GRE Root Words
College: Fourth year, Graduate school
A
without
ex. amoral (neither moral nor immoral)
Ab/Abs
off, away from, apart down
ex. abduct (to take by force)
Ac/Acr
sharp, bitter
ex. acid (something that is sharp, sour, or ill-natured)
Act/Ag
to do
to drive
to force
to lead
ex. agile (quick and well-coordinated in movement; active, lively)
Ad/Al
to, toward, near
ex. adjacent (near, close, or contiguous; adjoining)
Al/Alj/Alter
other, another
ex. alternative (a possible choice)
Am
love
ex. amateur (a person who engages in an activity for pleasure rather than financial or professional gain)
Amb
to go
to walk
ex. ambient (moving freely; circulating)
Ambi/Amph
both, more than one, around
ex. ambiguous (open to various interpretations)
Anim
of the life, mind, soul, spirit
ex. unanimous (in complete accord)
Annui/Enni
year
ex. annual (of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly)
Ante
before
ex. antecedent (existing, being, or going before)
Anthro/Andr
man, human
ex. android (robot; mechanical man)
Anti
Against
ex. antidote (a remedy for counteracting the effects of a poison, disease, etc.)
Apo
Away
ex. apology (an expression of one's regret or sorrow for having wronged another)
Arch/Archi/Archy
chief, principal, ruler
ex. architect (the devisor, maker, or planner of anything)
Auto
Self
ex. automatic (self-moving or self acting)
Be
to be
to have a particular quality
to exist
ex. belittle (to regard something as less impressive than it apparently is)
Bel/Bell
war
ex. rebel (a person who resists authority, control, or tradition)
Ben/Bon
good
ex. benefit (anything advantageous to a person or thing)
Bi
twice, double
ex. binocular (involving 2 eyes)
Cad/Cid
to fall
to happen by chance
ex. accident (happening by chance; unexpected)
Cant/Cent/Chant
to sing
ex. accent (presence of syllables in terms of pronunciation)
Cap/Cip/Cept
to take
to get
ex. capture (to take by force or stratagem)
Cap/Capit/Cipit
head, headlong
ex. capital (the city or town that is the official seat of government)
Card/Cord/Cour
heart
ex. encourage (to inspire with spirit or confidence)
Carn
flesh
ex. carnivorous (eating flesh)
Cast/Chast
cut
ex. cast (to throw or hurl; fling)
Ced/Ceed/Cess
to go
to yield
to stop
ex. predecessor (one who comes before another in an office, position, etc.)
Centr
Center
ex. concentrate (to bring to a common center; to converge, to direct towards one point)
Cern/Cert/Cret/Crim/Crit
to separate
to judge
to distinguish
to decide
ex. discrete (detached from others, separate)
Chron
time
ex. synchronize (to occur at the same time or agree in time)
Circu
around, on all sides
ex. circumference (the outer boundary or a circular area)
Cis
to cut
ex. scissors (cutting instrument for paper)
Cla/Clo/Clu
shut, close
ex. conclude (to bring to an end; finish; to terminate)
Claim/Clam
to shout
to cry out
ex. exclaim (to cry out or speak suddenly and vehemently)
Cli
to lean toward
ex. decline (to cause to slope or incline downward)
Co/Col/Con/Com
with, together
ex. connect (to bind or fasten together)
Cour/Cur
running
a course
ex. recur (to happen again)
Cre/Cresc/Cret
to grow
ex. accrue (to be added as a matter of periodic growth)
Cred
to believe
to trust
ex. incredible (unbelievable)
Cryp
Hidden
ex. crypt (a subterranean chamber or vault)
Cub/Cumb
to lie down
ex. succumb (to give away to superior force; yield)
Culp
blame
ex. culprit (a person guilty of an offense)
Dac/Doc
to teach
ex. doctor (someone licensed to practice medicine; a learned person)
De
away, off, down, completely
ex. descend (to move from a higher to a lower place)
Dem
people
ex. democracy (government by the people)
Di/Dia
apart, through
ex. dialogue (conversation between 2 or more persons)
Dic/Dict/Dit
to say
to tell
to use words
ex. dictionary (a book containing a selection of the words of a language)
Dign
worth
ex. dignity (nobility or elevation or character; worthiness)
Dis/Dif
away from, apart, reversal, not
ex. disperse (to drive or send off in various directions)
Dog/Dox
opinion
ex. orthodox (sound or correct in opinion or doctrine)
Dol
suffer, pain
ex. condolence (expression or sympathy with one who is suffering)
Don/Dot/Dow
to give
ex. donate (to present as a gift or contribution)
Dub
Doubt
ex. dubious (doubtful)
Duc/Duct
to lead
ex. abduct (to carry off or lead away)
Dur
Hard
ex. durable (able to resist decay)
Dys
faulty, abnormal
ex. dystrophy (faulty or inadequate nutrition or development)
E/Ef/Ex
out, out of, from, former, completely
ex. evade ( to escape from, avoid)
Epi
upon
ex. epidemic (affecting a large number of people at the same time and spreading from person to person)
Equ
equal even
ex. equation (the act of making equal)
Err
to wander
ex. error (a deviation from accuracy or correctness)
Esce
becoming
ex. adolescent (between childhood and adulthood)
Eu
good, well
ex. euphemism (pleasant-sounding term for something unpleasant)
Extra
outside, beyond
ex. extraordinary (beyond the ordinary)
Fab/Fam
speak
ex. fable (fiction tale, esp. legendary)
Fac/Fic/Fig/Fait/Feit/fy
to do
to make
ex. factory (building for manufacturing goods)
Fer
to bring
to carry
to bear
ex. offer (to present for acceptance, refusal, or consideration)
Ferv
to boil
to bubble
ex. fervor (passion, zeal)
Fid
faith, trust
ex. confide (to entrust with a secret)
Fin
end
ex. final (at the end; coming last)
Flag/Flam
to burn
ex. flammable (easily set on fire)
Flect/Flex
to bend
ex. deflect (to bend or turn aside from a purpose)
Flu/Flux
to flow
ex. fluid (substance, esp. gas or liquid, capable of flowing freely)
Fore
before
ex. foresight (care or provision for future)
Fort
Chance
Strength
ex. fortune (chance or luck in human affairs)
fortify (to provide with fortifications; strengthen)
Fra/Frac/Frag/Fring
to break
ex. fracture (breakage, esp. of bone)
Fus
to pour
ex. diffuse (to spread widely or thinly)
Gen
birth, creation, race, kind
ex. generous (giving or given freely)
Gn/Gno
know
ex. agnostic (a person who believes that the existence of God is not provable)
Grad/Gress
to step
ex. progress (forward movement)
Grat
pleasing
ex. grateful (thankful)
Her/Hes
to stick
ex. coherent (logically consistent), adhesive (tending to remain in memory; sticky)
(H)etero
different
ex. heterogeneous (of other origin)
(H)om
same
ex. homogeneous (of the same or similar kind in nature)
Hyper
over, excessive
ex. hyperactive (excessively active)
Hypo
under, beneath, less than
ex. hypodermic (relating to the parts beneath the skin)
Idio
one's own
ex. idiosyncrasy (peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity)
Im/In/Em/En
in, into
ex. embrace (to clasp in one's arms; to include or contain)
Im/In
not, without
ex. inactive (not active)
Inter
between
ex. interstate (connecting or jointly involving states)
Ject
to throw
to throw down
ex. inject (to place (quality, etc.) where needed in something)
Join/Junct
to meet
to join
ex. junction (the act of joining; combining)
Jur
to swear
ex. perjury (willful lying while on oath)
Lav/Lut/Luv
to wash
ex. lavatory (a room with equipment for washing hands and face)
Lect/Leg
to select, to choose
ex. collect (to gather together or assemble)
Lev
lift, light, rise
ex. relieve (to mitigate; to free from a burden)
Loc/Log/Loqu
word, speech
ex. dialogue (conversation, esp. in literary work)
Luc/Lum/Lus
light
ex. illuminate (to supply or brighten with light)
Lud/Lus
to play
ex. illusion (something that deceives by producing a false impression of reality)
Mag/Maj/Max
big
ex. magnify (to increase the apparent size of)
Mal/Male
bad, ill, evil, wrong
ex. malfunction (failure to function properly)
Man
hand
ex. manual (operated by hand)
Min
small
to project, to hang over
ex. minutiae (small or trivial details)
eminent (towering above others; projecting)
Mis/Mit
to send
ex. transmit (to send from one person, thing, or place to another)
Misc
mixed
ex. miscellaneous (made up of a variety of parts or ingredients)
Mon/Mont
to remind
to warn
ex. monitor (one that admonishes, cautions, or reminds)
Morph
shape
ex. amorphous (without definite form; lacking a specific shape)
Mort
death
ex. immortal (not subject to death)
Mut
change
ex. commute (to substitute; exchange; interchange)
Nat/Nas/Nai
to be born
ex. natural (present do to nature, not to artificial or man-made means)
Nic/Noc/Nox
harm
ex. innocent (uncorrupted by evil, malice, or wrongdoing)
Nom
rule, order
ex. astronomy (the scientific study of the universe beyond the Earth)
Nom/Nym/Noun/Nown
name
ex. synonym (a word having a meaning similar to that of another word of the same language)
Nounc/Nunc
to announce
ex. pronounce (to articulate)
Nov/Neo/Nou
new
ex. novice (a person new to any field or activity)
Ob/Oc/Of/Op
toward, to, against, over
ex. obese (extremely fat, corpulent)
Omni
all
ex. omnipresent (everywhere at one time)
Pac/Peac
peace
ex. appease (to bring peace to)
pan
all, everyone
ex. panorama (an unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area)
par
equal
ex. parity (equally, as in amount, status, or character)
Para
next to, beside
ex. parallel (extending in the same direction)
Pas/Pat/Path
feeling, suffering, disease
ex. sympathy (harmony or agreement in feeling)
Pau/Po/Pov/Pu
few, little, poor
ex. poverty (the condition of being poor)
Ped
child, education
ex. pedagogue (a teacher)
Ped/Pod
foot
ex. pedal (a foot-operated lever or part used to control)
Pen/Pun
to pay
to compensate
ex. penalty (a punishment imposed for a violation of law or rule)
Pend/Pens
to hang
to weight
to pay
ex. depend (to rely; to place trust in)
Per
completely
ex. persistent (lasting or enduring tenaciously)
Peri
Around
ex. perimeter (the border or outer boundary of a 2D figure)
Pet/Pit
to go
to seek
to strive
ex. appetite (a desire for food or drink)
Phil
love
ex. philosophy (the rational investigation of truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct)
Plac
to please
ex. placid (pleasantly calm or peaceful)
Ple
to fill
ex. complete (having all parts or elements)
Plex/Plic/Ply
to fold, twist, tangle, or bend
ex. complex (composed of many interconnected parts)
Pon/Pos/Pound
to put
to place
ex. component (a constituent part, elemental ingredient)
Port
to carry
ex. import (to bring in from a foreign country)
Post
after
ex. posterior (situated at the rear)
Pre
before
ex. precarious (dependent on circumstances beyond one's control)
Prehend/Prise
to take
to get
to seize
ex. surprise (to strike with an unexpected feeling of wonder or astonishment)
Pro
much, for, a lot
ex. prolific (highly fruitful)
Prob
to prove
to test
ex. probe (to search or examine thoroughly)
pug
to fight
ex. impugn (to challenge as false)
Punc/Pung/Poign
to point
to prick
ex. puncture (the act of piercing)
Que/Quis
to seek
ex. acquire (to come into possession of)
Qui
quiet
ex. tranquil (free from commotion or tumult)
Rid/Ris
to laugh
ex. riddle (a conundrum)
Rog
to ask
ex. interrogate (to ask questions of, esp. formally)
Sacr/Sant/Secr
sacred
ex. sacrifice (the offering of some living or inanimate thing to a deity in homage)
Sal/Sil/Sault/Sult
to leap, to jump
ex. insult (to treat with contemptuous rudeness)
Sci
to know
ex. conscious (aware of one's one's existence)
Scrive/Scrip
to write
ex. scribble (to write hastily or carelessly)
Se
apart
ex. select (to choose in preference to another)
Sec/Sequ
to follow
ex. second (next after the first)
Sed/Sess/Sid
to sit
to be still
to plot
ex. preside (to exercise management or control)
Sens/Sent
To Feel
to be aware
ex. sensory (of or pertaining to the senses or sensation)
Sol
to loosen
to free
ex. dissolve (to make a solution of, as by mixing in a liquid)
Spec/Spic/Spit
to look
to see
ex. perspective (one's mental view of facts, ideas, and their interrelationships)
Sta/Sti
to stand
to be in one place
ex. static (of bodies or forces at rest or in equilibrium)
Sua
smooth
ex. suave (smoothly agreeable or polite)
Sub/Sup
below
ex. subsidiary (serving to assist or supplement)
Super/Sur
above
ex. surpass (to go beyond in amount, extent, or degree)
Tac/Tic
to be silent
ex. tacit (unspoken understanding)
Tain/Ten/Tent/Tin
to hold
ex. detain (to keep from proceeding)
Tend/Tens/Tent/Tenu
to stretch
to thin
ex. tension (the act of stretching or straining
Theo
god
ex. theology (the study of divine things and the divine faith)
Tract
to drag
to pull
to draw
ex. tractor (a powerful vehicle used to pull farm machinery)
Trans
across
ex. transaction (the act of carrying on or conduct to a conclusion or settlement)
Us/Ut
to use
ex. abuse (to use wrongly or improperly)
ven/Vent
to come or to more toward
ex. intervene (to come between disputing factions, mediate)
Ver
truth
ex. verdict (any judgement or decision)
Verd
green
ex. verdant (green with vegetation, inexperienced)
Vi
life
ex. vivid (strikingly bright or intense)
Vid/Vis
to see
ex. evident (plain or clear to the sight or understanding)
Vil
base, mean
ex. vile (loathsome, unpleasant)
Voc/Vok
to call
ex. vocabulary (the stock of words used by or known to a particular person or group)
Vol
to wish
ex. voluntary (undertaken of one's own accord or by free choice)
Vor
to eat
ex. carnivorous (meat-eating)