Greek Roots, Suffixes and Prefixes

Root, Prefix, and Suffix Definitions

What does each of these terms mean? Before we explore the specific ways in which Greek roots, suffixes, and prefixes have influenced the English language, we must first understand what these terms refer to.

Root word

Suffix

Prefix

Greek Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Examples

Now that we've got our definitions down, we can move on to looking at some examples of Greek words, suffixes, and prefixes that have been assimilated into the English language.

Greek Roots Examples

• 'Anthrop' meaning 'human'

• 'Bio' meaning 'life'

• 'Chrome' meaning 'color'

• 'Auto' meaning 'self'

Fig. 2 - Many scientific terms come from Greek.

Greek Suffixes Examples

• '-ism' meaning 'the act or state of'

• '-graph' meaning 'a written or drawn representation'

• '-logy' meaning 'the study, theory, or science of something'

Greek Prefixes Examples

• '-anti' meaning 'against'

• '-pan' meaning 'all'

• '-micro' meaning 'small'

Greek Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Words

In the above section, we can see examples of each of the three parts of a word: the root, the prefix, and the suffix. But how do these parts work together to form new words?

Here are some examples using our Greek roots from the above section:

Here are some examples using our Greek suffixes:

Here are some examples using our Greek prefixes:

Greek Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes Review

As you can see in the examples used above, Greek roots, suffixes, and prefixes can be combined with roots, suffixes, and prefixes from different languages to create the English words we use today. Most of the words in the examples above are derived completely from Greek, or a combination of Greek and Latin/ French.

Why, then, does English have so many words comprised of Greek roots, suffixes, and prefixes mixed with other languages?

Greek Influence on the English Language

Much of the influence of Greek on English is rooted in the Renaissance, when European society (including England) placed a great deal of significance on Ancient Greek literature and drama, and Greek philosophy.

What was the Renaissance?

Ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle were held in high esteem during the Renaissance, and many ancient Greek philosophies made their way into English law.

The law is not the only aspect of modern society influenced by Ancient Greece. Works of Ancient Greek literature and drama, such as Homer's The Odyssey and Sophocles' Oedipus, are still widely revered and studied today, despite being written and published over 2000 years ago.

Ancient Greek disciplines such as medicine, mathematics, and astrology have also contributed significantly to modern English by introducing new concepts and language to modern times.

Fig. 3 - Many facets of Ancient Greek society have influenced our language today.

Greek Roots, Suffixes, and Prefixes List

Although we've already looked at a few brief examples for context, you might like to see a broader range of Greek roots, suffixes, and prefixes that have been adopted by the English language.

These tables should give you a wider overview: