Root Words in English: Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

Root words: Root words in English help you understand English vocabulary easily. These independent words combine with the suffixes or prefixes to generate a new word. The basic structure of the root word is modified by affixes to form a new word.

Understanding root words in English is essential because the English language has now become the standard language in the world, so it is necessary to know about the root words in English.

Root words are stand-alone words in the English Dictionary. Almost 120 root words are found in the English dictionary; these commonly originated from Greek or Latin words.

This article will discuss root words, their meaning, examples, and the difference between other words and root words.

The Meaning of Root Words

Root words are considered the building blocks of words that need suffixes and prefixes to make a word that will make sense. The root word is the fundamental part before adding at the beginning or the end of a word. It is a complete word that cannot be further broken down into segments.

For example, if you start with the word uncomfortable and remove the prefix un- and the suffix -able, the leftover word will be comforted. The word “comfort” is called the root word.

Learning about root words helps you understand more complex words more easily. Challenging texts can be read easily if one understands the concept of the root word involved in any word.

What are Prefixes and Suffixes?

Understanding the concept of prefixes and suffixes helps you know the root words much more quickly.

Prefixes

The words added at the start of a root word are commonly defined as prefixes.

The words in the table below will help you better understand the meaning of prefixes:

Suffixes

Root words that can be modified by placing the other words at the end of them are called suffixes. Check out a few examples of suffixes in the table below:

Root Words That are Common English Words

There are certain root words that form a standalone word of its own or as part of other common words in the English language. Given below are some common English words that are root words as well:

• 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 are 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.

Root Words from the Greek Language

Many of the root words in the English vocabulary are derived from the Greek and the Latin words. English originated from various ancestral languages, mainly Greek and Latin, that share the same root word. A few common Greek root words are mentioned with the meaning in the table below:

Common Latin Root Words

The root words in the English dictionary are derived from the Latin language and are known as Latin root words. Here are the examples of Latin root words listed in tabular form:

Difference Between Base Words and Root Words in English Vocabulary

In the English Dictionary, there are base words and root words. People often need clarification on the base word and the root words. We have explained the difference between the base and root words in this tabular form.

Conclusion

Finally, root words in the English dictionary are words that require prefixes and suffixes to form complex words, basically derived from Latin or Greek. The string of words attached at the beginning of a word is called prefixes, and the string of words linked at the end of root words is called suffixes.