Latin & Greek Stems and Prefixes

Stems & Prefixes: Lesson #5


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Published: July 2026
Lesson 5 of 8
Source: Listen in English

Learn the building blocks behind hundreds of English words. Latin and Greek stems and prefixes.
Stems: morph, onym/nomen, pathy, theo, cred, fid
Prefixes: meta, pseudo, a/an, dis, pan, mal.

Directions 이용안내 Direcciones Instruções Інструкції


  1. INFER the MEANING

    Look at the example words and guess the meaning of each bolded prefix or stem. Try to guess before you check the answer — this helps you remember it.

  2. STUDY the CHART

    Check your answers and see more example words for every prefix and stem taught in this lesson.

  3. BUILD the MEANING

    Click a meaning tile, then click the box it belongs in to build each word's meaning. These words only use parts you already studied.

  4. TEST your KNOWLEDGE

    Choose the best meaning for each bolded word. Some of these words combine the word parts in new ways.

  5. LISTEN and REPEAT

    Listen to each sentence and repeat it aloud to practice your pronunciation.

  1. DEDUCE el SIGNIFICADO

    Observa las palabras de ejemplo e intenta adivinar el significado de cada prefijo o raíz en negrita. Intenta adivinar antes de comprobar la respuesta — esto te ayuda a recordarlo.

  2. ESTUDIA la TABLA

    Comprueba tus respuestas y observa más palabras de ejemplo para cada prefijo y raíz de esta lección.

  3. CONSTRUYE el SIGNIFICADO

    Haz clic en una ficha de significado y luego en la casilla a la que pertenece para construir el significado de cada palabra. Estas palabras solo usan partes que ya estudiaste.

  4. PON A PRUEBA tu CONOCIMIENTO

    Elige el mejor significado para cada palabra en negrita. Algunas de estas palabras combinan las partes de forma nueva.

  5. ESCUCHA y REPITE

    Escucha cada oración y repítela en voz alta para practicar tu pronunciación.

  1. DEDUZA o SIGNIFICADO

    Observe as palavras de exemplo e tente adivinhar o significado de cada prefixo ou radical em negrito. Tente adivinhar antes de conferir a resposta — isso ajuda você a lembrar.

  2. ESTUDE a TABELA

    Confira suas respostas e veja mais palavras de exemplo para cada prefixo e radical desta lição.

  3. CONSTRUA o SIGNIFICADO

    Clique em uma ficha de significado e depois na caixa a que ela pertence para construir o significado de cada palavra. Essas palavras usam apenas partes que você já estudou.

  4. TESTE seu CONHECIMENTO

    Escolha o melhor significado para cada palavra em negrito. Algumas dessas palavras combinam as partes de formas novas.

  5. OUÇA e REPITA

    Ouça cada frase e repita em voz alta para praticar sua pronúncia.

  1. 의미 추론하기

    예시 단어들을 보고 굵게 표시된 접두사나 어근의 의미를 추측해 보세요. 정답을 확인하기 전에 먼저 추측해 보면 기억하는 데 도움이 됩니다.

  2. 참고 차트 학습하기

    답을 확인하고 이 단원에서 배운 각 접두사와 어근의 더 많은 예시 단어를 확인하세요.

  3. 의미 조합하기

    의미 타일을 클릭한 다음, 그것이 속한 상자를 클릭하여 각 단어의 의미를 만들어 보세요. 이 단어들은 이미 배운 요소만 사용합니다.

  4. 지식 테스트하기

    굵게 표시된 각 단어에 가장 알맞은 의미를 선택하세요. 일부 단어는 배운 요소들을 새로운 방식으로 조합합니다.

  5. 듣고 따라 말하기

    각 문장을 듣고 소리 내어 따라 말하며 발음을 연습하세요.

  1. ВИЗНАЧТЕ ЗНАЧЕННЯ

    Подивіться на приклади слів і спробуйте вгадати значення кожного виділеного жирним префікса чи кореня. Спробуйте вгадати, перш ніж перевірити відповідь — це допомагає запам'ятати.

  2. ВИВЧІТЬ ТАБЛИЦЮ

    Перевірте свої відповіді та перегляньте більше прикладів слів для кожного префікса й кореня цього уроку.

  3. ПОБУДУЙТЕ ЗНАЧЕННЯ

    Натисніть на плитку значення, а потім на поле, до якого вона належить, щоб побудувати значення кожного слова. Ці слова використовують лише ті частини, які ви вже вивчили.

  4. ПЕРЕВІРТЕ СВОЇ ЗНАННЯ

    Виберіть найкраще значення для кожного виділеного жирним слова. Деякі з цих слів поєднують частини по-новому.

  5. ПОСЛУХАЙТЕ і ПОВТОРІТЬ

    Прослухайте кожне речення і повторіть його вголос, щоб потренувати вимову.

Infer Meaning (prefixes) 의미 추론 (접두사) Deduzir o significado (prefixos) Deducir el significado (prefijos) Визначте значення (Префікси)


Directions: Read each set of words and guess the meaning of the bolded prefix.

Instrucciones: Lee cada grupo de palabras e intenta adivinar el significado del prefijo en negrita.

Instruções: Leia cada grupo de palavras e tente adivinhar o significado do prefixo em negrito.

지시 사항 : 각 단어 그룹을 읽고 굵게 표시된 접두사의 의미를 추측해 보세요.

Інструкції: Прочитайте кожну групу слів і спробуйте вгадати значення виділеного жирним префікса.


  1. metamorphosis, metaphor, metabolism, metaphysics
    meta- change, beyond


  2. pseudonym, pseudoscience, pseudocode, pseudointellectual
    pseudo- false


  3. atypical, asymmetric, anonymous, apolitical
    a- an- not, without


  4. disagree, disappear, distrust, disconnect
    dis- remove, negate


  5. pandemic, panorama, pantheon, panacea
    pan- all


  6. malfunction, malnutrition, malpractice, malicious
    mal- bad



Infer Meaning (stems) 의미 추론 (어근) Deduzir o significado (radicais) Deducir el significado (raíces) Визначте значення (Корені)



Directions: Read each pair of sentences and guess the meaning of the bolded root.

Instrucciones: Lee cada par de oraciones e intenta adivinar el significado de la raíz en negrita.

Instruções: Leia cada par de frases e tente adivinhar o significado do radical em negrito.

지시 사항 : 각 문장 쌍을 읽고 굵게 표시된 어근의 의미를 추측해 보세요.

Інструкції: Прочитайте кожну пару речень і спробуйте вгадати значення виділеного жирним кореня.


  1. The caterpillar will undergo a complete metamorphosis into a butterfly.
    The clay slowly changed its morphology as the sculptor worked.
    morph: form, shape


  2. "Happy" and "joyful" are synonyms because they share nearly the same meaning.
    NASA is an acronym formed from the first letters of "National Aeronautics and Space Administration."
    Aa onym/nomen: name, word


  3. Everyone felt deep sympathy for the family after the accident.
    His apathy toward the project frustrated his coworkers.
    pathy: feeling, suffering


  4. Ancient Greek theology described many different gods and goddesses.
    Most followers of Judaism and Islam practice monotheoism, the belief in only one god.
    theo: god


  5. The police decided that his story sounded credible and let him go.
    The rumor gained credence after several eyewitnesses confirmed it.
    cred: trust, believe


  6. She showed complete fidelity to her closest friends.
    He trusted his business partner with total confidence.
    fid: faith, trust



Reference Chart 참고 차트 Tabela de referência Tabla de referencia Довідкова таблиця



Directions: Use this chart to check your answers and see more example words for each prefix and stem.

Instrucciones: Usa esta tabla para comprobar tus respuestas y ver más palabras de ejemplo para cada prefijo y raíz.

Instruções: Use esta tabela para conferir suas respostas e ver mais palavras de exemplo para cada prefixo e radical.

지시 사항 : 이 차트를 사용하여 답을 확인하고 각 접두사와 어근의 더 많은 예시 단어를 확인하세요.

Інструкції: Використовуйте цю таблицю, щоб перевірити свої відповіді та переглянути більше прикладів слів для кожного префікса й кореня.


Prefixes
PrefixMeaningExample Words
meta-change, beyondmetamorphosis, metaphor, metadata
pseudo-falsepseudonym, pseudoscience, pseudocode
a-, an-not, withoutanonymous, atypical, apathy
dis-remove, negatedisagree, discredit, distrust
pan-allpandemic, panorama, pantheon
mal-badmalfunction, malnutrition, malediction
Stems
StemMeaningExample Words
morphform, shapemetamorphosis, amorphous, polymorphic
onym, nomenAaname, wordpseudonym, anonymous, antonym, nomenclature
pathyfeeling, sufferingsympathy, antipathy, apathy
theogodtheology, monotheism, pantheon
credtrust, believeincredible, credible, discredit
fidfaith, trustconfide, fidelity, infidel


Build Meaning 의미 조합하기 Construa o significado Construye el significado Побудуйте значення


Directions: Click a meaning tile, then click the empty box it belongs in. Each item checks itself automatically once both boxes are filled. Click a filled box to remove it.

Instrucciones: Haz clic en una ficha de significado y luego en la casilla vacía a la que pertenece. Cada elemento se revisa automáticamente una vez que ambas casillas están completas. Haz clic en una casilla completada para eliminarla.

Instruções: Clique em uma ficha de significado e depois na caixa vazia a que ela pertence. Cada item é verificado automaticamente assim que as duas caixas forem preenchidas. Clique em uma caixa preenchida para removê-la.

지시 사항 : 의미 타일을 클릭한 다음, 해당 타일이 속한 빈 상자를 클릭하세요. 두 상자가 모두 채워지면 자동으로 확인됩니다. 채워진 상자를 클릭하면 제거할 수 있습니다.

Інструкції: Натисніть на плитку значення, а потім на порожнє поле, до якого вона належить. Кожен елемент перевіряється автоматично, щойно обидва поля заповнено. Натисніть на заповнене поле, щоб видалити його.


The caterpillar undergoes a complete meta+morphosis before becoming a butterfly.
name god form false change believe bad all
The author writes mystery novels under a pseudo+nym.
without trust name form feeling false change bad
The donor chose to remain completely an+onymous.
without name god form false believe apart all
Everyone felt deep sym+pathy for the family.
trust together name god feeling bad apart against
He couldn't hide his anti+pathy toward his rival.
together god form feeling false believe all against
She's taking theo+logy courses in college in order to get a job at a Catholic high school.
study name form god false believe bad all
The ancient Greek and Roman pan+theons included many of the same gods but with different names.
without trust one god form false apart all
The magician's trick seemed absolutely in+cred+ible.
worry not name god form believe able all
New evidence began to dis+credit the witness's story.
truth together remove god form feeling false believe
She decided to con+fide her secret to a close friend.
trust together name god form better bad apart
The old witch in the story casts a male+diction on the village.
trust speak name god false believe bad all
The elevator suddenly began to mal+function, trapping several people inside.
work trust name god false believe bad all

Score:



Test Meaning 의미 테스트 Teste o significado Pon a prueba el significado Перевірте значення


Directions: Choose the best meaning for each bold word.

Instrucciones: Elige el mejor significado para cada palabra en negrita.

Instruções: Escolha o melhor significado para cada palavra em negrito.

지시 사항 : 굵게 표시된 각 단어에 가장 알맞은 의미를 선택하세요.

Інструкції: Виберіть найкраще значення для кожного виділеного жирним слова.


  1. Which picture shows a shape that is amorphous?


  2. Which face do you think best represents someone who is apathetic?


  3. Which shape is asymmetric?


  4. An antonym of "happy" would be ______.
    a word that sounds the same but is spelled differently
    another word that means exactly the same thing
    a similar word from a foreign language
    a word with the opposite meaning

  5. A credible witness is one whose testimony ______.
    must be translated into another language
    was written down instead of spoken
    cannot be trusted at all
    can be believed

  6. If you have fidelity to your principles, you ______.
    change your mind whenever it's convenient
    remain loyal and faithful to them
    keep them a secret from everyone
    argue about them constantly

  7. An infidel, in old religious texts, was someone who ______.
    did not share the group's religious faith
    built the temples and shrines
    led the religious ceremonies
    believed in many gods

  8. A theologian studies ______.
    the physical properties of matter and energy
    religious beliefs and questions about God
    the structure of ancient languages
    the history of world governments

  9. A polymorphic character in a story is one that ______.
    only appears once in the entire story
    can change into many different forms
    speaks many different languages
    never changes at all

  10. Computer security experts describe some malware as polymorphic because it ______.
    rewrites its own code into a new form each time it spreads
    sends copies of itself to every contact in an email account
    deletes itself permanently after one use
    only attacks one specific type of computer

  11. A credulous person is someone who ______.
    believes things too easily, even without good evidence
    never believes anything, no matter the evidence
    works as a professional judge
    always tells the truth

  12. If someone shows apathy about an election, they ______.
    campaign passionately for their candidate
    argue loudly with everyone around them
    don't care or feel motivated either way
    refuse to let anyone else vote

  13. Scientific nomenclature is a system for ______.
    measuring temperature accurately
    predicting future discoveries
    classifying rock formations
    naming things consistently

  14. A Pan-American trade agreement would involve ______.
    countries throughout North, South, and Central America
    countries in both Europe and the Americas
    only the United States and Canada
    only countries in South America

  15. Metamorphic rock is rock that has ______.
    changed form because of heat and pressure
    never been touched by heat or pressure
    been ground into fine powder
    formed only underwater

  16. A pseudoscience is a set of claims that ______.
    has been proven true through real experiments
    seems scientific but lacks real evidence
    was discovered by ancient scientists
    is true but hard to believe

  17. If a judge writes a dissenting opinion, they ______.
    fully agree with the majority decision
    disagree with the majority decision
    refuse to make any decision at all
    ask for the case to be dismissed

  18. If a government official is found guilty of malfeasance, they ______.
    committed wrongdoing or misconduct while in office
    did an outstanding job serving the public
    wrote a new set of public safety laws
    were elected for a third term

  19. The Ancient Greek religion, with gods like Zeus, Athena, and Apollo, is an example of a(n) ______ religion.
    monotheistic
    polytheistic
    atheistic

  20. Christianity is an example of a(n) ______ religion.
    monotheistic
    polytheistic
    atheistic

  21. Someone who does not believe in the existence of any god at all holds a(n) ______ view.
    monotheistic
    polytheistic
    atheistic

Score:



Discussion 논의 Questões de discussão Discusión Обговорення


  1. The prefix dis- is often combined with verbs, like disagree (dis + agree). Can you think of three more examples that use dis- in this way?
  2. With some cameras, you can take a panoramic photo.
    What do you think panoramic means, and how does it connect to "pan"?
  3. The word enthusiasm comes from Greek en + theos + iasm — literally "having a god inside you." Today it just means feeling excited about something.
    How and why do you think the modern meaning of the word changed?
  4. The word malaria comes from Italian mal + aria — literally "bad air." What actually causes and spreads malaria? Based on the word stem and prefix meaning, how do you think people thought it was spread in the past? Were they correct?
  5. If you call something a misnomer, you're saying its name doesn't actually fit what it is. For example, Koala bears aren't actually bears; they are marsupials (like a kangaroo). Similarly, a peanut is not a nut; it is a legume (like a bean).
    Can you think of a few other things that are misnomers in English? How about in your language?

Listen & Repeat 듣고 따라하기 Ouça e repita Escuchar y repetir Слухайте і повторюйте


Directions: Play the audio clip and try to repeat what you hear. Click "Show" to see the text.

Instrucciones: Reproduce el clip de audio e intenta repetir lo que escuchas. Haga clic en "Show" para ver el texto.

Instruções: Reproduza o clipe de áudio e tente repetir o que você ouve. Clique em "Show" para ver o texto.

지시 사항 : 오디오 클립을 재생하고 들리는 내용을 반복해 보십시오. 텍스트를 보려면 "Show" 를 클릭하십시오.

Інструкції: Увімкніть аудіокліп і спробуйте повторити те, що чуєте. Натисніть "Show", щоб побачити текст.


Clip 1
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The caterpillar undergoes a complete metamorphosis before becoming a butterfly.



Clip 2
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The author writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.



Clip 3
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The donor chose to remain completely anonymous.



Clip 4
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Everyone felt deep sympathy for the family.



Clip 5
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He couldn't hide his antipathy toward his rival.



Clip 6
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She's taking theology courses in college in order to get a job at a Catholic high school.



Clip 7
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The Egyptian pantheon included dozens of gods and goddesses.



Clip 8
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The magician's trick seemed absolutely incredible.



Clip 9
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New evidence began to discredit the witness's story.



Clip 10
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The old witch in the story casts a malediction on the village.



Clip 11
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The witness gave very credible testimony in court.



Clip 12
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The elevator suddenly began to malfunction, trapping several people inside.



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