Morphology Patterns
Understand how English (US) words are built from prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Learn the meaning of common word parts and expand your vocabulary.
Prefixes
Word parts added before the root
Latin origin, meaning 'not', negative prefix.
Latin origin, meaning 'as if', 'resembling', functions as an intensifier.
Old English reflexive pronoun, functions as a prefix.
Latin origin, intensifying meaning
Old English, intensifying prefix
Greek origin, meaning 'false' or 'not genuine', negation.
Greek origin, negation
Latin origin, meaning 'half' or 'partly', degree modifier.
Latin origin, meaning 'again, back'
Old English, negating prefix meaning 'not'.
Latin origin, meaning 'before'. Prefixes modify the meaning of the root.
Showing 12 of 50 patterns
Roots
Core meaning-bearing word parts
Latin *intellectus*, faculty of reasoning.
Greek origin, meaning 'form'.
Old English *heorte*, denoting the organ and figuratively, courage
Latin origin (*natio*), meaning 'birth, race, people'.
Germanic origin, meaning 'intellect'
Greek origin, meaning 'light', combining form
Latin origin, meaning 'to grasp entirely'.
Latin origin, to depict
Greek origin, from 'therapeia' meaning 'healing'
Latin origin, comparative relation
Greek origin, combining form meaning 'nature, physiology'
Showing 12 of 50 patterns
Suffixes
Word parts added after the root
Germanic origin, past tense/participle marker.
Old English origin; nominalizing suffix.
English adverbial suffix
English suffix, forming a gerund or present participle.
Latin origin, forms a noun from a verb, functions as a suffix.
Old English *-ing* - gerundive/present participle suffix
Latin *-icus* - relating to, characterized by
Latin origin, adjectival suffix.
English suffix, derived from Latin '-alis', forming adverbs.
English suffix (via French and Latin), forming a noun denoting an action or process.
Greek origin, adjectival suffix.
Latin origin, forms adjectives.
Showing 12 of 50 patterns