List of some of the main Latin radicals and prefixes found in Portuguese:
Radicals of Latin origin:
Radical | Sense | Example |
agri | field | farmer |
ambi | both duplicity | ambiguous |
arbori | tree | afforest |
avi | bird | poultry farming |
beli | war | belligerent |
bi, bi | twice | biped, great grandfather |
heat (i) | heat | calorimetry |
captain (i) | head | decapitate |
city | that kills | suicidal |
Glue | who cultivates or inhabits | winery, agricultural |
cruci | cross | crucify |
culture | grow crops | beekeeping |
curved | curved | curvilinear |
ego | me | self-centeredness |
equi | equal | equivalent |
eve | age | medieval |
fierce | that contains or produces | mammal |
I am | who makes or produces | fridge |
fide | faith | loyalty |
for me | form | uniform |
frater | brother | fraternal |
escape | who runs away | centrifugal |
I generate | that contains or produces | beneficial |
herb | herb | herbicide |
crazy | place | to locate |
ludo | game | play therapy |
mater | mom | maternal |
dead | death | deadly |
multi | much | multinational |
omni | whole | omnipresent |
pari | equal | parity |
stop | that produces | oviparous |
pater | father | paternal |
suffer | foot | pedestrian |
pisci | fish | psyculture |
pluri | many | multicellular |
rain | rain | pluvial |
puer | child | childish |
hip | four | quadrilateral |
withdrew | straight right | rectilinear |
to withdraw | sugar | sucrose |
frog | soap | soapy |
sesqui | one and a half | sesquipedalian |
silvi | Forest | forestry |
taur (i) | bull | taurine |
tri | three | tricolor |
umbra | shadow | dimness |
uxor | wife | uxoricide |
vermi | worm | vermifuge |
bird | who eats | carnivore |
Latin prefixes:
Prefix | Sense | Example |
ab(abs) | removal | abstract |
ad(a) | proximity, direction | adjazar |
ambi | duplicity | ambidextrous |
before | anteriority | predate |
good | well, good success | bless |
bi | two | bisexual |
circum | move around | circumnavigation |
cis | short position | cisalpine |
with (with or with) | company | fight, collaborate, contemporary |
against | opposition | contradict |
in | origin, removal | deport |
des | denial, separation, contrary action | disloyal, undo |
in (en or in) | inward movement | bury |
ex(es or e) | outward movement | export |
extra | outside of | unofficial |
in | denial | beardless, unhappy |
infra | bellow | undersigned |
inter | in between, middle position | to intervene |
intra | inner position | intravenous |
intro | inward movement | introduce |
fair | together with | juxtapose |
bad | bad | curse |
ob | opposition | hinder |
pain | almost | penultimate |
per | move through | walk |
pos | posterior position | postpone |
pre | anteriority | predict |
defer | Besides | preternatural |
pro | anteriority, forward | proceed |
re | backward movement again | curb |
retro | backward movement | retroaction |
semi | a half | semicircle |
soto | inferior position | sotopor |
sub | inferiority, from the bottom up | subscribe |
super | top position | Superman |
above | top position | above mentioned |
trans | Besides | pierce |
tri | three | tripartite |
ultra | beyond limit | to surpass |
vis (vice) | instead of | vice consul |
By Marina Cabral
Specialist in Portuguese Language and Literature
Brazil School Team
Grammar - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/radicais-prefixos-latinos.htm