Greek and Latin Roots for 11+ Preparation

Author: Sam Wainwright

Categories: Blog, Revision, Tips

Date: February 10, 2022

What are Greek and Latin roots and why are they so important for 11+ preparation? This is a vocabulary recognition method that may be especially useful in an exam setting. Greek and Latin words form the basis, or root, for many of the words we use in the English language. This is important because it can help us understand the meaning of English words, even when we have never encountered them before. 

Understanding, for example, that the Greek root “hydra” or “hydro” means “water” means that we can decipher more easily the meaning of more complex words such as “hydraulic” or “hydroponics”. This is useful knowledge and a key skill for students to have – when they are familiar with root words and their meanings, they may no longer feel deterred by difficult vocabulary, as they can get to work actively unravelling what unknown words mean.

Being an avid reader is a great way for students to naturally boost their vocabulary for the 11+. Using context clues and the thumb method (in which a student covers up a word they do not recognise with their thumb and try to see what other words could fit logically into this gap to complete a given sentence) are also great methods and skills to use in an exam setting when students do recognise certain vocabulary. However, for when these fail, recognition of Greek and Latin roots can be invaluable for understanding particularly tricky words and thus picking up extra marks in English and verbal reasoning papers.

Here are 25 examples from both languages that are in common use today. There are many, many more root words but these can form the beginning of your child’s study of them. To ensure your child’s understanding, encourage them to write sentences including the English words in which the roots are found.

Greek roots

Root word Meaning English words
anthro humankind anthropology, philanthropy
astr star, space astronaut, astronomy
auto self automatic, autobiography
bibl book bibliography, bibliophile
bio life biography, biology
dem people democrat, democracy
chron time synchronise, chronicle
crypt hidden cryptic, cryptography
cycl circular, wheel bicycle, recycle
geo earth geography, geology
graph write or record graphic, demographic
hydr water dehydrated, hydraulics
hypn sleep hypnosis, hypnotherapy
kine movement kinaesthetic, cinema
mech machine mechanic, mechanism
mono one monotone, monologue
neo new neologism, neonatal
ology the study of biology, psychology
onym / nom word, name nominate, synonym
phil / phile love philosophy, bibliophile
phob fear claustrophobic, arachnophobia
phon sound phonics, telephone
psych mind, soul psychology, psyche
therm heat thermal, thermos

 

Latin roots

Root Meaning English words
aqua water aquarium, aqueduct
belli war bellicose, belligerent
bi two binoculars, binary
cav hollow cave, cavity
cogn know recognition, cognitive
dict say, speak dictate, diction, edict
fract / frag break fraction, fragment
junct join junction, conjunction
juve youth juvenile, rejuvenate
liber free liberty, liberate
mort death mortal, immortal
mov / mot / mob move mobility, movement
mut change mutation, commute
nasc, nat born native, nascent
noct night nocturnal, nocturne
omni all omnipotent, omniscient
opt choose option, adopt
pop people population, popular
pre before premeditated, prequel
quot how many/much quota, quotient
re again, back reorganise, reappear
simil, simul like, same similar, simulate
son sound resonance, consonant
terr earth terrain, territory
trans across transport, transmit

The benefits of learning root words

Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter. Do be aware that root words can have more than one meaning and that some words may look similar but may derive from different roots. They are useful, however, for giving a student some advantage in working out what an unfamiliar word can mean, especially in an exam setting.

Do you have some more questions or want to discuss the package that's right for you?