Root Meaning in English Origin language Etymology (root origin) English examples macer- lean Latin macer emaciate, macerate, meager macr- [ 1] long Greek μακρός (makrós μακρότης makrótēs macron , macrocosm magn- great, large Latin magnus magnanimity , magnanimous, magnate , magnificent, magnify, magnitude, magnum magnet- [ 2] lodestone Greek μάγνης, μάγνητος (mágnēs, mágnētos bioelectromagnetism , biomagnetism , diamagnetic , diamagnetism , electromagnet , geomagnetic , magnesium , magnet , magnetic, magnetism , magnetite , magnetize, magnetobiology , magnetologist , magnetometer , magnetosome , manganese , paramagnetic , paramagnetism maj- greater Latin major , majus majesty , major , majority , majuscule , mayor , semimajor , supermajority mal- bad, wretched Latin malus dismal, grand mal, malady, malaise, malediction, malefaction, malevolent, malfeasance , malfunction, malice , malicious, malignancy , malnourished, malodorous, premalignant mamm- breast Latin mamma mammal , mammary , mammography man- , mant- [ 3] (ΜΑΝ) [ 4] crazy Greek μαίνεσθαι (maínesthai μανία (manía μανικός manikós μάντις hypermania , hypomania , kleptomania , mania , maniac, manic, megalomania, monomania , pyromania , pyromaniac man- flow Latin mānāre , mānātus emanant, emanate, emanation , immanant , immanation man- (MAN-) [ 5] stay Latin manēre , mansus immanence , immanent, impermanence, impermanent, maisonette , manor, manorial, manse, mansion, ménage, menagerie , menial, meiny, messuage , nonpermanence, nonpermanent, permanence, permanent, quasipermanent, remain, remainder, remanence , remanent, remnant, semipermanent man- , manu- hand Latin manus adminicle, amanuensis , Bimana , bimanous, bimanual, emancipate, mainour, maintain, manacle , manage, manageable, management, managerial, mandamus , mandate, manège, maneuver, manicure , manifer, manifest, manifestation, manifesto, maniform, maniple , manipulation, manipulative, maniraptoran , maniraptoriform , manner, mansuetude, manual, manuary, manubrial, manubrium , manuduction, manufacture , manumission, manumit, manuport , manure, manus, manuscript , mortmain, Quadrumana , quadrumanous mand- , -mend- order, commit Latin mandāre , mandātus command, commandant, commandment, commend, commendable, commendam, commendation, commendatory, counterdemand, countermand, demand, demandant, encomienda , mandamus , mandatary, mandate, mandator, mandatory, recommend, recommendation, remand, remandment mar- sea Latin mare , maris maar , mariculture , marina , marinade , marinara , marinate , marination , marine, mariner , maritime, submarine , ultramarine mas- male, man Latin mās, māris , masculus , masculi emasculate, emasculation, emasculator, masculate, masculine, masculinity mater- , matr- mother Latin mater , matris maternal, maternity , matrimony, matrix , matron maxim- greatest Latin maximus maxim , maximal, maximum , submaximal mechan- [ 6] machine or instrument Greek μῆχος μηχανή (mēkhanḗ μηχανικός mēkhanikós machine , mechane , mechanics , mechanism, mechanize, mechanobiology , mechanophilia , mechanophobia medi- , -midi- middle Latin medius , mediare dimidiation , immediate, intermediary, mean , media, median , mediate, mediation , medieval , mediocre, Mediterranean, medium, moiety , multimedia , postmeridian, submediant meg- , megal- [ 7] great, large Greek μέγας, μεγάλου (mégas, megálou acromegaly , Megacles , megacycle, megalomania, megalopolis , megaphone mei- [ 8] less Greek μεῖον (meîon μείωσις (meíōsis ameiosis, ameiotic, meiobenthos , meiosis , meiotic melan- [ 9] black , dark Greek μέλας, μέλανος (mélas, mélanos μελανότης amelanism , aphaeomelanism, eumelanin , hypermelanic , melancholic, melancholy, Melanesia , melanin , melanism , melanoblastoma , melanocyte , melanoma , melanophobia , melanophore , melanosis , melatonin , neuromelanin , pheomelanin melior- better Latin meliorare "to improve", from melior "better"ameliorate, amelioration , meliorism meliss- [ 10] bee Greek μέλισσα (mélissa melissophobia mell- honey Latin mel , mellis melliferous, mellific, mellifluence, mellifluent, mellifluous, melliloquent, mellivorous memor- remember Latin memor commemorate, immemorial, memoir , memorabilia, memorable, memorandum , memorial , memory , remembrance men- month Greek μήν (mḗn menopause , menorrhea mening- [ 11] membrane Greek μήνιγξ, μῆνιγγος (mēninx , mēningos) leptomeninges , meninges , meningioma , meningitis , meninx mend- defect, fault Latin mendax "lying, a liar", from menda "defect, fault"amend, amendment, emend, mendacious, mendacity menstru- monthly Latin menstruus menstrual, menstruation mensur- measure Latin mensura "measurement", from metiri "to measure"commensurable, commensurate, dimension, immense, incommensurable, incommensurate, measure ment- mind Latin mens , mentis comment, dement, dementia, memento, mental, mentality, mention, reminisce, reminiscence mer- [ 12] part Greek μείρεσθαι (meíresthai μέρος (méros antimere, antimeria , biopolymer , decamer, decamerous, dimer , dimeric, dimerism, dimerous, enantiomer , enneamer, heptamer , heterodimer , heterotetramer , hexamer , homodimer , homotetramer , isomer, isomeric , isomerism , mereology , merisis, merism , meristem , meristematic, meristic, meromorphic , metamere, metamerism, Moirai , monomer , monomeric , octamer , oligomer , oligomeric, pentamer , pentamerous , photopolymer , phytomer , polymer , tautomerism, telomer, telomere , tetramer , tetrameric, trimer, trimerize merc- reward, wages, hire Latin merx (genitive mercis ) amercement , commerce, commercial, market , mercantile, mercenary , mercery , merchandise , merchant , mercy , noncommercial merge- , mers- dip, plunge Latin mergere demerge, demersal, demerse, demersion, emerge, emergence, emergency, emergent, emersion, immerge, immergence, immerse, immersible, immersion, immersive, merge, reemerge, reemergence, reimmerse, submerge, submergence, submerse, submersible , submersion mes- [ 13] middle Greek μέσος (mésos Mesolithic , mesophile , mesophilic, mesoscopic, mesosphere , mesozoic met- , meta- [ 14] above, among, beyond Greek μετά (metá metabolism, metalogic , metamorphic, metamorphosis, metaphase, metaphor , metaphysics , metastatic, meteor, method metall- [ 15] mine Greek μέταλλον (métallon μεταλλικός (metallikós dimetallic, electrometallurgy , hydrometallurgy , metallic, metalloid, metallophobia, metallophone , metallurgist, metallurgy , organometallic , polymetal , polymetallic , pyrometallurgy , tetrametallic, trimetallic meter- , metr- measure Greek μέτρον (métron anemometer , anemometric, antisymmetric, antisymmetry , asymmetric, asymmetry, axonometric, barometer , barometric, bathometer , chronometer , diameter , diametric, dysmetria, graphometer , hexameter, hygrometer , hygrometry, isodiametric, isometric, isoperimetric, meter, metre, metric, metrology , metronome , monosymmetric, parameter , parameterize, parametric, parametrize, pentameter , perimeter , polymeter , symmetric, symmetry , telemeter , telemetric , telemetry , tetrameter , thermometer , trimeter , trimetric metr- [ 16] mother Greek μήτηρ, μητρός (mḗtēr, mētrós μητρικός mētrikós haplometrosis, metrocyte, metropolis , pleometrosis mic- grain Latin mica mica , micelle micr- [ 17] small Greek μικρός (mikrós μικρότης microbe, microcosm, microeconomics, micrometer, microphone , microscope , microscopic migr- wander Latin migrare countermigration, emigrant , emigrate, emigration, émigré, immigrant , immigrate, immigration, migrant, migrate , migration, migrational, migratory, nonmigratory, remigrant, remigrate, remigration, transmigrant, transmigrate, transmigration, transmigratory milit- soldier Latin mīles , militis militant , military , militia mill- thousand Latin mille mile , millennium , million millen- thousand each Latin milleni millenarian , millenary mim- [ 18] repeat Greek μιμεῖσθαι (mimeîsthai μιμητικός mimētikós μίμος (mímos mime , mimeograph , mimesis , mimetic , mimic, necromimesis, pantomime , phenomime, psychomime , psychomimetic min- jut Latin minere eminence, eminent, imminence, imminent, preeminence, preeminent, prominence, prominent, promontory, supereminence, supereminent min- less, smaller Latin minor , minus administer, administration, administrative, administrator, administratrix, maladminister, maladministration , minestrone , minister, ministerial, ministerialis , ministerium, ministrant, ministrate, ministration, ministrative, ministry, minor, minority, minstrel , minstrelsy, minus, minuscule, quasiminuscule , semiminor mina- lead Latin minare , variant of minari amenable, demeanor, promenade mina- threaten Latin minari menace, minatory minth- [ 19] mint Greek μίνθα (míntha μίνθη mínthē μινθάριον Acanthomintha , Mentha , menthol, mint, Minthostachys mir- wonder, amazement Latin mirus , miror mirari , miratus sum admirability, admirable, admiration , admirative, admire, marvel, marvelous, miracle , miraculous, mirage , Miranda, mirative , mirativity , mirror mis- [ 20] hate Greek μισεῖν (miseîn μῖσος (mîsos misandrist , misandry , misanthrope , misanthropy , misocainea, misogamist, misogamy, misogynist , misogyny , misoneism, misopaedia, misophonia , misotheism misc- , mixt- mix Latin miscere , mixtus admix, admixtion, admixture, commix, commixture, immiscibility, immiscible, immix, immixture, intermix, intermixture, maslin, meddle, mestizo , Métis , miscellanea, miscellaneous, miscellany, miscibility , miscible , mix, mixture, permiscible, permix, permixtion, postmix , premix, promiscuity, promiscuous, remix miser- unhappy, wretched Latin miser commiserate, commiseration, immiserate, immiseration, miser , miserable, misericord , misery mit- , miss- (MIT-) [ 21] send Latin mittere , missus admissibility, admissible, admission, admissive, admit, admittatur, admittee, commissar, commissariat, commissary, commission, commissive, commissural , commissure , commit, commitment, committal, committee , compromis , compromise , compromissary, decommission, decommit, decommitment, demise, demiss, demit, dimissory, dimit, dismiss, dismissal, dismissive, emissary, emission, emissitious, emissive, emissivity, emit, emittent, entremet , fideicommissary, fideicommissum , impermissible, inadmissibility, inadmissible, intermission, intermittent, intromissible, intromission, intromissive, intromit, intromittent, manumission , manumit, mess, message , messenger, missile, mission, missionary , missive, mittimus , noncommittal, omissible, omission, omissive, omit, permissible, permission, permissive, permissory, permit, permittee, premise , premiss, premit, pretermission, pretermit, promise, promisee, promissive, promissory, readmission, readmit, recommit, remise, remiss, remissible, remission, remissive, remissory, remit, remittal, remittance , remittee, remittence, remittent, remittitur , resubmit, retransmission, retransmit, subcommittee, submission, submissive, submit, surmise, transmissibility, transmissible, transmission, transmissive, transmit, transmittal mit- [ 22] thread Greek μίτος (mítos mitochondrion , mitosis, mitospore mn- [ 23] Greek μνᾶ (mnâ mina , mna mne- [ 24] memory Greek μνᾶσθαι (mnâsthai μνήμη (mnḗmē amnesia , amnesty, anamnesis, anamnestic, dysmnesia, Mneme , mneme, mnemonic mod- measure, change Latin modus "measure"accommodate, accommodation, accommodative, accommodator, bimodal, bimodality , bimodular, bimodule , commode , commodification, commodious, commodity , decommodification , demodulate, demodulation , demodulator , immodest, immodesty, intermodal, intermodulation, modal, modality, mode, model, moderate, moderation, moderato, moderator, modern, modernity , modest, modesty , modicum, modification, modify, modiolus, modular, modularity , modulate, modulation , modulator , module, modulo , modulus, multimodal, multimodality, postmodern , postmodernity , Quasimodo, remodel, remodulate, supermodel , trimodal, trimodality, ultramodern , ultramodernity, unimodal , unimodality , unimodular, unimodularity mol- grind Latin mola , molere molitus demolition, molar moll- soft Latin mollis emollience, emollient , moil, mollescence, mollescent, mollient, mollification, mollify, mollitude, mollusc, molluscicide , molluscivore , mollusk mon- [ 25] alone, only Greek μόνος (mónos μονάς, μονάδος (monás, monádos monachism, monad, monadic, monarchy , monastery , monastic, monasticism , monatomic, monism , monist, monk, monoid, monolith , monometer, monopod , monopoly , monopsony , monotone mon- warn Latin monere , monitus admonish, admonishment, admonition, admonitor, admonitory, monition, monitor, monitory, monument, monumental, premonition, premonitory, resummon, summon monil- string of beads Latin monile monilifer, moniliform, Moniliformida monstra- show Latin monstrāre counterdemonstration, counterdemonstrator, demonstrable, demonstrant, demonstrate, demonstration, demonstrative , demonstrator, demonstratory, indemonstrable, monster, monstrance , monstration, monstrosity, monstrous, muster, premonstrant, premonstrate, Premonstratensian, premonstration, premonstrator, remonstrance, remonstrant, remonstrate, remonstration, remonstrative mont- mountain Latin mons , montis amount, Belmont, cismontane, dismount, insurmountable, intermontane, montage, montan, Montana , montane, montant, monticello, monticule, montiform, montigenous, mount, mountaineer, mountainous, nonremontant, paramount, piedmont, remontancy , remontant, remontoire , remount, submontane, surmount, surmountable, tantamount, tramontana , tramontane , transmontane, ultramontane , Vermont mor- [ 26] foolish, dull Greek μωρός (mōrós moron, moronic, oxymoron , oxymoronic, sophomore, sophomoric mor- pause, delay Latin morari "to delay", from mora "a pause, delay"demur, demure, demurrable, demurrage, demurral, demurrer, mora , moratorium, remora , remorate mor- custom, disposition Latin mos , moris immoral, immorality, moral, morale, morality , mores , morigerous, morose, morosity mord- bite Latin mordere , morsus mordacious, mordacity, mordancy, mordant, mordent, mordente, mordicancy, mordicant, mordication, mordicative, morsel, morsitation, premorse, remorse morph- [ 27] form, shape Greek μορφή (morphḗ allomorph, amorphous, anamorph , anamorphic, anamorphism , anamorphosis , anthropomorphism , apomorphy , autapomorphy , automorphism , catamorphism , dimorphic, dimorphism, dysmorphic, dysmorphophobia , ectomorph, ectomorphic, enantiomorph , enantiomorphic, endomorph, endomorphic, epimorphism , geomorphology , hemimorphic, holomorph, holomorphic, holomorphism , homeomorphic, homeomorphism , homomorphic, homomorphism , hylomorphism , hypermorphosis, isomorphic , isomorphism , mesomorph, mesomorphic, metamorphic , metamorphism , metamorphosis , monomorphic, monomorphism , morpheme , Morpheus , morphine , morphology, morphosyntactic , morphosyntax , paramorph , peramorphism, peramorphosis , perimorph, plesiomorphy , polymorphic, polymorphism, pseudomorph , synapomorphy , teleomorph , teleomorphic, theriomorphic , trimorphic, trimorphism , zoomorph , zoomorphism mort- death Latin mors , mortis antemortem, immortal, immortality , mortal, mortality, mortician, mortiferous, mortification, mortuary mov- , mot- , mut- move, motion Latin movere , motus admove, amotion, amove, bimotor, cocommutator , commotion, commove, commutable, commutation, commutative , commutativity , commutator, commute, countermotion, countermove, countermovement , demote, demotion , emotion , emotional, emotive, emotivity, emove, equimomental, immobile, immutable, immutation, immute, incommutable, locomotion, locomotive , mobile, mobility, molt, moment, momental, momentaneous, momentary, momentous, momentum , motation, motif , motile, motility, motion , motional, motivate , motivation , motivational, motivator, motive , motor , moult, movant, move, movement, movent, mutability, mutable, mutate, mutation , mutineer, mutinous, mutiny , mutual, mutuality, noncommutative, noncommutativity , nonmotile, nonmotility, nonmutual, pari-mutuel, permutable, permutate, permutation , permutational, permute, promote, promotion , promotional, promotive, promotor, promove, remote, remotion, removal, remove, subpermutation, transmove, transmutable, transmutate, transmutation, transmute, transmutual, trimotor mulg- , muls- milk Latin mulgere emulsion multi- many, much Latin multus multilingual, multiple, multiplex, multiplication , multiplicity, multiply, multitude, multitudinous mund- world Latin mundus anima mundi , antemundane, demimondaine , demimonde , extramundane, intramundane, map, mondain, mondaine, mondial, mondo, mundane, mundanity, ultramundane mur- wall Latin mūrus , muri antemural, immuration, immure, immurement , intramural, murage , mural mus- mouse Greek/Latin μῦς, μυός (mûs, muós mus , muris musophobia musc- fly Latin musca , muscae Musca , muscarine, Muscicapa , Muscicapidae , Muscidae , musciform, mosquito mut- change Latin mūtare immutable, mutation , permutation , transmute my- [ 28] mouse Greek μῦς, μυός (mûs , muós ), μυών amyotrophic, electromyogram, electromyograph, electromyography , endomysium , epimysium , murine , musophobia , myoelectric , myomancy , myomorphous, myomorphy, myopathy , myositis , myotome , Nectomys , Oryzomys , perimysium , Sigmodontomys my- [ 29] shut (the eyes) Greek μύειν (múein μύσις músis mústēs miosis , myopia , myopic , myosis , mystery mycet- [ 30] fungus Greek μύκης, μύκητος (múkēs, múkētos ascomycete , basidiomycete , mycology , Mycoplasma , zygomycete , zygomycosis mydr- [ 31] dilate Greek μύδρος μυδρίασις (mudríasis mydriasis myel- [ 32] marrow Greek μυελός (muelós amyelia, myeloblast , myelocyte , myelogenous, myeloid , myelopoiesis , poliomyelitis myl- [ 33] mill Greek μύλη (múlē μύλος múlos amyloid , amyloidosis , amylolysis , amylopectin , amylophagia , amyloplast , amylose , amylum myo- [ 34] muscle Greek μυς (mys) leiomyoma myri- [ 35] countless, ten thousand Greek μυρίος (muríos myriad , myriagon , myriagram, myriapod , myriapodology myrmec- [ 36] ant Greek μύρμηξ (múrmēx myrmecochory , myrmecoid, myrmecology , myrmecophobia , Myrmidons , myrmomancy mys- [ 37] uncleanness Greek μύσος (músos mysophilia , mysophobia myth- [ 38] story Greek μῦθος (mûthos mythic, mythology , mythomania, mythopoeia, mythos myx- slime Greek μύσσομαι μύξα (múxa match, myxedema , myxoedema, Myxini , myxogastrid myz- [ 39] suck Greek μυζάω (muzáō μύζησις múzēsis Myzopoda