Understanding Word Parts
Often, words consist of prefixes, suffixes, and roots that come from Old English, French, Latin, or Greek. By learning the meaning of a root or base, you hold the key to understanding not just one word, but many. And being familiar with numerous word parts gives you a good chance of puzzling out the meanings of even the most unfamiliar words. (See pages 166–177 for common word parts and their meanings.)
Example Words and Parts
Tele•kinet•ic
Telekinetic combines
- the root tele, meaning “distant”;
- a form of the root kines, meaning “movement”; and
- the suffix ic, meaning “pertaining to/having.”
So telekinetic pertains to some sort of movement from a distance. (The dictionary definition of telekinetic is “having the ability to move objects without contact or other physical means.”)
Zygo•morph•ic
Zygomorphic combines
- the root zygo, meaning “united/paired”;
- the root morph, meaning “shape”; and
- the suffix ic, meaning “pertaining to/having.”
So zygomorphic refers to having a paired or united shape of some sort. (In the world of botany, a zygomorphic flower is one whose parts are unequal in some way but can be divided through one plane into mirror-image halves.)
Your Turn Select one word from each content area and break it into word parts to figure out its basic meaning. Use the lists of word parts (pages 166-177) and a dictionary.
Social Studies:
- aristocracy
- denomination
- neoclassicism
Science:
- hydrocarbon
- protoplasm
- polypeptide
Math:
- heptameter
- quadratic
- polynomial
English:
- conjunction
- polyglot
- linguistic