Greek and Latin Roots

Vocabulary Victory!

photos

Photos—lightPhotograph—(graph –write, draw) - picture drawn by lightTelephoto—(tele—distant) - light from far awayPhotometer—(metron—measure) - a device which measures lightPhototropic—(tropos—turn) turning toward lightPhotophilia—(philia—love) - love of lightPhotophobia—(phobos—fear) - fear or dislike of lightPhotosynthesis—(syn—together, thesis—putting) a process of putting things together by using light

graph

Graph– to write or drawPhotograph—(photo –light) - picture drawn by lightPhonograph—(phono—sound) machine for writing (or recording) soundTelegraph—(tele—distant) - writing from far awayGraph— pictured informationLithograph— (lithos—stone) - drawing made on a stoneGraphite—black carbon used for drawing or writingAutograph—(autos—self) - to write one’s own namePhonogram—(phono– sound) written symbol for a soundHologram—(holos– complete) a three—dimensional photograph of a whole objectPictograph—(picture (L)painting) a writing form in which there is a pic for each word

tele

Tele—Far away, distantTelevision—(video, visum (L) - see) - seeing distant thingsTelephone—(phone, sound) - sound from far awayTelegraph—(graph—write) - writing from a distanceTelephoto—(photo—light) light from far awayTelescope—(skopeo - look at) - device for looking at distant objectsTelepathy—(pathos—feeling) - knowing how someone far away is feelingTelethon—(Marathon—a battlefield in ancient Greece) a telephone fund raiser which runs on non-stop, as Phiedippides ran after the battle of Marathon.

metron

Metron—measureMeter—unit of measure— 39.47 inches longGeometry— (geo-earth) - measurement of the earthOptometry—(opsis—sight) - measure eyesightSymmetry—(sym—same, equal) - measuring the sameBarometer—(baros—weight, pressure) - device to measure air pressureThermometer—(thermos—heat) - measure heatDiameter—(dia—through, across) - measuring acrossCentimeter— (centum—hundred) - one hundredth of a meterAnemometer—(anemos—wind) - measures wind speed

tropos

Tropos—turningTropics—the area of the earth from the equator north to the Tropic of Cancer and south to the Tropic of CapricornTropical—the climate of the earth in the tropicsPhototropic—(photo—light) - turning toward light as leaves and flowers doHeliotrope—(helios – sun) - a flower named for its tendency to turn toward the sunTropophilous—(philia– love) - plants or trees which like a change or turning of seasons—hot and cold, wet and dryThermotropism (thermos—heat) - turning toward heat

philia

Philia—love, friendshipPhilosopher—(Sophia – wisdom) - one who loves wisdomPhiladelphia—(adelphos—brother) - city of brotherly lovePhilanthropist—(anthropos – man) - one who cares about his/her fellow manPhillumenist— (lumen—light) - one who collects match coversPhilogynist - (gyne—woman) - one who loves womenPhilologist—(logos—word) - one who loves wordsPhilter—love potionAnglophile—(Angli– English) - one who loves England Francophile—(Francus—France) - one who loves France

phobos

Phobos—fearPhobia– irrational fearAgoraphobia—(agora—field) fear of open spaceClaustrophobia—(claustrum (L) - lock or bolt) - fear of closed (locked or bolted) spacesHydrophobia—(hydro—water) - disease which makes it difficult to swallow, thought to be fear of waterPhobophobia—fear of fear itselfZoophobia—(zoon—animal) fear of animalsToxikophobia—(toxikos—poison) - fear of poisonPhobos—a moon of the planet Mars

syn

Syn—with, togetherSympathy—(pathos—feeling) - to feel with someone elseSymphony—(phone—sound) - sounds that go togetherSynthesis—(thesis—put, place ) - putting togetherSynthetic—material made by putting chemicals togetherPhotosynthesis (photo—light) - process by which lights puts plant nutrients together to make green chlorophyllSynonym—(onoma—name) - two words with the same meaningSynagogue—(ago—bring) - place to bring people togetherSynchronize—(chronos—time) - to do things at the same time.

thesis

Thesis—put, place, positionThesis—a position taken in an argument supported by a set of reasonsTheme—an essay or composition on a certain subject with a statement and supporting reasonsParenthesis—(para—beside) - statement beside (or inside) a main sentenceSynthetic—(syn—together) - elements put together to make a material like a natural one (synthetic wool)Synthesizer—(syn– together) - instrument which puts sounds together like real musical instruments.

kinesis

Kinesis—movementKinetic—relating to movement of bodiesKinesiology—(logos—word or study) - study of human movementKinescope—(skopeo—look at) - a machine which shows pictures of movement (old term for TV movies)Cinema— motion pictures (Greeks had no “c”. They used “K”Cinematographer—motion picture photographer

Works Cited

• Lundquist, Joegil. English from the Roots Up: Help for Reading, Writing, Spelling, and S.A.T. Scores. Bellevue: Literary Unlimited: 1989. ISBN 89-63169