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How the Unit 3 Word List Was Built

Etymology Prefix "Pre-Root" Root Root "Post-Root" Suffix1
Word End		 Suffix2
Word End		 Word
Acetylation can affect how DNA and proteins act in the body. acetyl ation acetylation
choline isolated from pig and ox bile acetyl chol ine acetylcholine
chol in[e] ester ase acetylcholinesterase
Latin acidus, "sour, sharp, tart" acid acid
acid ic acidic
derived from the pancreas of an ox aden ine adenine
adip/o cyt/e adipocyte
able to live only if oxygen is present; exercise that uses oxygen as a fuel source aero b[ios] ic aerobic
Latin albumen means "the white of an egg"; it is the neuter of Latin albus, "white" album[en] in albumin
Arabic al-kuhul alcoh[ol] ol alcohol
From Arabic al-qaliy, "ashes, burnt ashes" (of a plant called saltwort, which grows in salty soil). Ultimately from Arabic qala, "to roast in a pan". alkali alkali
alkal[i] ine alkaline
German allelomorph, from Greek allel+morphē "other form" allele allele
amphi path ic amphipathic
Greek ana- "upward" + Greek -ballein "throw" ana bol ic anabolic
able to live if oxygen is absent (e.g. inside a closed wound); exercise when oxygen is unavailable as a fuel source an aero b[ios] ic anaerobic
ana phase anaphase
andr/o gen androgen
anti body antibody
anti parallel antiparallel
Latin portare, "carry" anti port antiport
ap[ex] ical apical
Greek krīnō, "to separate" apo crine apocrine
Greek apo- "separation" + Greek -ptosis "falling off", the shedding of leaves in the autumn or flower petals apo ptosis apoptosis
astro cyte astrocyte
astro glia astroglia
Greek "indivisible" a tom atom
auto some autosome
a vascul[um] avascular
bas[e] al basal
adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine and uracil are collectively called "bases". They form pairs that hold the two "rungs" of the "twisted ladder" (double helix) of DNA together base pair base pair
bi layer bilayer
blasto cyst blastocyst
carbo hydr ate carbohydrate
Greek kata- "down" + Greek ballein "throw" cata bol catabolic
Greek kata- "down, completely" + Greek lyein "loosen" cata lyze catalyze
centri ole centriole
centr/o mere centromere
centr/o some centrosome
Greek khimaira, an animal that is a mixture of two genetic types, named for the creature (with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail) from Greek mythology that was slain by Bellerophon chimera chimera
Greek khole, "bile" + steros, "stiff" (found in gallstones) chole ster[os] ol cholesterol
chondr/o cyte chondrocyte
chromat in chromatin
chrom/o some chromosome
cilia cilia
cod[e] on codon
coll oid colloid
column ar columnar
The Latin constituere means "to set up, fix, establish, set in order". Normally, the prefix con– means "together" but here etymologists think it's acting as an emphasis, what they call "an intensive prefix". In politics, this gives us the word "constitution". In cell and molecular biology, "constitutive" means "ongoing, required to operate". con stit/u tive constitutive
cub[e] oid al cuboidal
cyto kine sis cytokinesis
cyt/o plasm cytoplasm
DNA and RNA base isolated from cells cyt os[e] ine cytosine
cyto skelet on cytoskeleton
cyto sol[ution] cytosol
de hydr/a tion dehydration
de natur[e] a tion denaturation
de oxy ribose deoxyribose
diffus ion diffusion
di ploid diploid
Latin dominari "to rule, govern" dominant dominant
elast[ic] in elastin
electr/o lys[e] is electrolysis
electro- + Greek lytos "loosed" (past of lyein "loosen") electr/o lyte electrolyte
electro- + Latin magnetum, magnetic stone mined in Magnesia, a province in Greece (Thessaly). The name of the element magnesium, which is not magnetic, comes from the same geographic source. electr/o magnet electromagnetic
Latin electrum, "amber", because when you rub amber it gives off electrons electr on electron
end[o] ergon ic endergonic
endo cyt osis endocytosis
endo gen ous endogenous
endo plasm ic endoplasmic
Greek endo- + Greek thēlē, "nipple". Formed backwards from "internal epithelium". endo thel[e] ium endothelium
endo therm[o] ic endothermic
en trop y entropy
en zyme enzyme
The root word genetic was coined by Carlyle 1831 as fake-Greek genetikos from Greek root genesis "origin" epi genet ic epigenetic
Also called adrenaline. Named this because it was first isolated from the adrenal medulla, a gland on top of the kidney. epi nephr ine epinephrine
epi thel[e] ium epithelium
erythr/o cyt/e erythrocyte
erythr/o cyt osis erythrocytosis
Estrus (the reproductive cycle in most mammals) + –gen. Humans menstruate monthly; most mammals go through estrus twice a year. estr[us]/o gen estrogen
ethan[e] ol ethanol
eu chromat in euchromatin
Greek eu– + Greek karyon "nut" eu karyo tic eukaryotic
ex[o] ergon ic exergonic
exo cyt osis exocytosis
exo gen ous exogenous
From ex[pressed] + [regi]on ex[pressed] [regi]on exon
exo therm[o] exothermic
extra cell ul[e] ar extracellular
fibro blast fibroblast
fruct ose fructose
gamete gamete
gastr ula tion gastrulation
The root word genetic was coined by Carlyle 1831 as fake-Greek genetikos from Greek root genesis "origin" geno type genotype
Short for neuroglia: neuro + Greek glia, "glue" glia glia
gluco neo genes is gluconeogenesis
Greek gleukos, "sweet wine"; it gave its ending to sugars of all sorts gluc ose glucose
Greek glukeros, "sweet" glycer ol glycerol
glyc/o gen glycogen
glyc/o gen/o lysis glycogenolysis
glyc/o lysis glycolysis
glyc/o prot[o] ein glycoprotein
French gobelet, "cup", in this case a cup of mucus, which is kinda disgusting. gob[e]let goblet
A staining method for bacteria developed by the Danish physician Hans Gram in 1883
 Gram stain Gram stain
Originally isolated from bat poop guan[o] ine guanine
Greek haplo, "single" + ploos, "fold" ha[plo] ploid haploid
hem/o glob in hemoglobin
hetero chromat in heterochromatin
The Greek word histos means "warp" (as in warp and weft) or "web". In the 1800s, when the medical writers of the time were looking for a Greek word that meant "tissue" (even though ancient Greeks did not have microscopes), they decided "web" or "vertical part of woven fabric" was a pretty good analogy. hist/o log[y] ical histological
hist/o logy histology
The Greek word ἱστός, histόs, "loom" is the ultimate origin of hist– and histo– words. hist[o] one histone
hist/o path/o logy histopathology
holo crine holocrine
hydro lysis hydrolysis
hydro phil ic hydrophilic
hydro phob ic hydrophobic
chol/e ster[oid] ol emia hypercholesterolemia
hyper kal[ium] emia hyperkalemia
hyper natr[ium] emia hypernatremia
hyper ton ic hypertonic
hypo kal[ium] emia hypokalemia
hypo natr[ium] emia hyponatremia
hypo ton ic hypotonic
immuno glob ul[e] in immunoglobulin
Latin insula, "island", because it comes from the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas insul[a] in insulin
inter phase interphase
intr[agenic] + [regi]on intr [genic] [regi]on intron
ion ic ionic
Greek iso– "equal" + Greek meros, "part" iso mer isomer
iso ton ic isotonic
Greek isos "equal" + topos "place". Having the same place in the periodic table. iso top[os] isotope
keto acid osis ketoacidosis
Gmelin coined in 1851 by dropping the "a" from German Aketon, derived from Latin acetum "vinegar, acid" + Greek-based chemical suffix –one ket[o] one ketone
kin ase kinase
Latin lac, "milk" + –ose, chemical ending for sugars from mid-1800s French chemists lact ose lactose
lamina lamina
Spanish la reata "the rope" lariat lariat
leuk/o cyt/e leukocyte
leuk/o cyt osis leukocytosis
Latin ligandus, "to bind" ligand ligand
lip/o prot[o] ein lipoprotein
lip/o some liposome
lymph/o cyt/e lymphocyte
lys/o some lysosome
macro phage macrophage
malt ose maltose
mega kary/o cyte megakaryocyte
Greek meiosis, "lessening" mei osis meiosis
Greek mero–, "partial" + Greek krīnō, "to separate" mero crine merocrine
Greek metabole, "a change" (meta–, "change" + ballein, "to throw") meta bol ism metabolism
meta phase metaphase
Methylation is used to regulate cellular processes, such as gene expression and cell division. methyl ation methylation
Latin filamentum, "fine untwisted thread" micro filament microfilament
micro glia microglia
micro tub[e] ule microtubule
Latin villus, "tuft of hair, wool" micro villus microvillus
Greek mitos, "thread" + khondros, "granule" + –ion diminutive suffix mito chondrion mitochondrion
mit[o] osis mitosis
German, coined in 1900 by Ostwald, short for Molekül mole mole
Coined 1811 by Avogadro from Latin mole, "mass" + diminutive suffix –cule mole cule molecule
Greek monos, "single" + Greek meros, "part" mono mer monomer
An infection which was first thought to be a mixture of a fungus (myco–) and the cytoplasm of host cells; now known to be caused by a bacterium myc/o plasma mycoplasma
myc osis mycosis
neutr[al] on neutron
another substance, related to epinephrine/adrenaline, that is isolated from the adrenal medulla, a gland above the kidney nor[mal] epi nephr ine norepinephrine
nucle olus nucleolus
nucle os[e] ide nucleoside
Latin nucleus + –t– for the sound of it + –ide nucleot ide nucleotide
Latin nucleus, "little nut" nucleus nucleus
oligo dendr/o cyte oligodendrocyte
Spanish, coined by Río Hortega, oligodendroglía, "many" + "tree branches" + "glue" oligo dendr/o glia oligodendroglia
organ elle organelle
Greek ōsmos, "thrusting, pushing" osmos is osmosis
osteo cyte osteocyte
ox id[e] + a tion oxidation
para– + –enkhyma "infusion" (en– + –-khein "pour"). The ancients thought that the parenchyma formed from the infusion and clotting of blood into the space occupied by the organ. par enchyma parenchyma
peptid/o glyc an peptidoglycan
Coined by Thomson 1804 from per–, "large amount" + oxide per ox ide peroxide
per oxi some peroxisome
phag/o cyt osis phagocytosis
Latin phænomenon, "that which appears or is seen" pheno type phenotype
phospho lip id phospholipid
Latin phosphorus, "light-bringing". Phosphorus named by chemists because of its use in matches. Phosphate groups, added in phosphorylation, consist of 1 phosphorus and 4 oxygen atoms.Phosphorylation can change how proteins act in the body. phosphor yl ation phosphorylation
Greek photos, "light" phot[os] on photon
Greek pinein, "drink" pino cyt/o osis pinocytosis
Literally, "a little plate". plate let platelet
Greek ploos, "fold"; haploid and diploid came first, then "ploidy" was used to describe the number of chromosomes ploid y ploidy
pol[e] ar polar
Greek polys, "many" + Greek meros, "part" poly mer polymer
poly pept[one] ide polypeptide
Greek ploos, "fold"; haploid and diploid came first, then "ploidy" was used to describe the number of chromosomes poly ploid polyploid
Latin primus, "first" prim er primer
pro karyo tic prokaryotic
pro phase prophase
prosta[te] gland in prostaglandin
prote[in]a some proteasome
Coined 1838 by Mulder; Greek prōteios "the first quality" + French ending –ine, "derived substance" prot[o] ein protein
prot/e/o glyc an proteoglycan
Greek prōton, "first" prot on proton
Greek pseudos, "lying" + Latin stratum, "thing spread out, layer" pseudo strat[um] ified pseudostratified
Latin, receptor "to hold, contain" (a ligand) receptor receptor
Latin recess, "to go backward" + –ive which makes an adjective out of a verb recess ive recessive
The Latin word regula means "a straight piece of wood" from which we get "ruler". When you apply a ruler to something, we say it is regulated. regul[a] ate regulate
Latin resonantia, "an echo"; in chemistry, delocalized electrons. The image is of electrons ping-ponging back and forth without being attached to a specific atomic nucleus. re son ance resonance
Latin rete, "net" ret[e] icul ar reticular
Reticulum is a combination of Latin rete, "net", and the diminuitive suffix "–iculum" ret[e] icul um reticulum
German Ribonsäure, from English gum arabic with letters scrambled for no reason. This is what makes etymology fun! ribose ribose
ribo[se] some ribosome
Latin secretionem, "a dividing, separation" secre tion secretion
solut[e] ion solution
somat[o] ic somatic
Latin squamosus, "covered in scales" squam ous squamous
Sterol is a shortening of cholesterol ster[ol] oid steroid
Latin stratum, "thing spread out, layer" strat[um] ified stratified
Latin stratum, "thing spread out, layer" stratum stratum
Latin substratum, "spread out underneath" sub strat[um] e substrate
French sucre, "sugar" + –ose sucr[e] ose sucrose
French surface, "outermost boundary", sur– + face surf[ace] ant surfactant
Latin sub–, "beneath" + pendere, "hanging" su[b] pen[dere] sion suspension
Latin portare, "carry" sym port symport
Greek telos, "the end, completion" + mer telo mer e telomere
Greek telos, "the end, completion" telo phase telophase
German Testosteron, coined 1935 test[is] ster[ol] one testosterone
Thermo– + Greek dynamis, "power" thermo dynam[is] ics thermodynamics
thromb/o cyt/e thrombocyte
Latin penuria, "poverty; scarcity" thromb/o cyt/o penia thrombocytopenia
thromb/o cyt osis thrombocytosis
Obtained from the thymus gland thym[us] ine thymine
Greek tonikos, "stretching", but since the 1680s used to describe the healthy firmness of tissues ton ic ity tonicity
tran[s] script ion transcription
Latin translationem, "transfer of meaning" trans translation translation
tri glycer ide triglyceride
ur ac[etyl] il uracil
Latin valentia, "power, capacity" valence valence
Latin vesicula, "little blister" ves icle vesicle
Latin villus, "tuft of hair; shaggy hair; wool" villus villus

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