Latin & Greek Stems and Prefixes

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. epicenter, epidemic, epidural, epidermis
   
   epi- upon, outer
   
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2. hypothermia, hypothesis, hypodermic, hypoallergenic
   
   hypo- under, below
   
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3. hyperactive, hypersensitive, hypercritical, hyperventilate
   
   hyper- over, too much
   
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4. triangle, tricycle, triple, trilogy
   
   tri- three
   
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5. uniform, unicorn, unique, unicycle
   
   uni- one
   
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6. decade, decathlon, decimal
   
   dec- ten
   
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7. century, centipede, centimeter, centennial
   
   cent- hundred
   
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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 detective found the corpse of the murder victim lying in the garden.
   A corporation is a company that the law treats as if it were one single person.
   corp: body
   
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2. Seoul is the capital of South Korea.
   Always capitalize the first letter at the head of a sentence.
   capit: head
   
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3. A dermatologist is a doctor who treats rashes and other problems with the skin.
   The taxidermist stretched the bear's skin over a frame so it looked alive.
   derm: skin
   
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4. Push the bicycle's pedals with your feet to make it go.
   In the city's new pedestrian mall, cars are banned so shoppers can walk safely from store to store.
   ped/pod: foot
   
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5. An orthodontist uses braces to straighten crooked teeth.
   The doctor gave me special orthotic insoles to put in my shoes to help me walk.
   ortho: straight, correct
   
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6. The doctor recorded the cause of death for the mortality report.
   The mortician carefully prepared the body for the funeral.
   mort: death
   
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7. Farmers spray insecticide to kill the bugs that eat their crops.
   We bought a new germicidal soap to wash our hands more thoroughly.
   cide: kill
   
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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

Prefix		Meaning	Example Words
epi-		upon, outer	epicenter, epidemic, epidermis
hypo-		under, below	hypothermia, hypodermic, hypothesis
hyper-		over, too much	hyperactive, hypersensitive, hyperventilate
tri-		three	triangle, tricycle, tripod
uni-		one	uniform, unicorn, unique
dec-		ten	decade, decathlon, decimal
cent-		hundred	century, centipede, centimeter

Stems

Stem		Meaning	Example Words
corp		body	corpse, corporation, incorporate
capit		head	capital, capitalize, decapitate
derm		skin	dermatologist, epidermis, hypodermic
ped, pod		foot	pedal, pedestrian, tripod
ortho		straight, correct	orthodontist, orthodox, orthography
mort		death	mortal, immortal, mortality
cide		kill	pesticide, insecticide, germicide

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.

Score:

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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 biped?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --

   -- D --
   
   
2. Which shape is a decagon?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --

   -- D --
   
   
3. Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, is famous for carrying a trident. Which weapon is it?
   
   
   -- A --

   -- B --

   -- C --

   -- D --
   
   
4. Corporal punishment is punishment that ______.
   is done to the body, such as hitting
   makes a person write an apology
   keeps a person inside a room
   takes away a person's money
   
   
5. A corpulent man has ______.
   more money than he needs
   a large, heavy body
   a very loud voice
   a thin, bony face
   
   
6. A country's income per capita is $30,000. This number shows ______.
   the total income of the whole country
   the average income for each person
   the income of the country's leader
   the income of the capital city only
   
   
7. When a store sign says a jacket is "50 percent off," the word "percent" literally means ______.
   cut in half exactly
   for every hundred
   a small amount
   a type of coin
   
   
8. The doctor wrote hypotension, not hypertension, on the patient's chart. The patient's blood pressure is ______.
   changing from moment to moment
   perfectly normal
   too high
   too low
   
   
9. An elephant is sometimes called a pachyderm because it has ______.
   a very good memory
   a very long nose
   very thick skin
   very large ears
   
   
10. Her solution to the problem was unorthodox. It was ______.
    not the standard way of doing things
    exactly what the textbook said to do
    copied from another student
    too expensive to try
    
    
11. "Rex" or "regis" is Latin for king. Therefore, regicide means ______.
    escaping from a king's prison
    insulting a king in public
    stealing a king's gold
    killing a king
    
    
12. The office asked her to submit the form in triplicate. She had to hand in ______.
    one copy
    two copies
    three copies
    five copies
    
    
13. An earthquake actually starts deep underground. The epicenter is ______.
    the exact underground point where the earthquake began
    the point on the surface directly above where it began
    the strength of the earthquake, measured on a scale
    the area that suffered the most damage
    
    
14. If a parent says, "I've told you a million times to clean your room," that's an example of hyperbole, which means ______.
    a true statement that nevertheless lacks proper evidence
    exaggerating something far beyond the truth
    a polite way of asking for something
    repeating a word to make a point
    
    
15. A unilateral decision is one that ______.
    is made by one side without the others
    both countries agree on together
    is changed every year
    is made by voting
    
    
16. Some people call the local newspaper moribund. They mean it is ______.
    growing very quickly
    close to dying or ending
    known for its strict moral values
    recently sold to a new owner
    
    
17. You would visit a podiatrist if you had a problem with your ______.
    eyes
    teeth
    skin
    feet
    
    
18. In the ancient Roman army, a centurion was an officer who commanded ______.
    from the front of the army
    only during naval battles
    several thousand men
    one hundred soldiers
    
    
19. "Taphos" is Greek for tomb. An epitaph is ______.
    a speech praising a person at their funeral
    a list of the people buried in a cemetery
    words written on a person's gravestone
    the date of a person's death
    
    
20. A soldier who was mortally wounded in battle ______.
    was expected to make a full recovery within weeks
    would likely lose a leg or an arm
    felt better after a short rest
    would die from the injury
    
    
21. Decimate now means "cause severe damage." However, in Roman times, when a legion ran away from a battle, its commanders would decimate the soldiers as punishment. They would ______.
    kill half of the soldiers in the legion
    kill the officers who led the retreat
    kill one soldier out of every ten
    kill their commander
    
    
22. A country celebrating its bicentennial is marking how many years since it was founded?
    fifty
    one hundred
    two hundred
    one thousand
    
    
23. "Hemera" is Greek for day. In Greek, epi- becomes eph- before an "h" sound, so epi + hemera became ephemeral. The beauty of cherry blossoms is ephemeral. It ______.
    grows more beautiful as each year passes
    looks the same on every day of the year
    lasts only a short time, then is gone
    can only be seen from high above
    
    
24. Which of these words contain the stem meaning "kill" (cide)?
    fungicide
    patricide
    incidence
    homicide
    coincide
    suicide
    rancid
    
    

Score:

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1. In universe, unique, university, and unison, what does uni- refer to? How is each word connected to "one"? How about unanimous, which comes from uni (one) + animus (mind)?
2. Temperature can be measured in degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Centigrade. Fahrenheit comes from a person's name — the scientist who invented that scale.
   Centigrade is built from word parts, not a name. Can you explain where it comes from?
3. Capital city, capital letter, and capital (money used to start a business) all come from capit, "head."
   How is "head" connected to each meaning?
4. A corps (pronounced "core") is a group of people who work together, like the Marine Corps or the Peace Corps.
   Why would a group of people be called a "body"? What other English phrases use "body" this way? (Hint: school, government)
5. A mortgage comes from the old French words "mort" (dead) and "gage" (a pledge). But it actually means a loan people use to buy a house, paid back over many (20 to 30) years.
   How is "dead pledge" connected to this?
6. Words like patricide (killing one's father) and matricide (killing one's mother) show up often in Greek tragedies, such as Oedipus killing his father or Orestes killing his mother to avenge his father's death.
   Can you think of any examples of patricide or matricide from modern movies or TV shows?
7. A company can incorporate, becoming a single legal "body" in the eyes of the law. But a chef can also incorporate herbs into a sauce, or a teacher can incorporate new ideas into a lesson.
   All three uses come from corp, "body." How does "body" connect a business, a sauce, and a lesson plan?
8. Doctors use hypo- and hyper- in pairs: hypothermia and hyperthermia, hypotension and hypertension.
   What does each mean? What might cause each one?
9. Look at the three layers of skin below. Their names are dermis, epidermis, and hypodermis.
   Which name belongs to layer A, layer B, and layer C? How do the prefixes help you decide? Therefore, where does a hypodermic needle put medicine?

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.

Hikers lost in the snow can die from hypothermia.

The photographer set her camera on a tripod.

In the old legend, the giant was decapitated with a single swing of the hero's sword.

The postmortem exam revealed the true cause of death.

In the legend, the hero drinks a potion and becomes immortal.

Farmers spray pesticide on their fields to protect their crops.

A centipede crawled out from under the rock.

Her orthodontist says she needs to wear braces for two years.

Ask a dermatologist to check that strange mark on your arm.

Her skin is hypersensitive to sunlight, so it burns very quickly.

A crab is called a decapod because it has eight legs plus two claws.

A mild sunburn only damages the epidermis, so it heals in a few days.

Every student at the school wears a uniform, so they all look the same each day.

The recipe says to incorporate the eggs into the batter until smooth.

A lesson on English orthography would teach you how to spell words correctly.

In the decathlon, athletes compete in running, jumping, and throwing events over two days.

The hyperactive puppy ran around the yard for hours without stopping.