Can You Match These Prefixes, Suffixes, And Word Roots With Their Definitions?

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Prefix refers to the group of letters placed before a root word and adds meaning to it.

Suffix refers to a group of letters placed at the end of a root word and modifies the meaning.

Root words refer to basic words that can be changed by adding a suffix or prefix to them.

Part A Answers

Can you match these prefixes, suffixes, and word roots with their definitions?

White: leuc- (or leuk-)

bone: oss- (or osteo-)

windpipe: bronch

muscle: sarco-

red: erythro-

lung: pneumo-

fat: lip

life: vita

formative substance: -plasm

cancer: carcin

color: chrom-
across: trans-
body: -some (or soma-)
water: aqu- (or aqua-)
little, small: -elle
two: bi-
between: inter-

Eco = house, household

Aqua = water

eu = true, good

-logy = study of

a- (or an-) = without, lack of, not

trans- = across

bio = life

micro = small

-phyte = plant

macro = large

To: ad

of neither gender or type: neutr

fat: Lip

to love: Phil

from, out of, remove: de

loosening, split apart: lysis

water: hydro

first: proto

to fear: Phob

Part B Answers

Thread: mito-
true, good: eu-
cell: -cyte (or cyto-)
without, lack of, not: a- (or an-)
green: chloro-
inside, inner: endo-
out of: ex-

de- = from, out of, remove

sub- = under, below

omni- = all

zoo- (or zoa-) = animal

carn- = flesh

prim- = first

-vor = eat

hydro- = water

oligo- = few

herb- = grass

Loosening, split apart: -lysis

stationary, standing still: stasis (or stat-)

marrow, middle substance: medulla

milk: lac (or lac-)

blood: hem (or hemato-)

outside: ecto-

enzyme: endo-

inside, inner:

same: homo- (or home-)

nerve: neur-

Part C Answers

inflammation: -itis

outside, outer: epi-

heart: cardi-

condition, disease: -osis

hollow: coel-

break down, broken: -clast

kidney: neph-

around: peri-

treelike, branching: dendr

muscle: myo-

below, less than: hypo-
leaf: -phyll
same: sym-
eat: phago-
formed substance: -plasm
above, greater than: hyper-
small: micro-

intra- = within

-cide = killer

hetero- = other

troph = food, nourishment

ultra- = beyond

inter- = between

photo- = light

therm- = heat

para- = alongside

auto- = self

Part D Answers

• moving: kin (or kinet) – This word root signifies motion.
• under, below: sub. This prefix means under or below.
• outside of extra. This refers to something which is outside.
• enzyme: ase. The names of all enzymes end with the suffix ase.
• milk: lac (or lact). Lac or lact prefix represents anything to do with milk.
• sweet: glyc-. The prefix glyc signifies anything that is sweet in taste.
• across: trans. Trans is used as a prefix to describe anything that is positioned across.
• change, turn, move trop. The prefix trop is used to denote anything that is changing, turning or moving.
• other: allo. This prefix is used to represent anything that falls in the other category.
• heat: therm. The prefix therm always represents heat.

Part E Answers

1. chromosomes: –ploid → diploid
2. first: prim– → primary
3. both, double, two: amphi– → amphibia
4. behind: post– (or postero–) → posterior
5. same: homo– (or homeo–) → homeostasis
6. foot: –pod → cephalopod
7. joint: arthr– → cephalopod