Greek radicals and prefixes
List of some of the main Greek radicals and prefixes:
Radicals:
| Radical | Sense | Example |
| acro | high, high | acrobat |
| aero | air | aeronautics |
| agogo | what leads | pedagogue |
| pain | ache | neuralgia (nerve + pain) |
| love | car | amaxophobia (car + aversion) |
| andro | men | android |
| anthropoid | men | anthropology |
| archaic/arch | old one | archeology |
| archy | government | monarchy |
| self | by itself | car |
| biblio | book | library |
| bio | life | biology |
| shard | bad | cacophony |
| cali | beautiful | calligraphy |
| cardio | heart | cardiologist |
| cephalon | head | no brain (absence + head) |
| chlorine | green | chlorophyll |
| Cosmos | world | cosmonaut |
| chrono | time | stopwatch |
| demo | people | demagogue |
| dermis | skin | dermatology |
| phylum | friend | philosophy |
| phobia | fear/aversion | acrophobia |
| phone | sound/voice | telephone |
| gamy | wedding | polygamy |
| gastro | stomach | gastrology |
| fork | write/describe | typing |
| hydro | Water | rabies |
| hippo | horse | hippodrome |
| litho | stone | aerolite |
| mancia | divination | palmistry |
| subway | measure | hydrometer |
| morph | form | morphology |
| necro | death | morgue |
| neo | new | neologism |
| oligo | few | oligarchy |
| ask | kid | pediatrician |
| pleo | full | pleonasm |
| poly | City | acropolis |
| proto | first |
prototype |
| pseudo | false | pseudonym |
| psycho | soul | psychology |
| I laugh | source | rhizotonic |
| Sofia | wisdom | philosophy |
| here | fast | tachycardia |
| teo | God | theology |
| top | place | topology |
| xeno | stranger, foreigner | xenophobia |
| zoo | animal | zoology |
Prefixes of Greek origin:
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| Prefix | Sense | Example |
| y-, y- | denial | atheist, anarchy |
| a-N-A- | inversion | anagram |
| host | duplicity | amphibian |
| anti- | contrary action | antipathy |
| apo- | separation | apostate |
| arch-, arch-, arch- | superiority | archetype, archbishop |
| pick up | down move | cataclysm |
| morning- | move through | diagonal |
| dis- | difficulty | dyspnea |
| e-, e- | internal position | ellipse, brain |
| ec-, ex- | top position, outward movement | eclipse, exorcism |
| endo- | inner position | endoscopy |
| epi- | top position | epitaph, epidermis |
| me- | well good | euphemism |
| hyper- | excess, superior position | hypertension |
| hypo- | deficiency | hypodermic |
| goal- | change, transformation | metamorphosis, metaphor |
| for- | beside, proximity | parallel |
| peri- | around | perimeter |
| pro- | previously | prologue, prognosis |
| yes- | simultaneity | sympathy, synchronous |
By Marina Cabral
Specialist in Portuguese Language and Literature
Brazil School Team
Grammar - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Marina Cabral da. "Greek Radicals and Prefixes"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/radicais-prefixos-gregos.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.