Word Roots

Understanding their origin, meaning and usage

• Root Word – Mal – a Latin word, Meaning – bad or evil.

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English words having ‘mal’ root word –

• Malignment – defame something badly
• Malice – evil intention
• Maltreat. – Treat someone/something badly
• Malfunction – working badly
• Dismal – A gloomy situation
• Maleficent – Someone who deliberately try causing harm to someone

All the words having ‘mal’ root word gives a negative connotation.

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2. Root Word – Phobia, Meaning – Fear or dislike

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English words formed of it –

• Demophobia – demo is people so one who fears public speaking have demophobia
• Zoophobia – people who fear animals.
• Theophobia – Thei is God/Religion, so a person who fears religion has theophobia.
• Pedophobia – Pedo means child, so a person who doesn’t like children has pedophobia.
• Gynophobia – a person who dislikes girls/women because Gyno is a girl/woman.

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3. Root word – Fin – a Latin word, Meaning – to end something, limit, or boundary.

English words containing ‘Fin’ in them –

• Infinity – No limit
• Infinitesimal – immeasurably small
• Confinement – concluding state of pregnancy
• Definite – Precise

We can see, the words mean to end or limit something. Examples: We take a final exam at the end of the course. The one who watches reality TV Shows, see the Finale episode or the final episode of the season.In a race, the Finish line is known as the end of it.

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4. Root word – Phil – a Greek word, Meaning – to Love.

English word with root word ‘Phil’-

• Bibliophile – the one who loves books
• Philologist – word lover who is a scholar of language
• Philanthropist – is a person who loves mankind.
• Philosopher – A person who will love wisdom
• Philodendron – A tree that curls up while growing and are called love trees.

So we can see all the words with root words are associated with love. Did you know the city of Philadelphia actually means the city of brotherly love.

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5. Root word – Logy a Greek word, Meaning – to study something

Words formed with the root word ‘logy’ are –

• Analogy – the study of comparison of two or more things
• Anthropology – the study of human beings as ‘anthrop’ means human.
• Theology – ‘theo’ means God/religion so theology is the study of religion
• Morphology – the study of structures is morphology. Morph means structures.

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6. Root word – Thie, a Greek word – Meaning – God/Religion

English words formed using the root word ‘Thei’ are –

• Theist – ‘ist’ is follower, so theist is one who believes in God
• Atheist – A [person who do not believe in God
• Pantheist – Pan means that is all over, so the person who believes in all God across all religion is Pantheist
• Monotheist – Mono connotes one, so those who believe in one god are monotheists.

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7. Root Word – Anti, a Greek word, Meaning – Opposite or against

The English words formed of the root word ‘Anti’ –

• Antiseptic – working against infection
• Antidote – working against the effect of the poison
• Antisocial – opposite to social norms
• Antioxidants – compounds that work against the chemical reactions that damage the cells of an organism.

Remember, anything with the root word ‘anti’ is supposed to do against or opposite of something.

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Root Words That are Common English Words

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• Act – meaning – to move or do, other English words- actor, acting, reenact
• Crypt – Meaning – to hide, other English words – cryptic, apocryphal, cryptography
• Ego – meaning – Self-importance, Other words formed of it egotist, egocentric, egomaniac
• Legal – meaning – related to the law, other words in English – illegal, legalities, paralegal
• Form – meaning – shape, words formed from it – conform, reform, formulate
• Phobia – meaning – fear – words formed from this root word are already discussed above.
• Norm – meaning – typical, other English words – abnormal, paranormal, normality.

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