπτη οὐσία.

The Greek word εὐαγγέλιον has come into English both in borrowed forms like evangelical and the form gospel, an English calque (Old English gód spel ‘good tidings’) of bona adnuntiatio, itself a calque of the Greek.

Statistics[edit]

The contribution of Greek to the English vocabulary can be quantified in two ways, type and token frequencies: type frequency is the proportion of distinct words; token frequency is the proportion of words in actual texts.

Since most words of Greek origin are specialized technical and scientific coinages, the type frequency is considerably higher than the token frequency. And the type frequency in a large word list will be larger than that in a small word list. In a typical English dictionary of 80,000 words, which corresponds very roughly to the vocabulary of an educated English speaker, about 5% of the words are borrowed from Greek.^[32]

Most common[edit]

Of the 500 most common words in English, 18 (3.6%) are of Greek origin: place (rank 115), problem (121), school (147), system (180), program (241), idea (252), story (307), base (328), center (335), period (383), history (386), type (390), music (393), political (395), policy (400), paper (426), phone (480), economic (494).^[33]

See also[edit]

• List of Greek and Latin roots in English
• List of Greek morphemes used in English
• List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names
• Transliteration of Greek into English
• Classical compound
• Hybrid word
• Latin influence in English

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Baugh, Albert C., Thomas Cable. 2002. A History of the English Language, 5th edition. ISBN 0415280990
• Gaidatzi, Theopoula. July 1985. «Greek loanwords in English» (M.A. thesis). University of Leeds
• Konstantinidis, Aristidis. 2006. Η Οικουμενική Διάσταση της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας [The Universal Reach of the Greek Language]. Athens: self-published. ISBN 960-90338-2-2.
• Krill, Richard M. 1990. Greek and Latin in English Today. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. ISBN 0-86516-241-7.
• March, F. A. 1893. «The Influence of the Greeks on the English Language.» The Chautauquan 16(6):660–66.
• —— 1893. «Greek in the English of Modern Science.» The Chautauquan 17(1):20–23.
• Scheler, Manfred. 1977. Der englische Wortschatz [English vocabulary]. Berlin: Schmidt.
• Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.)

External links[edit]

• Mathematical Words: Origins and Sources (John Aldrich, University of Southampton)

After French, Latin and Viking (and Old English of course, but that is English), the Greek language has contributed more words to modern English than any other – perhaps 5%.

Many Greek words sprang from Greek mythology and history. Knowing those subjects was evidence that a person was educated, so dropping a reference to Greek literature was encouraged even into the 20th century. From Greek mythology, we get words such as atlas, chaos, chronological, erotic, herculean, hypnotic, muse, nectar, promethean, and even cloth.

But most Greek-origin words in English did not come straight from ancient Greek. Many are modern, not ancient, combinations of Greek root words. For example, you probably know the telephone was not used by the ancient Greeks. But the word itself is all Greek, made up of the Greek words for “distant” and “sound.” Besides tele and phon, common Greek roots include anti, arch, auto, bio, centro, chromo, cyclo, demo, dys, eu, graph, hydro, hypo, hyper, logo, macro, mega, meta, micro, mono, paleo, para, philo, photo, poly, pro, pseudo, psycho, pyro, techno, thermo and zoo. Among others.

Comparing the original and the modern meanings of Greek words that became English words sometimes shows not only how much language has changed, but how much culture has changed.

1. idiot
   Someone of very low intelligence. For the ancient Greeks, an idiot was a private citizen, a person not involved in civil government or politics. Related: idiosyncracy, idiom, and other individualistic words.
2. metropolis
   The Greek roots of this word are “mother” and “city.” Socrates, convicted in court of corrupting the youth with his philosophy, was given a choice between drinking poison or exile from his mother city of Athens. He chose poison because he wasn’t an idiot, in the ancient sense. If you chose exile, you might be an idiot in the ancient sense, but you would be a live idiot.
3. acrobat
   This circus performer who demonstrates feats of physical agility by climbing to the very top of the rope gets his name from the Greek words “high” and “walk,” with the sense of “rope dancer” and “tip-toe.”
4. bacterium
   From a Greek word that means “stick” because under a microscope (another Greek word), some bacteria look like sticks.
5. cemetery
   The Greek word koimeterion meant “sleeping place, dormitory.” Early Christian writers adopted the word for “burial ground,” and that’s why college students stay in the dormitory and not in the cemetery.
6. dinosaur
   You may have heard this one before. Our word for these ancient reptiles is a modern (1841) combination of the Greek words for “terrible” and “lizard.
7. hippopotamus
   The ancient Greeks called this large, moist African animal a hippopótamos, from the words for “horse” and “river.” In other words, river horse.
8. rhinoceros
   Continuing our African theme, this large, dry African animal is named after the Greek words for “nose” and “horn.” Horns usually don’t grow on noses.
9. history
   The Greek word historía meant “inquiry, record, narrative.”
10. dialogue
    A monologue has one speaker, but a dialogue doesn’t necessarily have two speakers (that would be a “di-logue,” but there’s no such word). Dialogue comes from Greek words that mean “across-talk,” and more than two people can do that if they take turns.
11. economy
    The Greek word for “household administration” has been expanded to mean the management of money, goods, and services for an entire community or nation. But “economical” still refers to personal thrift.
12. metaphor
    In ancient times, this word meant “transfer” or “carrying over.” When my grandfather called my grandmother a peach, metaphorically speaking, he used a figure of speech that transferred the sweetness of the fruit to his sweet wife.
13. planet
    The ancient Greeks get blamed for everything wrong with astronomy before the Renaissance, but they were astute enough to notice that while most stars stood still, some wandered from year to year. The word planet comes from the Greek word for “wandering.”
14. schizophrenia
    People with this mental disorder have been described as having a “split personality,” and the name comes from Greek words for “split” and “mind.” Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech.
15. technology
    This word was not limited to industry or science until the mid-19th century, during the Industrial Revolution. Originally it referred to “technique” (same Greek root) or the systematic study of an art or craft – the art of grammar, at first, and later the fine arts.
16. grammatical
    Speaking of grammar, the Ancient Greek word grammatike meant “skilled in writing.” Now it means “correct in writing.”
17. syntax
    A combination of Ancient Greek words that mean “together” and “arrangement.” Syntax is how words are arranged together.
18. sarcasm
    Though it was used to describe bitter sneering, the Greek word sarkazein literally meant “to cut off flesh,” which you might feel has happened to you when subjected to cutting sarcasm or critical humor.
19. sycophant
    Not a word that I’ve ever used, but you might like it. It means “servile, self-seeking flatterer.” In ancient Greek, it meant “one who shows the fig.” That referred to an insulting hand gesture that respectable Greek politicians wouldn’t use against their opponents, but whose shameless followers could be encouraged to do so.
20. telescope
    Another all-Greek word that wasn’t invented by the Greeks, but perhaps by the Dutch around 1600. Its roots mean “far-seeing” and Galileo Galilei was one of the first astronomers to use a telescope to see faraway things.

As you can see, Greek is deeply woven into modern English. To prove it, in the late 1950s, Greek economist Xenophon Zolotas gave two speeches in English, but using only Greek words, except for articles and prepositions. The results were rather high-sounding, but mostly comprehensible. As you become more familiar with Greek words, English will be easier to understand. And probably, more colorful.

In English grammar, a root is a word or portion of a word from which other words grow, usually through the addition of prefixes and suffixes. By learning root words, you can decipher unfamiliar words, expand your vocabulary, and become a better English speaker. 

The Roots of Words

Most words in the English language are based on words from ancient Greek and Latin. The root of the word «vocabulary,» for example, is ​voc, a Latin root meaning «word» or «name.» This root also appears in such words as «advocacy,» «convocation,» «evocative,» «vocal,» and «vowel.» By dissecting words such as these, etymologists can study how a word has evolved over time and tell us about the cultures they came from.

In some cases, root words might be slightly transformed en route to becoming part of words that we’re familiar with. In the above example, «vowel» is a word that’s clearly related to the voc root and its family of derivative words, and yet the «c» in «voc» is not present. There are several reasons for this sort of pattern, and the changes often depend on what language each individual word comes from, but it serves as a reminder that not every word with the same root will look exactly the same.

Root words are also useful for creating new words, especially in technology and medicine, where new innovations occur frequently. Think of the Greek root word tele, which means «far,» and inventions that traverse long distances, such as the telegraph, telephone, and television. The word «technology» itself is a combination of two other Greek root words, techne, meaning «skill» or «art,» and logos, or «study.»

Because several modern languages share some of the same ancestor languages, it’s not entirely uncommon for several related languages to share root words. For instance, the Latin root voc, described above, is shared by several Romance languages. Connections between languages can be found in the shared roots between them, although one always has to be wary of false cognates — that is, words that sound like they have the same roots (and thus related meanings) but actually don’t.

Greek Root Words

The table below defines and illustrates 25 of the most common Greek roots.

Latin Root Words

The table below defines and illustrates 25 of the most common Latin roots.

​Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter. But be careful: root words can have more than one meaning as well as various shades of meaning. In addition, words that look similar may derive from different roots.

In addition, a handful of root words can stand on their own as whole words in and of themselves. This list includes words such as photo, kinesis, chrome, port, and script. Words like this tend to have related meanings on their own, then can also act as roots for longer, more complex words.

Sources

• Bryant, Alice, and Robbins, Jill. «Grow Your Vocabulary by Learning Root Words.» VOANews.com, 28 November 2017.
• Grammarly staff. «Why You Should Learn Roots.» Grammarly.com, 6 February 2016.
• McCammon, Ellen. «50 GRE Words You Should Know.» PrepScholar.com, 8 February 2017.

This is a list of Ancient Greek words with their derivatives in English. Each Ancient Greek word is shown in its citation form and in its root form. The citation form is the one commonly shown in dictionaries. The root form is the one that is often used to form compound words. Both citation form and root form are shown in classical transliteration. They are shown in polytonic orthography, an orthography that shows the breathings and fuller range of accents.

Contents
Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω See also External links

Α[edit]

(h)a

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ἄβυσσος	ábussos	ἀβυσσ-	abyss-	bottomless	abyss, abyssal
ἀγγεῖον	angeîon	ἀγγειο-	angio-	vessel	angiosperm, angiocardiography
ἄγγελος	ángelos	ἀγγελ-	angel-	messenger	angel, evangelist
ἀγωγός	agōgós	ἀγωγο-	agōgo-	to drive, lead	pedagogue, anagoge, mystagogue
ἅγιος	hágios	ἁγιο-	hagio-	holy	hagiography
ἄγκυρα	ánkura	ἀγκυρ-	anchor-	anchor	anchoring, anchorage
ἀγορά	agorá	ἀγορ-	agor-	marketplace	agoraphobia
ἀγρός	agrós	ἀγρο-	agro-	tilled land	agrobiology, agronomics, agriculture, agrology
ἀγών	agṓn	ἀγων-	agōn-	struggle	agonize, antagonistic, agony
ἀήρ	aḗr	ἀερο-	aero- air-	air	aerodynamics, anaerobic airplane
ἀθλητής	athlētḗs	ἀθλητ-	athlet-	contestant in the games	athlete, athletics
αἷμα	haîma	αἱμ-	em- hem-	blood	anemia, anemic, hemophilia, hemorrhage
αἰσθητικός	aisthētikós	αἰσθη-	aisthē-	to perceive	aesthetic, anaesthesia
Ἀκαδημία	Akadēmía	Ἀκαδημ-	akadēm-	the school where Plato taught, the field of Academos	academy, academic
ἄκανθος	ákanthos	ἀκανθ-	akanth-	thorn plant	acanthous, acanthocephala
ἄκαρι	ákari	ἀκαρ-	akar-	a kind of mite	acarid, acariasis
ἀκμή	akmḗ	ἀκ-	ac-	highest point	acme
ἀκόλουθος	akólouthos	ἀκολουθ-	akoluth-	follower	anacoluthon
ἀκούω	akoúō	ἀκουστικ-	acoustic-	to hear	acoustics, acoustic nerve
ἄκρον	ákron	ἀκρο-	acro-	edge, topmost	acronym, acrobat
ἀκτίς	aktís	ἀκτινo-	aktino-	ray	actinometer, actinozoa, actinium
ἀλέξω	aléxō	ἀλεξ-	alex-	to ward off	Alexander, alexipharmic
ἀλληγορέω	allēgoréō	ἀλληγορ-	allēgor-	to interpret allegorically	allegory
ἀλλήλων	allḗlōn	ἀλληλο-	allēlo-	of one another	allelomorph, parallel
ἄλλος	állos	ἀλλο-	allo-	other, different	allotropy, allocholesterol allergy
ἅλς	háls	ἁλ-	hal-	salt	halogen
ἄλφα	álpha	ἀλφα-	alpha-	alpha	alphabet
ἀλώπηξ	alṓpēx	ἀλωπ-	alop-	fox	alopecia
ἀμαύρωσις	amaúrōsis	ἀμαυρω-	amauro-	blacken	amaurosis fugax
ἀμβλύς	amblús	ἀμβλυ-	ambly-	dim	amblyopia, amblygonite
ἄμβροτος	ámbrotos	ἀμβρο-	ambro-	immortal	ambrosia, ambrotype
ἄμβων	ámbōn	ἀμβω-	ambo-	raised edge	ambo
ἀμμωνιακός	ammōniakós	ἀμμονια-	ammōnia-	from Ammōn	ammonia, ammoniacal
ἀμνησία	amnēsía	ἀμνησ-	amnēs-	oblivion	amnesia, amnesty
ἀμνός	amnós	ἀμν-	amn-	lamb	amnion, amniotic
ἀμοιβή	amoibḗ	ἀμοιβη-	amoeb-	change	amoeba, amoebic
ἄμορφος	ámorphos	ἀμορφ-	amorph-	shapeless	amorphous, amorphism
ἄμυλον	ámulon	ἀμυλ-	amyl-	starch	amyl, amyl alcohol
ἀμφιβάλλω	amphibállō	ἀμφιβo-	amphibo-	to throw on either side, to doubt	amphibole, amphibology
ἀμφί	amphí	ἀμφι-	amphi-	on both sides	amphibious, amphioxus
ἀμφίβολος	amphíbolos	ἀμφιβολ-	amphibol-	doubtful	amphibole, amphibolite
ἀμφιθέατρον	amphithéatron	ἀμφιθεατ-	amphitheat-	theater	amphitheater, amphitheatric
ἀμφικτυονία	amphiktuonía	ἀμφικτυονι-	amphiktyoni-	theater	amphictyony, amphictyonic
ἀμφορεύς	amphoreús	Ἀμφορ-	amphor-	bearer	amphora
ἀμφότερος	amphóteros	ἀμφοτερ-	amphoter-	each of two	amphoteric
ἀνά	aná	ἀνα-	ana-	again, backward, upward	anabolism, anachronism, anaplasia
ἀναθεματίζω	anathematízō	ἀναθεμα-	anathema-	ban, curse, or excommunication	anathema, anathematize
ἀνάκλισις	anáklisis	ἀνακλει-	anakli-	to lean back	anaclitism, anaclisis
ἀναλέγω	analégō	ἀναλε-	anale-	to gather	analects
ἀναληπτικός	analēptikós	ἀναληπτ-	analept-	restorative	analemma, analeptic
ἀνάλογος	análogos	ἀναλογ-	analog-	proportionate	analog, analogy
ἀναλύω	analúō	ἀναλυ-	analy-	to loosen, to simplify	analysis, analytical
ἄναρθρος	ánarthros	ἀναρθρ-	anarthr-	not articulated	anarthria, anarthrous
ἄναρχος	ánarkhos	ἀναρχ-	anarch-	without a ruler	anarchy, anarchism
ἀνατολή	anatolḗ	ἀνατολ-	anatol-	East	Anatolia, Anatolian
ἀνατομία	anatomía	ἀνατομι-	anatomi-	dissection	anatomy, anatomical, anatomist
ἀνατρέπω	anatrépō	ἀνατρεπ-	anatrep-	to reverse	anatropous
ἀναχρονισμός	anakhronismós	ἀναχρονισ-	anachronis-	wrong time reference	anachronistic, anachronism
ἄνεμος	ánemos	ἀνεμο-	anemo-	wind	anemometer, anemone
ἀνήρ	anḗr	ἀνδρ-	andr-	man (male human)	androgen, android
ἄνθος	ánthos	ἀνθο-	antho-	flower	anthology, chrysanthemum
ἄνθρωπος	ánthrōpos	ἀνθρωπο-	anthrōpo-	human being	anthropology, anthropomorphism
ἄνειμι	áneimi	ἀνι-	ani-	to go up	anion
ἄνισος	ánisos	ἀνισο-	aniso-	unequal, dissimilar	anisotropic, anisometric, anisometropia
ἄνοδος	ánodos	ἀνοδ-	anod-	way up	anode, anodising
ἀντί	antí	ἀντι-	anti-	opposite, counter	antidote, antimatter, antiaircraft
ἀντιτίθημι	antitíthēmi	ἀντιθ-	antith-	to oppose	antithesis, antithetical
ἀντίφωνος	antíphōnos	ἀντιφων-	antiphon-	sounding in answer	antiphon, anthem
ἄντρον	ántron	ἀντρ-	antr-	cave, cavity	antrum
ἀντωνυμέω	antōnuméō	ἀντωνυμ-	antonym-	to have an opposite denomination	antonym, antonymous
ἀνώμαλος	anṓmalos	ἀνωμαλ-	anōmal-	uneven	anomaly
ἀνώνυμος	anṓnumos	ἀνονυμ-	anonym-	nameless	anonymity, anonymous
ἄξιος	áxios	ἀξιο-	axio-	worthy	axiology, axiom
ἄξων	áxōn	ἀξο-	axo- axi-	axis	axoneme , axoplasm, axisymmetric
ἀόριστος	aóristos	ἀοριστ-	aorist-	indefinite	aoristic, aorist
ἀορτή	aortḗ	ἀορτ-	aort-	the great artery	aortic, aorta
ἀπάτη	apátē	ἀπατ-	apat-	deceit	apatite, apatosaurus
ἁπλόος	haplóos	ἁπλο-	haplo-	single	haploid, haplodiploid
ἀπό	apó	ἀπο-	apo-	away from	apology, apostrophe, apocrypha
ἀπόγειον	apógeion	ἀπογει-	apogei-	far from the earth	apogee, apogean
ἀποκαλύπτω	apokalúptō	ἀποκαλυπ-	apocalyp-	to reveal	apocalypse
ἀποκόπτω	apokóptō	ἀποκoπ-	apokop-	to cut	apocopation, apocopate
ἀπολογία	apología	ἀπολογ-	apolog-	apology	apology, apologize, apologue
ἀπόμιξις	apómixis	ἀπομιξ-	apomix-	without mixing	apomixis, apomictic
ἀποπλήσσω	apoplḗssō	ἀποπλη-	apople-	to cripple by a stroke	apoplexy, apoplectic
ἀποστάτης	apostátēs	ἀποστατ-	apostat-	defector	apostate, apostasy
ἀποστέλλω	apostéllō	ἀποστ-	apost-	to send	apostle, apostolic
ἀράχνη	arákhnē	ἀραχνη	arakhnē-	spider	arachnid
ἄργιλλος	árgillos	ἀργιλ-	argil-	clay	argil, argillite, argillaceous
Ἄρης	Árēs	ἀρεο-	areo-	Mars	areocentric, areology
ἀριθμός	arithmós	ἀριθμ-	arithm-	number	arithmetic, logarithm
ἄριστος	áristos	ἀριστο-	arist-	best	aristocracy
ἁρμονία	harmonía	ἁρμονι-	armoni-	agreement, harmony	harmony, enharmonic
ἀρρυθμία	arrhuthmía	ἁρρυθμ-	arrythm-	lack of rhythm	arrhythmia, arrhythmic
ἀρχαῖος	arkhaîos	ἀρχαιο-	arkhaio-	ancient	archaeology, archetype
ἀρχή	arkhḗ	ἀρχη-	archi-	chief, authority	archbishop, anarchy
ἀρχιτέκτων	arkhitéktōn	ἀρχιτεκτ-	architect-	chief builder	architecture, architect
ἄρωμα	árōma	ἀρωμα-	aroma-	spice	aroma, aromatic compounds
ἀσθένεια	asthéneia	ἀσθεν-	asthen-	weakness	asthenia, asthenopia
ἀσφάραγος	aspháragos	ἀσπαραγ-	asparag-	asparagus	asparagine, asparagus
ἀσπίς	aspís	ἀσπ-	asp-	shield	asp
ἆσθμα	âsthma	ἀσθμα-	asthma-	asthma	asthmatic
ἄσυλον	ásulon	ἀσυλ-	asyl-	sanctuary	asylum
ἀσφυξία	asphuxía	ἀσφυξ-	asphyx-	stopping of the pulse	asphyxiant
ἀστήρ	astḗr	ἀστερ-	aster-	star	asteroid, asterisk, disaster
ἄστρον	ástron	ἀστρο-	astro-	constellation	astronomy, astronaut
Ἄτλας	Átlas	ἀτλα-	atla-	name of a Titan	atlas, Atlantic
ἄτομος	átomos	ἀτομ-	atom-	un + cut	atomic, atomizer
αὐθεντικός	authentikós	αὐθεντικ-	authentic-	original	authentication, authentic
αὐστηρός	austērós	αὐστηρ-	auster-	harsh, bitter	austerity
αὐταρχία	autarkhía	αὐταρχ-	autarch-	absolute governing	autarchy, autarchic
αὐτάρκεια	autárkeia	αὐταρκ-	autark-	self-sufficiency	autarky
αὐξάνω	auxánō	αὐξ-	aux-	to increase	auxin, auxesis,
αὐτός	autós	αὐτο-	auto-	self (reflexive pronoun)	autonomy, automatic
ἀφαιρέω	aphairéō	ἀφαιρ-	apher-	take away	apheresis, hemaphairesis
ἁψίς	hapsís	ἁψ-	aps-	arch	apse, apsidal

Β[edit]

b

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
βάρβαρος	bárbaros	βαρβαρο-	barbaro-	stranger, non-Greek	barbarian
βαρύς	barús	βαρυ-	bary-	heavy	baritone, baryon, hyperbaric
βίος	bíos	βιο-	bio-	life	biology, amphibian, symbiosis
βραχύς	brakhús	βραχυ-	brachy-	short	brachycephalic

Γ[edit]

g

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
γαῖα	gaîa	γεα-	gea-	earth	geology, Gaia, geometry
γάμος	gámos	γαμ-	gam-	marriage	polygamy, gamete
γέννησις	génnēsis	γεν-	gen-	to give birth, beget	genesis, genetic
γιγνώσκω	gignṓskō	γνω-	gnō- gnē-	to know	diagnostic, agnostic
γίγας	gígas	γιγ-	giga-	huge, enormous	gigabyte, gigantic, giant
γράφω	gráphō	γραφ-	graph-	to write	graphic, graphite, -graphy
γυνή	gunḗ	γυναικ-	gunaik-	woman	polygyny, gynecology, misogynist

Δ[edit]

d

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
δῆμος	dêmos	δημο-	dēmo-	district, its inhabitants, commoners	democracy, demographic
δόξα	dóxa	δοξ-	dox-	glory, opinion	doxology, orthodox, paradox
δρᾶσις	drâsis	δρασ-	dras-	action	drastic, anadrastic, drama

Ε[edit]

(h)e

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ἐθνικός	ethnikós	εθνικ-	ethnic	people, tribe	ethnicity, ethnic
εἰκών	eikṓn	εἰκων	icon	icon, picture, painting	icon, iconicity, iconoclast
ἕλιξ	hélix	ἑλικ-	helic-	spiral	helix, helicopter, helicity
ἑπτά	heptá	ἑπτα-	hepta-	seven	heptarchy, heptagon, heptameter
ἔργον	érgon	ἐργο-	erg-	work	energetic, energize, energy, ergonomic, ergonomics, George, synergy, synergism, synergistic
εὖ	eû	ευ-	eu-	well	eudemonia, eulogy, euphemism, euphoria

Ζ[edit]

z

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ζῷον	zôion	ζωο-	zōo-	animal	zoology
ζεύγνυμι	zeúgnumi	ζευγμ-	zeugma	to yoke	zeugma

Η[edit]

(h)ē

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ἡγεμών	hēgemṓn	ἡγεμον-	hēgemon-	leader	hegemony
ἥλιος	hḗlios	ἡλιο-	hēlio-	sun / sun-god	helium, heliotropic, heliocentric, perihelion
ἠώς	ēṓs	ἠο-	ēo-	dawn	Eocene

Θ[edit]

th

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
θεός	theós	θεο- -θεος	theο- -theous -theist, -theism	god	words with theo- words with -theist • theology, atheism
θερμός	thermós	θερμο- -θερμος -θερμια	thermo- -thermic, -therm -thermy, -thermia	hot	words with thermo- words with -thermic, -therm, -thermy, -thermia • thermometer, thermoelectric, thermos • isotherm, hypothermia
θησαυρός	thēsaurós	θησ-		treasure	note: from τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put”) • thesaurus

Ι[edit]

(h)i

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ἰατρός	iatrós	ἰατρο-	iatro-	physician	iatrogenic, psychiatrist, pediatrics
ἴδιος	ídios	ἰδι-	idi-	one’s own, private	idiolect, idiom, idiosyncracy
ἱερός	hierós	ἱερο-	hiero-	sacred	hierarchy, hieroglyph
ἵππος	híppos	ἱππο-	hippo-	horse	hippodrome, hippopotamus
ἰχθύς	ikhthús	ἰχθυ-	ikhthu-	fish	ichthyology, ichthys

Κ[edit]

k, c

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
καινός	kainós	καινο-	ceno-	new	Cenozoic, Holocene
κακός	kakós	κακο-	kako-	bad	cacophony
κλέπτω	kléptō	κλεπτ-	klept-	to steal	kleptocracy, kleptomaniac
κλών	klṓn	κλων-	klōn-	branch, twig	clone, cloning
κοινός	koinós	κοινο-	coeno-, cen-	common	coenoblast
κόσμος	kósmos	κοσμ-	kosm-	order, the universe, jewell	cosmography, cosmetic, microcosm
κράτος	krátos	κρατ-	krat-	power, rule	autocrat, democracy, bureaucracy
κρίνω	krínō	κρι-	cri-	to separate; to order; to judge; etc.	crisis, criterion, critic, critical, criticism, criticize, critique
κυβερνάω	kubernáō	?	?	to steer, drive, govern	cybernetics, govern, governance, governess, government, governor, gubernatorial
κύβος	kúbos		cub-	cube, die	cube, cubic, cubical, cubism, cubist, cuboid
κύκλος	kúklos	κυκλο-	cyclo-	circle, ring	English words with cyclo-, with -cycle acyclic, anticyclone, bicycle, bicyclic, bike, cycle, cyclic, (many derivatives), cycloid, cycloidal, cyclone, encyclic, encyclical, encyclopedia, encyclopedic, encyclopedist, epicycle, epicyclic, epicycloid, hypocycloid, monocyclic, motorcycle, polycyclic, recyclable, recyclability, recycle, tricyclic, unicycle

Λ[edit]

l

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
λαμβάνω	lambánō	?	?	to take	acatalepsy, acataleptic, astrolabe, catalepsy, cataleptic, dilemma, epilepsy, epileptic, lemma, lemmatization, lemmatize, monosyllable, nympholepsy, nympholept, polysyllable, sublemma, syllabary, syllabic, syllabification, syllabify, syllable, tetralemma, trilemma
λίθος	líthos	λιθο-	litho-	stone	lithography, neolithic, monolith, megalith
λόγος	lógos	λογο-	logo-	thought, word	eulogytheology, logic, logorrhea

Μ[edit]

m

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
μακρός	makrós	μακρο-	makro-	long	macron, macrobiotic
μέγας	mégas	μεγ-	mega-	big, large	mega- (prefix), as in megabyte
μέλας	mélas	μελαν-	melan-	pigmented, black, ink	melanin, melanoma, Melanesia
μέλος	mélos	μελο-	melo-	music, song, melody	melody, melodrama
μέταλλον	métallon	μεταλλ-	metal-	metal	medal, metallic, metalloid
μέτρον	métron	?	?	measure	asymmetry, asymmetrical, diameter, diametral, diametric, diametrical, geometer, geometrical, geometry, isometric, meter, -meter (many items), metric, metrical, metrology, metronome, -metry (many items), parameter, parametric, parametrical, perimeter, semidiameter, symmetry, symmetrical
μικρός	mikrós	μικρο-	mikro-	small	microphone, microscope
μνῆστις	mnêstis	μνη-	mne-	memory	amnesia, amnesty, mnemonic
μόνος	mónos	μονο-	mono-	alone, solitary, forsaken	monotony, monolog, monk
Μοῦσα	Moûsa	μουσ-	mous-	a patron goddess of the arts	muse, music, museum
μωρός	mōrós	μωρο-	mōro-	dull, foolish, stupid, slow	moron, oxymoron

Ν[edit]

n

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ναυτικός	nautikós	ναυτ-	naut-	sailor, ship	nautical, astronaut
νέος	néos	νεο-	neo-	new, young	neon, neologism

Ξ[edit]

x

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ξανθός	xanthós	ξανθο-	xantho-	yellow, golden	xanthophyll, xanthochroi
ξένος	xénos	ξενο-	xeno-	strange, stranger, guest	xenophobia, xenon
ξερός	xerós	ξερο-	xero-	dry	xerox, xerography
ξίφος	xíphos	ξιφ-	xiph-	sword	xiphoid, xiphias
ξύλον	xúlon	ξυλ-	xul-	wood	xylophone, xylem

Ο[edit]

(h)o

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
οἶνος	oînos	οἰνο-	oeno-	wine	oenophile, oenomel
ὁδός	hodós	ὁδο-	hodo-	road	hodometer, odometer
ὀλίγος	olígos	ὀλιγο-	oligo-	few, little	oligarchy, oligopoly
ὁμός	homós	ὁμο-	homo-	same	homogenized, homonym, homosexual
ὅμοιος	hómoios	ὁμοιο-	homoio-	similar	homeopathy
ὀξύς	oxús	ὀξυ-	oxu-	sharp, pointed, acid, keen	oxygen, oxymoron, oxycephaly
ὄργανον	órganon	ὀργαν-	organ-	an instrument, tool, implement	organ, organelle, organic, organist, organism, organization, organize, organon
ὀρθός	orthós	ὀρθο-	ortho-	straight, correct, right	orthography, orthogonal, orthopedic, orthodox

Π[edit]

p

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
πάθος	páthos	παθ-	path-	suffering, disease	pathology, pathos, telepathy, apathy, sympathy
παιδεία	paideía	παιδεια-	paideia-	education, culture	encyclopaedia
παῖς	paîs	παιδ-	paid-	boy, child	paediatrician, pedophilia
παλαιός	palaiós	παλεο-	paleo-	old	paleontology
πᾶς	pâs	παν-, παντο-	pan-, panto-	all, complete	pantheism, pantomime
πατήρ	patḗr	πατρ-	patr-	father	patriarch
περί	perí	περι-	peri	around	perimeter, periscope
πόλος	pólos	πολ-	pol-	axis, sky	North Pole, polar, polarize
πολύς	polús	πολυ-	polu-	many, much	polygon, Polynesia, polyp, polytonic
πρόγραμμα	prógramma	προγραμμ-	programm-	program, schedule	programmer, multiprogramming
πυρρός	purrhós	πυρ	pir-	fire	pyrotechnics,pyromaniac, pyrokinesis

Ρ[edit]

r(h)

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ῥεῦμα	rheûma	ῥευμ-	rheum-	a flowing, rheum	rheumatism, rheum
ῥίς	rhís	ῥιν-	rhin-	nose	rhinoceros, rhinoplasty

Σ[edit]

s

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
σαῦρος	saûros	σαυρο-	sauro-	lizard	dinosaur
σκοπός	skopós	σκοπ-	skop-	observer	scope, bishop, telescope
σοφία	sophía	σοφια-	sophia-	knowledge, wisdom	philosophy, sophistry

Τ[edit]

t

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
τῆλε	têle	τηλε-	tēle-	distant	words with tele- • telephone, telepathy, …
τόξον	tóxon	τοξο-, τοξιν-	toxo-, toxi-	archer’s bow; poison	words with toxo-, toxi-, toxico- • toxophily, toxin, …
τόνος	tónos	τονο-	tono-	tone	words with tono-, -tone, -tonic, -tonous • tone, monotonous, tonality, …
τόπος	tópos	τοπο-	topo-	place	words with topo-, -topic, -tope, -topia, -topy • topography, topic, utopia, …

Υ[edit]

(h)u, (h)y

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ὕδωρ	húdōr	ὑδρο-	hudro-	water	hydrodynamics, hydrolysis
ὕπνος	húpnos	ὑπνο-	hupno-	sleep	hypnotism

Φ[edit]

ph

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
φιλία	philía			friendship	philia
φίλος	phílos	φιλο-	philo-	friend	Philadelphia, philosophy
φόβος	phóbos	φοβο-	phobo-	irrational fear fear	phobia, Phobos,
φυτόν	phutón	φυτο-	phuto-	plant	neophyte
φωνή	phōnḗ	φωνη-	phōnē-	voice	microphone, phone, phoneme, phonemic, phonetic, phonetics, phonograph, telephone

Χ[edit]

kh, ch

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
χαίτη	khaítē	χαιτη-	khaitē-	loose, flowing hair	polychaete
χαλκός	khalkós	χαλκ-	chalco-, chalko-	copper	words with chalco- or chalko- • chalcography
χέζω	khézō	-χεζια	-chezia	defecate	words with -chezia • dyschezia
χεῖλος	kheîlos	χειλ-ο-	cheilo-	lip	words with cheilo- • cheiloschisis
χείρ	kheír	χειρ-ο-	cheiro-, chiro-	hand	words with cheiro- or chiro-. • cheirology/chirology, cheiromancy/chiromancy
χείρ, πτερόν	kheír, pterón	χειρ-ο-πτερ-ο-	chiroptero-	hand wing	words with chiroptero- • Chiroptera (bats)
χημεία	khēmeía	χυμεια. χημει-ο-	chemo-, chemi-	chemistry	words with chemo-, chemi- • chemotherapy, chemiflux
χημικός	khēmikós	χημικο-	chemico-	chemical	words with chemico- • chemicophysical
χίλιοι	khílioi	(neuter.plural: χιλια). χιλιο-	chilia-	thousand	words with chilia- • chiliad, chiliasm
χίμαιρα	khímaira	χιμαιρ-ο-	chimero-	she-goat, mythological animal	words with chimero- • chimeric
χιών	khiṓn	χιον-ο-	chion-	snow	words with chion- • chionablepsia
χλαμύς	khlamús	χλαμυδ-ο-	chlamydo-	cloak, robe	words with chlamydo- • chlamydospore
χλωρός	khlōrós	χλωρ-ο-	chloro-, chlor-	pale green, fresh	words with chloro-, chlor- • chloroid, chlorophyll, chlorocarbon, chlorine, chloric
χοάνη	khoánē	χοαν-ο-	choano-	funnel	words with choano- • choanocyte
χολή	kholḗ	χολ-ο	chole-, cholo-	bile	words with chole-, cholo- • cholelithiasis, cholothorax Compounds with cholestero-, cholecysto-, choldedocho-/choldedoch-, cholangio-
χορεία	khoreía	χορεο-	choreo-	dance	words with choreo- • choreography
χόριον	khórion	χοριο-	chorio-	membrane surrounding the foetus	words with chorio- • choroid, chorioretinitis
χριστός	khristós	χριστο-, χριστιανο-	Christo-, Christiano-	the anointed one	words with Christo-, Christiano- • Christocentrism Christocentric/Christianocentric
χρόνος	khrónos	χρονο-, ‑χρονος	chrono-, -chronous	time	words with chrono- • chronology, chronometer, chronic words with -chronous, with -chronic, -chronism, -chrony • anachronism, synchronize, synchrony
χρυσός	khrusós	χρυσ-ο	chryso-	gold	words with chryso- • chrysophile
χρῶμα	khrôma	χρωμο-, χρωματο-	chroma-, chromo-, chromato-	colour	words with chroma-, chromo-, chromat-/chromato- •  chromagen, chromolithography, chromatism, chromatopsia, hemochromatosis words with -chrome, -chromia/-chromy • polychrome, homochromia/homochromy,
χυλός	khulós	χυλ-ο-	chylo-	gruel	words with chylo- • chyle
χώρα	khṓra	χωρ-ο	choro-	place	words with choro- • choronym
χωρέω	khōréō	-χωρ-ος	-chore	move, spread; occupy space	words with -chore • anemochore, hydrochore
χωρέω	khōréō	-χωρ-ικος	-choric, -chorous		words with -choric, -chorous • chiropterochoric
χωρέω	khōréō	-χωρ-ια	-chory		words with -chory • anemochory, hydrochory
χῶρος	khôros	-χωρ-ον	-choron	room	words with -choron • polychoron

Ψ[edit]

ps

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ψάλλω	psállō	ψαλ-	psal-	chant	• psalm, psaltery
ψάμμος	psámmos	ψαμμ-, ψαμμο-	psammo-	sand	words with psammo- • psammology
ψευδής	pseudḗs	ψευδο-, ψευδ-	pseudo-, pseud-	false, lying	words with pseudo-, pseud- • pseudonym, pseudograph, pseudo-science, pseudepigraphy, pseudocide
ψῆφος	psêphos	ψηφ-	pseph-	pebble (cast for voting)	words with pseph- • psephocracy
ψιλός	psilós	ψιλο-, ψιλ-	psil-	mere, bare, smooth	words with psil- • psilosis, psilanthropism, psilocybin
ψυχή	psukhḗ	ψυχο-, ψυχ-	psych-	spirit, mind, soul	words with psycho-, psych- • psyche, psychology, psychotic, psychedelic
ψυχρός	psukhrós	ψυχρο-	psychro-	frozen	words with psychro- • psychroplanet, psychrotherapy

Ω[edit]

(h)ō

Citation form	Root form	Meaning	English derivative
ᾠόν	ōión	ὠο-	ōo-	egg	words with oo- • oocyte, oology
ὥρα	hṓra	ὡρα-	hōra-	season, hour	words with horo- • horoscope

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• English-French-modern Greek vocabulary : words of Greek origin
• The Perseus Project — has many useful pages for the study of classical languages and literatures, including dictionaries.