Unit 3 Roots
Root words introduced in previous units are colored gray.
| Root Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| acetyl | the name of a chemical group |
| acid | a property of some chemicals |
| aden | gland |
| adip/o | fat |
| aero | air |
| alcoh[ol] | the name of a chemical group; alcohols end in the suffix "–ol" |
| alkali | a property of some chemicals |
| allele | one form of a gene (unit of inheritance) |
| apex | tip; the highest point |
| astro | star |
| bios | life |
| base | bottom; the lowest point |
| blast/o | a rapidly dividing cell |
| body | large molecule |
| bol | throw (forward movement) |
| carbo | carbon, an element found in all living things |
| cell | the unit of life; a mixture of chemicals and organelles bounded by a membrane |
| centri centro |
center |
| chol/e | bile |
| chondr/o | cartilage |
| chondrion | grain |
| chrom/at/o | color |
| cilia | eyelash |
| code | letters that contain a (sometimes hidden) meaning |
| coll | glue |
| column | a shape higher than it is wide |
| crine | secretion; release from cells or from the body |
| cub[e] | a shape of equal height and width |
| cyst | fluid-filled space |
| cyt cyte cyto |
cell |
| dendr/o | tree |
| diffus | pouring out |
| dominant | showing a quality if there is only one copy (of a gene) |
| dynam | power, energy |
| elast[ic] | capable of being stretched and snaps back into place when released |
| electr/o | related to electricity |
| ergon | energy |
| erythr/o | the color red |
| ester | the name of a chemical group |
| estrus | reproductive cycle in female non-human mammals |
| ethane | the name of a chemical group |
| expressed | being shown |
| fibro | fiber |
| filament | a thread |
| fruct | fruit |
| gamete | a cell needed for reproduction |
| gastr | stomach |
| gen geno genet |
birth (dealing with inheritance) |
| gland | gland |
| glia | glue |
| glob | glob, wad (pertaining to the shape of a protein) |
| gluco glyco |
sweet, sugar; the name of a chemical group that makes a chemical sweet |
| glycerine | a sweet, sticky chemical (glycer– + –ine) |
| goblet | goblet, chalice; a drinking vessel which holds a large amount of liquid |
| guano | bat poop |
| hem/o | blood |
| hist/o | tissue |
| hydra hydro |
water |
| immuno | body defenses against micro-organisms and other invaders |
| insula | island |
| ion | particle which carries an electrical charge |
| kalium | Latin name for the element potassium (found in the vegetable kale) |
| kary/o | the cell nucleus (from the Greek for nut) |
| keto | the name of a chemical group |
| kin/e | movement; also used to describe the addition of a phosphate chemical group |
| lact | milk |
| lamina | thin plate, sheet, layer |
| lariat | a loop |
| layer | layer |
| leuk/o | the color white |
| ligand | a molecule that attaches to a receptor |
| lip/o | fat |
| lymph/o | vessels that drain fluid from around the cells |
| lyse lyso |
breakdown |
| lyte | product of a breakdown |
| lyze | process of breaking down |
| magnet | substance which attracts other magnetic substances |
| malt | grain that has been steeped, germinated, and dried |
| mei | less |
| mer mere |
a part |
| methyl | the name of a chemical group |
| mito | thread |
| mole | word describing a unit in chemistry |
| natr[ium] | Latin word for the element sodium |
| natur/e | the state something was born in |
| neo | new |
| nephr | kidney |
| neutral | having no electrical charge |
| nucleus nucle nucleo nucleot |
the center of an atom or the center of a cell |
| organ | instrument |
| osmos | pushing, thrusting |
| osteo | bone |
| oxi oxy |
shortened form of the element oxygen |
| parallel | side-by-side |
| path | feeling, suffering (used to describe molecules) |
| path/o | disease (used to describe a medical condition, in the sense of "suffering") |
| pen[dere] | hang |
| pept peptido |
protein |
| per | large amount of |
| phage phago |
eat |
| phase | stage; appearance |
| pheno | shine; appearance |
| phil | love |
| phob | fear |
| phospho/r | the element phosphorus and related chemical groupings |
| phot | light |
| pino | drink |
| plasm | something molded; plastic or dough |
| ploid | fold; numbered |
| pol[e] | one end of a round object, as in North Pole & South Pole |
| port | to carry; a door |
| prim | first |
| prosta[te] | gland in male that surrounds the urethra |
| prot prote proteo |
first, original; class of molecules that are essential for life |
| ptosis | drooping |
| receptor | a protein on the surface of a cell that turns a chemical on the outside to a signal on the inside of the cell |
| recess | showing a quality if there are two copies (of a gene) |
| ret[e] | net, network |
| ribose | the name of a chemical group found in cells |
| script | writing |
| secre | set apart; release |
| skelet | bones |
| sol solut |
dissolve |
| soma somat somato some |
body |
| son | sound |
| squam | a shape wider than it is high (literally, "fish-scale") |
| ster | solid; a chemical that is solid at room temperature |
| stratum | layer |
| sucr | sugar |
| surf[ace] | outside part |
| test[is] | male testicle |
| thel[e] | nipple |
| therm/o | temperature |
| thromb/o | clot |
| thym[us] | an organ of the upper chest |
| tom | cutting |
| ton | firmness (for example, of tissues or muscle) |
| top[os] | place |
| translation | carry across |
| trop | turning towards |
| tub[e] | pipe |
| type | kind |
| ur | urine |
| valence | strength |
| vascul | little vessel |
| vesic | bladder |
| villus | hair |
| zyme | yeast; ferment |
