Greek and Latin Root Words for Biology

The key to learning biological terms is in learning the origins of those words which is usually
Greek or Latin. The following list was obtained from:
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/zool250/Roots/RootsMain.htm

A B C
a(n)- without baca- small berry caduci- temporary
ab- away from baccatus- berried caec- blind
abduc- lead from baena- walking caerul- sky blue
acanth- prickle balan- acorn caespit- tufted
acer- without horns barb- beard calam- reed, aspen
acetabul- vinegar cup basi- at the bottom calc- stone
aceto- acid bat(is) skate, ray calli- beautiful
acin- cluster of grapes bdella- sucker callos callous
acri- acrid, sharp bell- pretty calor- heat
acro- summit, top bi- two calyx cup, chalice
actin- ray bi(ola)- life camp- field
acust- of hearing blast- germ campanula bell
ad- towards bore- north cani- dog
adipo- fat botry- small bunch of grapes cap(it)- head
adventit- coming to bov- ox capill- hair
aegopod- goat-foot brachi- arm capsella- small box
aestiv- summer brachy- short card- heart
affer- carrying to brady- slow carin- keel
agrest- rural, wild branch- gill cam- flesh
agro(st)- field brevi- short carotid- producing stupor
al(i)- wing brizo- to nod carp- seed, wrist
alb- white bromo- oats, broom, shadow cary- nut
allant- sausage bronch- windpipe cata- down
allium garlic bucca- mouth cavity cauda- tail
alopec- fox bulbos- bulbous cav- hollow
altissim- tall bulla- bubble, flask centi- hundred
alve- pit, socket bullat- wrinkled ceph(al)- head
ambly- blunt buno- hill cera(s)(t)- horn
ambul- walk bursa- pouch, purse cerc- horns, lobes, short tail
ammo- sand cerebro- brain
amnio- fetal envelope cerv- neck
amoeb- change ch(e)ir- hand
amphi- both chaero- to please
amplex- clasping chaet- bristle
ampulla- flask chamae- on ground
amygdala- almond shaped chel- turtle
organ cheno- goose
amyl- starch chiasm- crossing
an- without chil- lip
ana- up, back, again chlamy- outer garment
anatol- east chlor- green
Anagallis- delightful choan- funnel
anchus- bend, bay chondr- cartilage
andr- male chord- cord
anemo- wind chorion membrane
angi- vessel chrom- colour
angul- angle chrys- golden
angusti- narrow chyl- fluid
ankylo- stiff jointed chym- juice
annu- annual cili- eyelash
anomo- lawless, irregular ciner- ashen, grey
anser- geese cipit- head
ante- before circum- around
antho- flower cirr- tentacle (originally curl)
anthro- human cl(e)ist- closed
anti- against, opposite clad- branch
antr- cave clast- broken
apo- separate, from clav- key
aqua- water cleid- key
aguilin- eagle-beaked cleithr- bar, key
arach- spider clin- bed, recline
arbor- tree cloaca sewer
arc- arch coccus berry, grain
arch(ae/i)- ancient cochl- shell
arct(i/o)- north, bear coel- hollow
are- space col(on) large intestine
areni- sandy coll- neck
arg(en/lyr)- silver collat- borne together
arthro- joint columella little column
artic- jointed com- with
artio- even-numbered commis- sent out
arundin- reed-like communis- colonial
asc- sac commutat- changed
asper- rough compact- compact
aspid- shield compress- flattened
ast(e)r- star con- with
astrag- dice (originally a conch- shell
knuckle bone) condyl- knuckle
ater, atra- black cono- cone
Atlas= a Titan(mythical giant) contra- opposite
who supported the world on convolvo- to entwine
his shoulders copro- dung
atr(ium)- vestibule cora(xlg)- raven
Atropos= one of the Fates who corb- basket
cut the thread of life cord- heart
aur- ear, gold corium- leather
austral- southern corn- horn
auto- self coron- crown
aux- grow corp- body
avi- bird cort- bark
axi- axis cost- rib
azyg- unpaired cotyl- cup
crani- skull
crass- thick
crep- shoe
cribi- sieve
cric- ring
crispus curled
crist- crest
crosso- fringe, tassel
cru(rals)- shank
cruci- cross-like
crypt- hidden
cten- comb
cune-wedge
cusp- lance, point
cuti- skin
cyan- blue
cycl- circular
cyno- dog
cyst- capsule
cyt- cell

D E F
dactyl- finger echino- spiny fab- bean
dasy- shaggy echis- viper falc- sickle-shaped
deci- ten eco- house fallax- false
decid- falling off ecto- outside fasc(ic)- bundle
decuss- cross banding effer- carrying away fatuus- foolish, useless
deka- ten effusus- loosely spreading feli- cat
delph- womb ejacul- throw out fer- carry
delphis- dolphin elasmo- plate, flat ficar- fig-like
demi- half elat- tall fil- thread
dendr- tree -ell- diminutive fistul- hollow, tube
dent- tooth embio- living flacc- flabby
derm- skin embol- thrown in flav- yellow
dero- persisting endo- inside flexu- wavy
desmo- band engy- narrow flocculus- lock of wool
deut- second ensi- sword fluitans- floating
dextro- right entolenter- inside foen- hay
di(a)- two eo- dawn, east foetid- foul smelling
dia- through epi- upon foli- leaf
didym- twin equi- horse, equal fontan- fountain
digit- finger erect- upright foramen- opening
dino- terrible erythr- red fornix- vault
diplo- double esculent- edible fovea- shallow round
dipso- thirst ethm- sieve depression
dissect- deeply cut eu- well, very fruticans- shrubby
dodeca- twelve eury- wide fund- to pour
don't- tooth ex- out of furc(ul)- fork
dors- back exiguus- slender
drom- quick running exo- outside
dubi- doubtful extens- draw out
dulci- sweet extra- beyond
duo- two extrins- coming from
dur- hard

G H I, J, K
gal- milk haem- blood ichthy- fish
gale- weasel hal- salty -ida- like
gall- of France hallu(x/ci)- big toe -idae- ending of zoological
gangli- knot hamat- hook family names
gano- shining haplo- single, simple ileum- twisted
gast(e)r- stomach, pouch hasta(t)- spear-tip shape impar- unpaired
gemin- twins hect- hundred in- in, not
gemm- bud heira- hawk -in- diminutive
genu- knee, joint helios- sun -inae- ending of zoological
geranium- crane helminth- worm sub-family names
gerro- shield helo- wart incarnat- flesh coloured
gladi- sword hemi- half incis- cutting in
glen- socket hepa(r/t)- liver incus- anvil
glia- glue hepta- seven inermis- unarmed
glom(er)- half of yam hetero- different inflexis- rigid
glo(ss/tt)- tongue hex- six infra- under
glut- sticky hibem- winter inter- between
gl(uly)c- sweet hippo- horse intra- within
glypt- carved, engraved hirsut- hairy iod- violet
gnaph- wool hispid- bristly -iola- diminutive
gnath- jaw histri- actor iris- rainbow
goni- angle holo- complete, whole iso- equal
gono- seed homo- man, same iter- passage
gracil- slender homal- flat
gram- of grass hormon- that which excites
gymn- naked hortens- of gardens jug- yoked together
gyn- woman humus- ground jungoljunc- to bind
gyr- turning hyal- glassy
hydr- water
hyemal- winter ket- ketone
hyo- U-shaped kilo- thousand
hyper- above
hypo- beneath

L M N
labi- lips macr- large na(rls)- nose
labyrinth- tortuous passage macula- spot necro- dead
lacer- torn magni- large necto- swimming
lacrim- tears maj- greater nema- hair
lact- milk mala- cheek nemoral- in woods
lacuna- space malleus- hammer, mallet neo- new
laevo- left mamma- breast nephr- kidney
lagena- flask mandib- lower jaw neur- nerve
lamella- leaf, layer manu- hand nictitat- winking
lan(at)- wool maritim- of the sea nigr- black
lanceol(at)- lance-shaped marsupium- pouch non- not
lati- broad masseter- chewer nona- nine
lecith- egg yolk mast- nipple noth- spurious
lemm- skin, husk mat(e)ri- mother notho- southern
lens- lentil, bean maxi- large noto- back, south
leo(n)- lion maxill- jaw nu(clx)- nut
lepid- scale maxim- greatest nuch- back of neck
lepto- slender meatus- passage nucle- little nut
leuc- white medi- medium nud- naked
levator- lifter medull- marrow nulli- none
lign- wood mega- large nutans- nodding
ligul- strap-shaped mel(l)i- honey
lin- line melan- black
ling- tongue menin(x,g)- membrane
lip- fat meno- moon
lith- stone mer- part
log(y)- discourse meso- middle
loph- crest meta- after
lumen- cavity micro- small
luna- moon milli- thousand
lupus wolf min- smaller
lute- yellow minim- smallest
lymph- clear water mirabile- wonderful
lysis- loosen miss- sent
 mito- thread
mixi- mingle
moll- soft
monil- string of beads
mono- one
montan- of mountains
morph- form
motor- mover
multi- many
mural- walls
muri- mouse
myo- muscle, mouse
myri- countless
myx- mucous
myz- sucker

O P Q, R
obtect- concealed pachy- thick quadr- four
obturat- closed palae- old quarter- four
obtusi- blunt palli(um)- mantle quin(t/que)- five
occiden- Western pallid- pale
occip- back of head palustri- in marshes
oct- eight pan- ali rach- spine
odont- tooth par(a)- near radi- root
odor- fragrant parie- wall ram- branching
oecious- house of parvi- little ran- frog
oed- swollen patella- small dish rapa- turnip
oen- wine patens- spreading raph- seam
oesoph- gullet pect(or)- chest rect- straight
officinal- used in medicine pectin- comb-like reflex- bent back
-oid- like ped- foot, child ren- kidney
olecran- skull of elbow pellucid- shining through repens- crawling
oleo- oily pene- almost reptans- crawling
olfact- smelling pent- five retic- network
oligo- few per(i)- through, beyond retina- little net
oliva- olive peregrin- foreign retro- behind, backward
omaso- paunch peri- around rhabd- rod
oment- fat skin persic- peach rhach- spine
omm- eye petr- rock rhage- tear, rent
omo- shoulder phaeo- dark rhin- nose, snout
omphalo- navel phag- eat rhiz- root
onto- existing phalan(g/x)- close formation rhodo- red
oo- egg of troops rhynch- snout
op(t)- eye phalar- shining -rrh- flow
operculum- little cover phanero- visible rode- gnaw
ophi- snake pher- carry rogos- wrinkled
ophthalmo- eye phil- love rostr- beak, prow
opistho- behind phloe- tree bark rota- tum, wheel
opoter- either phor- carry rub(e)r- red
or- mouth pho(s/to)- light rumen- throat
orbi- circle phragm- fence
orch- testicle phren- diaphragm, mind
oriental- Eastern phyl- tribe
ornith- bird phyll- leaf
ortho- straight physa- bladder
os(ti)- mouth physio- nature
os(s/t)- bone phyto- plant
ostrac shell pil- hair
ot- ear pinea- pine cone
ovi- sheep pinnat- feather-shaped
ovo- egg pisum- pea
oxys, oxus- sharp, pointed pisc- fish
plac- plate, tablet
plagio- oblique
plan- flat
platy- flat, broad
plec(o/t)- twist, pluck
plesio- near
pleth- full
pleur- side
plex- interwoven
plica- fold
plum- feather
pneu(mo/st)- air, lung
pod- foot
pogo- beard
polio- grey
polit- polished
poll(ex)- thumb
poly- many
pons- bridge
porc- pig
porphyr- purple
porta- gate
post- after
potam- river
potero- drinking cup
praeco- early
pratens- in meadows
pre- before
 prim- first
pro- in front of
proct- anus
procumbens- lying flat
profund- deep
proliger- bear offspring
prom- first
proso- front
prostratus- lying flat
prot- first
prunus- plum
psamma- sand
pseud- false
psycho- mind
psychro- cold
pter- wing, fern
ptyal- sahva
pubescens- downy
pubi- sexually mature
pulmo- lung
pungens- pungent
pusill- very small
pygo- rump
pyl- gate
pyo- pus
pyro- heat, fire
pyrus- pear

S T U-Z
sacchar- sugar tachy- fast uliginosus- in marshes
saccul- little sac tact- touch -ul- diminutive
sacr- sacred taenia- ribbon ulo- wooly
sagitta- arrow talus- ankle ultra- above
sal- salt tapetum- carpet umbilic- navel
sanguini- bloody tard- late un- one
sapon- soapy tarsus- ankle unc- hook
sarc- flesh tect- covered ungui- nail, claw
sativus- cultivated tegmen- covering ungul- hoof, claw
saur- lizard tel (e/o)- far, end urens- bum
scala- ladder teleo- complete uro- tail
scalene- uneven temno- cut urs- of bears
scaph- anything hollow, bowl, tenacul- holding utricul- little skin bag
ship tentor- spread like a tent uv(ela)- grapes
schizo- split tenuis- slender
scler- hard ter(ti)- three
scop- gaze, small owl, broom, teres- round vagina- sheath
shadow tetr- four vagus- wandering
scut- shield textilis- of textiles vas- vessel
scyph- cup thalam- chamber, bed velum- veil
seba- tallow, wax thalass- sea ven- vein
sect- cut theca- case ventr- belly
segetum- in cornfields thel- nipple, female verd- green
selen- moon therm- heat veris- true
sella- saddle, seat thero- breast, mammal verm- worm
semi- half thyreo- large shield vern- spring
sept- seven, wall tinctori- of dyes versi- various
ser(olu)- any body fluid torn- cut vesic- blister
serot- late tomentos- densely woolly vesper- evening, western
serrat- saw-toothed torpe- numb vill- shaggy hair, velvet
set- hair toxo- arrow, dart virens- green
sex- six trab- beam visc- organs of body cavity
simi- monkey trachy- rough vita- life
sinus- hollow, bay trago- goat vitell- yolk
sipho- tube trans- across vitr- glass
sol- sun trapez- four sided, table vora- devour
soma- body trema- hole vulgaris- common
somni- sleep tremulans- trembling vulp- fox
specios- showy tri- three
sperm- seed trich- hair
sphen- wedge trivialis- trivial xanth- yellow
sphinct- closing troch- wheel xen- stranger
spinos- spiny trop- turning xer- dry
spondyl- vertebra troph- feed xiphi- sword
squalid- squalid tussi- cough xyl- wood
squam- scale
squarros- spreading at tips
stae(rlt)- fat zo- animal
sta(silt)- standing zon- girdle
steg- covering zyg- yoke
stell- star
steno- narrow
stereo- solid
steril- sterile
stern- breastbone
stom- mouth
strat- layer
strept- twisted
strictus- upright, stiff
strigos- having stiff bristles
stroph- turning
styl- column
sub- below
sucr- sugar
sulc- furrow
super- beyond
supin- lying back
supra- above
sutur- seam
sym- with
syn- with
syrin(glx)- pipe
sys- with