essay latin root word

List of Root Words: 120+ Root Words for Writers

Root words provide the essential part of a word’s meaning. Discover our list of root words and create more sophisticated prose.

We have created a list of root words to help you develop your writing skills. Once you know a few, you will see how frequently they occur. Over 60% of words in the English language are of Greek and Latin origin, and many have German, French, and Spanish origins, which in turn have Latin roots. 

Learning root words will improve your vocabulary and help you understand the origins of the English language.

There are many other ways to improve your command of the English language. Check out our article on how to improve your vocabulary .

What are Root Words?

What’s the difference between a base word and a root word, list of root words printable, examples of root words, traditional root words: latin, traditional root words: greek, common root words.

Root words are our building blocks. They have a meaning and cannot be further divided into smaller words with alternative meanings. They are basic grammatical units or primary morphemes.

Each grammatical unit can be one of the following:

• Free morpheme – a word that can stand alone
• Bound morpheme – an affix (prefix or a suffix). Bound morphemes can form words when combined with other morphemes.

For example, the word “graph” is a Greek root word, a free morpheme. It means writing or recording. Now try adding the bound morpheme or prefix “tele” (meaning far off), and you have the new word “telegraph,” a system for transmitting messages along a wire.

If you add the bound morpheme or suffix “ology” to the root word “graph,” you have the new word “graphology,” which means the study of handwriting.

Incidentally, the suffix “ology” means the science of something, such as psychology, physiology, ecology, and zoology.

Base words and root words are similar but not interchangeable terms. A base word is a word that can be used by itself and can also create another word with the addition of a suffix or prefix. For example, the word “help” makes sense by itself and becomes “helpless” when the suffix “less” is added.

A root word is also used to form other words, but the root isn’t always a standalone word. For example, “lect” is a root word in “collect,” but the word “lect” by itself doesn’t make sense.

Most English words have a Latin and Greek foundation. It’s the reason they’re called “traditional root words.” Traditional root words, in particular, often need to be attached to another word or affix to be a complete word, but this isn’t always the case.

Below are some examples of English, Latin, and Greek root words to help you become more familiar with them.

English Root Words

Many modern English root words are derived from Old English (spoken from around 450 until 1100) and Middle English (spoken from approximately 1100 to 1500).

As language continuously evolves, much of the old vocabulary is no longer spoken, but the facets that endured helped form the basis of English as we know it today.

Here are some examples of modern root words and how to use them as part of another English word:

• Behave – Behavior

He’s only getting a lot of attention because of his bad behavior .

• Break – Breaking

Breaking the fourth wall is a great way to connect with your audience.

• Care – Careful

She always reminds her son to be careful wherever he goes.

• Employ – Unemployment

Last month, America recorded a 3.5% unemployment percentage , which is still within the ideal unemployment rate of 3% to 5%.

• Friend – Friendly

Everyone likes her because she’s a very friendly person.

• Form – Formulating

Formulating a new design for this project in the short period they allotted us was challenging.

• Heat – Reheat

Instead of buying hot food, she prefers to reheat her leftovers to save money.

• Play – Player

Dennis is such an exceptional player that the head coach told him he should pursue a professional career out of it.

• View – Preview

Her favorite band shared a preview of their upcoming album.

• Want – Wanted

All I ever wanted was to feel like I belonged; is that too much to ask? 

Check out this list of er words .

Although the English language is not directly descended from Latin the same way Romantic languages like Spanish and Italian are, a significant amount of English vocabulary was borrowed from Latin. 

Some linguists estimate that almost 50% of the words found in a standard English dictionary are of Latin descent . Below are some common Latin root words: 

•  Act (To do) – Actor

William was hailed as the best actor in the stage play competition.

• Aqua (Water) – Aquamarine

Cleo’s new aquamarine hair suits her very much; it makes her look like she just came out of a movie about mermaids.

• Aud (Hear) – Audience

You need to shock the audience so they don’t easily forget your performance.

• Annu (Year) – Annual

Are you nervous about our annual employee review?

• Appear (Come into sight) – Appearance

She worries so much about her appearance that it’s starting to affect her mental health.

• Ardu (Difficult) – Arduous 

Running a marathon is an arduous task. 

• Bene (Well) – Beneficial

Daily morning exercises are beneficial to one’s health.

• Bi (Two) – Bilingual

Kevin is bilingual because he speaks English and Spanish.

• Bon (Good) – Bonus

We got a generous employee bonus this year. 

• Circ (Round) – Circle 

The class must sit around in a circle . 

• Circum (Around) – Circumstances

Unfortunately, her current circumstances don’t let her keep her children.

• Contra (Against) – Contrary

Contrary to everyone’s expectations, James wins the competition.

• Cred (Believe) – Credibility

Lying cost him all credibility .

• Crypt (Hidden) – Cryptic

You will need a guide to solve that cryptic crossword.

• Dict (Say) – Dictate

Don’t let other people dictate your life, do what you want.

• Don (Give) – Donate

She’s very generous; she will always donate money to charity. 

• Ego (I) – Egomaniac

Being an egomaniac, everything had to be about him.

• Fact (Made) – Factory

Her mother has worked at the shoe factory for over five years.

• Fin (End) – Final 

Don’t make me call your parents; this is your final warning. 

• Frat (Brother) – Fraternity 

The initiation process makes joining a fraternity in college off-putting. 

• Hal (Breathe) – Exhale

Hold your breath for a few seconds and exhale slowly.

• Intra (Within) – Intramural

Kenneth wants to participate in this year’s intramural , but he can’t decide what sport he wants to join. 

• Ject (Throw) – Reject

Apple pickers carefully choose good apples and reject the bad ones.

• Jud (Judge) – Judicial

The victim’s attorney is seeking judicial review of the decision.

• Jur (Law) – Jury

The jury will deliberate after hearing all the evidence.

• Lect (Gather) – Collect 

Mildrid likes to collect stamps. 

• Legal (Law) – Illegal

He believes downloading pirated copies of movies from the internet should not be illegal .

• Lev (Lift) – Levitate

I don’t know how the magician made his assistant levitate above the audience. 

• Nav (Ship) – Naval

John is a retired naval officer. 

• Magn (Great) – Magnificent 

The fireworks display was magnificent . 

• Mal (Bad) – Malignant

The doctor explains that the old lady’s cancer is malignant ; they can’t do anything about it anymore.

• Marine (Sea) – Submarine

I’m frightened and intrigued by a submarine ‘s mechanisms.

• Mater (Mother) – Maternity

Nurse Angela likes to work in the hospital’s maternity unit.

• Memor (Remember) – Memoir 

I would love to write a memoir about my life.

• Multi (Much, Many) – Multiple

The Mona Lisa’s popularity hangs on her smile; experts argue that it has multiple meanings.

• Norm (Rule, Pattern) – Paranormal

They want to hire a paranormal expert to solve this supernatural case.

• Pater (Father) – Paternal

Because his father died when he was young, Kean always wonders what paternal love feels like.

• Port (Carry) – Transport

He prefers public transport even if he has a car since it’s cheaper.

• Place (Spot) – Replace

Her employer promised to replace her if she didn’t change her attitude.

• Rupt (Burst) – Disruption

The bombing strikes are causing massive disruption in the country.

• Sect (Cut) – Dissect

Aya proudly says that she knows how to dissect a frog.

• Sent (Feel) – Consent

Parents must sign a consent form declaring they permit their children to participate in the summer camp.

• Spect (To look at) – Spectator 

I didn’t take part; I was just a spectator .

• Struct (Build, Assemble) – Restructure

He wants to restructure their house to eliminate clutter and make it look more inviting.

• Ten (Hold) – Maintenance 

A neat garden requires constant maintenance .

• Terra (Earth) – Extraterrestrial 

E.T. was an extraterrestrial being. 

• Tim (Fear) – Timid

A mouse is a timid creature. 

• Use (Skill, Habit) – Misuse

When rulers misuse their power, the whole kingdom suffers.

• Vac (Empty) – Evacuate

You must evacuate the building if there is a fire. 

• Voc (Call) – Advocate

She’s an advocate for anyone with visual or auditory impairment, pushing laws requiring public establishments to offer suitable support.

• Vot (Promise) – Devoted

He was a devoted husband and father. 

• Vid (See) – Video

There’s a CCTV video that captured the bank robbery.

• Viv (Live) – Survive 

A domesticated dog would never survive in the wild. 

Although Greek wasn’t as influential in the development of the English language as Latin, it still played a big role. Around 13% of the words found in an English dictionary come from Greek. See our list of English words with Greek roots below to use them in teaching or writing correctly:

• Aero (Air) – Aeroplane 

Timmy has never traveled via aeroplane before. 

• Allos (Another) – Allegory 

A “sinking ship” is an allegory for something going wrong. 

• Anth (Flower) – Anthesis

The period a flower blooms for is called the anthesis . 

• Anti (Against) – Antisocial

An antisocial personality disorder is a severe condition where the person disregards other people’s rights and feelings.

• Arachn (Spider) – Arachnophobia 

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. 

• Arch (Rule) – Anarchy

The classroom descended into anarchy without a teacher present. 

• Arithm (Count, Number) – Arithmetic 

Bobby excelled in arithmetic in elementary school.

• Auto (Self) – Automatic

Cecile and her father are arguing whether automatic cars are better than manual cars.

• Bio (Life) – Biology

Biology is an exciting subject with many subbranches explaining living things’ origins, behaviors, and classes.

• Botan (Plant) – Botanical 

I love seeing interesting plants at the botanical gardens.

• Chron (Time) – Chronological

The new employee likes to put the files in chronological order.

• Dem (People) – Democracy 

We each get a vote: we live in a democracy .

• Dyna (Power) – Dynamite

No one has the right to use dynamite when fishing.

• Geo (Earth) – Geography 

We learned about volcanoes in geography class today. 

•  Gno (Know) – Knowledge 

To my knowledge , he wasn’t at the party.

• Graph (Write) – Graphic

Henry is an excellent graphic artist, and he’s good at exceeding his client’s expectations.

• Hetero (Another) – Heterosexual

I still believe that gay and lesbian pairs will one day have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

• Hydr (Water) – Dehydrate

Fevers can quickly dehydrate your body, so you must drink lots of water.

• Logy (Discipline, Field of study, List of) – Psychology

She is studying psychology to understand herself and other people better.

• Micro (Small) – Microscope

You need to carefully put the specimen under the microscope if you don’t want the slides to break.

• Meter (A measure) – Kilometer

There’s a total of 1,000,000 millimeters per kilometer . 

• Morph (Shape) – Morphing

The film shows the leading actor morphing into a giant wolf.

• Narc (Sleep) – Narcolepsy 

Narcolepsy is a difficult condition to live with.

• Nym (Name, Word) – Synonym

A synonym refers to words that have the same or similar meanings.

• Phobia (Fear) – Claustrophobia

Her severe claustrophobia prevents her from using any elevator. 

• Photo (Light) – Photography

Jake wants to enroll in photography classes this semester. 

• Pseudo (False, Lying) – Pseudonym

She writes her excellent stories under a pseudonym .

• Psycho (Soul, Mind, Breath, Spirit) – Psychopath

Excessive use of alcohol and drugs can turn an individual into a psychopath .

• Scope (See) – Stethoscope

The doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the heart’s murmur.

• Techno (Skill, Art)  – Technological

Because of financial issues, Lino’s parents ask him to enroll in a technological institute instead of a university.

• Tele (Far off) – Telegram

His grandfather has a stack of old telegram s containing Morse code and other important information.

• Therm (Heat) – Thermometer

I can’t believe my doctor still uses a traditional thermometer to see if I have a fever instead of a thermometer gun.

Once you become familiar with root words, you begin to recognize them everywhere in your day-to-day conversations. Below are some more common root words, originating from both Latin and Greek, that you’ve certainly come across before. 

• Ambi (Both) – Ambiguous

The government always seems to be ambiguous on this issue.

• Anthrop (Human) – Philanthropy

Her idol always donates to various charitable institutions and devotes a lot of time and effort to philanthropy .

• Astro (Star) – Astronaut

Mino knows that NASA has strict requirements to be an astronaut , but he is serious about being one in the future.

• Cardio (Heart) – Cardiovascular

Smoking puts anyone at a higher risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

• Cent (Hundredth) – Century

Living in medieval castles shows how wealthy and powerful the royal family was during the 11th century .

• Dyna (Power) – Dynasty 

The dynasty finally fell when the last surviving relative died. 

• Equi (Equal) – Equity

The brand owner plans to raise the company’s return on equity to 25%.

• Extra (Outer) – Extraordinary 

Adrenaline allows us to do extraordinary things in an emergency.

• Fract (Part of) – Fraction

He needs to save money, so he only spends a fraction of his monthly income.

• Fort (Strong) – Fortress

The general explained that the easiest way to capture the enemy’s fortress was from the inside.

• Fum (Smoke) – Fumes

Try not to inhale the fumes from the fire. 

• Gastr (Stomach) – Gastrointestinal 

Your nausea is due to a gastrointestinal disorder. 

• Grav (Heavy) – Gravity 

Gravity on the moon is weaker than on Earth. 

• Homo (Same) – Homogenous

To avoid issues, all club members must have a homogenous taste in music.

• Hypo (Under) – Hypothermia

Seven mountaineers are suffering from hypothermia after the avalanche.

• Kind (Nature, Race) – Kindness

Lia prays she inherits her mother’s intelligence and kindness .

• Love (Care) – Lovely

You look much shorter than I remember, but you’re still as lovely as ever.

• Mis (Wrongly) – Misspell

To ensure you have a high-quality paper, do not misspell words, check grammar, and avoid typos.

• Omni (All) – Omnipotent

My mom explains that money isn’t omnipotent , but people can’t survive in this world without it.

• Pack (Bundle) – Packing

Jillian has been packing her things since this morning, preparing for her flight tomorrow. 

• Read (Interpet, Consult) – Reading

Mia enjoys reading and doing her assignments on their school’s rooftop rather than in the library.

• Scrib (Writes) – Prescribes

After her checkup, the doctor prescribes some medications to lessen the pain in her stomach.

• Sen (Old) – Senior 

Senior citizens get priority seating on the bus. 

• Worth (Valuable) – Unworthy

The humble student feels unworthy to receive the award, but his family and friends assure him that he does and are proud of him.

• Zoo (Animal) – Zoophobia

Aina’s date takes her to a zoo without knowing she has zoophobia .

Expanding your vocabulary is critical to improving your writing. See our list of conjunction words to learn more.

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Root Words | Definition, List & Examples

Published on September 13, 2023 by Kassiani Nikolopoulou .

A root word is the most basic form of a word that cannot be further divided into meaningful segments. Root words are used to form new words by adding letters at the beginning (i.e., a prefix) and/or the end (i.e., a suffix).

For example, the word “unfaithful” is made up of these different parts:

prefix        root word     suffix

By adding a suffix and/or a prefix to a root word like “faith,” we can make other words such as “faithful,” “faithfully,” “unfaithful,” and “unfaithfully . ” These words are linked both in terms of spelling and meaning and are called a word family .

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Table of contents

What are root words, example root words, latin root words (free downloadable list), greek root words (free downloadable list), worksheet: root words, frequently asked questions about root words.

A root word is the fundamental unit of a word. A root word has nothing added at the beginning or the end. While some root words are standalone words in English, others need a prefix (like “anti-” or “un-”) and/or a suffix (like “-able” or “-ist”) to create a meaningful word.

For example, “cede” is a root word for other words like “recede” or “precedent,” but it is also a word on its own (meaning “to give up”). On the other hand, the root word “struct” does not constitute an understandable word in itself and other letters need to be added for it to make sense (e.g, “instructor,” “destruction,” “structural”).

Many words are created from Latin or Greek root words and usually cannot function as standalone words in English. For example, “chrono” comes from Greek and is the root of words like “chronology,” “synchronize,” and “chronic,” but it’s not a separate word in English.

Learning about root words can help you work out the meaning of new or longer words. When you know how to decode unknown words by identifying their root words and affixes (i.e., the prefix or suffix attached to them), you can navigate more complex or specialized texts. For example, many root words derived from Latin and Greek are common in math and science terminology, like “centi” (“hundred”) or “geo” (“earth”).

• When added at the beginning of the word, they are called prefixes . Common prefixes include: “an-” (“without”), anti- (“against”), “hyper-” (“over”), “non-” (“lack of”), “pre-” (“before”), and “post-” (“after”).
• When added at the end of the word, they are called suffixes . Common suffixes include: “-acy” (“state or quality”), “-able/-ible” (“capable of”), “-al” (“pertaining to”), “-ic/-ical” (“having the form”), and “-less” (“without”).

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Some root words can be used independently, while others need to be combined with a prefix (i.e., letters at the beginning), a suffix (i.e., letters at the end) or another root word (e.g., -logue) to form a standalone word.

Root words vs. base words

The terms root words and base words are often used interchangeably. However, they are not exactly the same. While root words cannot always be used as standalone words in English, base words can be used on their own or combined with other words or letters to create complex words.

For example, “code” is a base word that can be used independently or to create other words like “barcode,” “decode,” or “codify.” On the other hand, the root word “aud” (which comes from Latin) cannot be used by itself and has to be combined with other letters to form words like “auditorium,” “audition,” and “audible.” Because many root words are of Latin or Greek origin, they don’t make sense as independent words in English.

Sometimes, root words and base words overlap. For example, the word “act” is a root word of Latin origin, but also a standalone word in English. By adding a prefix or suffix, we get new words like “reaction,” “exact,” and “actor.” In this case, “act” is both a root word and a base word.

Below is a list containing common Latin root words, their meaning, and examples of words based on each root. You can also download this list in the format of your choice below.

Download PDF list Download Google Docs list

Below is a list containing common Greek root words, their meaning, and examples of words based on each root. You can also download this list in the format of your choice below.

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Base words can stand alone, but can also be combined with other letters to create new words.

Want to test your understanding of root words? Try the worksheet below. In each sentence, see if you can identify the root word(s) of the highlighted word.

• Answers & explanation
• The hotel lost our reservation, and the receptionist was really unhelpful .
• We came to a unanimous decision that more staff is needed during peak hours.
• ANOVA is an abbreviation of “Analysis of Variance”.
• My father is agnostic when it comes to religious matters.
• One of the three aqueducts supplying water to the Los Angeles area is from the Colorado River.
• The root word is help . The word “unhelpful” is made of three parts: “un-” (prefix), ”help” (root word), and “ful” (suffix).
• The root word is anim . The word “unanimous” is made of two parts: “unus” (meaning “one” in Latin) and “animus” (meaning “spirit” or “mind” in Latin).
• The root word is brev . The word “abbreviation” comes from Latin “ad” (prefix meaning “to”) and “breviare” (“shorten”), from brevis (“short”).
• The root word is gnost . The word “agnostic” is made of three parts: “a” (prefix meaning “not” or “without”), “gnost” (root word meaning “to know” in Greek) and “ic” (suffix).
• This word contains two Latin root words: aqua (“water”) and duct (“to lead”).

Although there is no particular rule for finding the root of a word, one way to do this is to check if the word has any affixes (suffix and/or prefix) added to it.

For example, the word “hyperactive” has the prefix “hyper-” (meaning “over”) and the suffix “-ive” (meaning “having the nature of”). If we remove the affixes, we get the root word (“act”).

The root word “dorm” means “sleep” in Latin. So words with this root word will have a meaning related to sleep. For example, the words “dormant,” “dormitory,” and “dormouse” all come from the same root word.

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Essay Writing

Essay writing is a large part of college life and is an important skill for students to master as you move through your higher education. The root of the word essay is the Latin word exagium , which can be vaguely translated to ‘a weighing of one’s case’.

Essays are short, non-fiction compositions that outline an author’s perspective on a subject. Students may encounter essay assignments from as early as middle school with essay requirements becoming more rigorous as you advance into academia. Although essays can be formal as well as informal, academic essays are typically formal and revolve around topics relevant to your field of study.

Research and preparation are essential to producing a well-crafted essay. You must gather enough information about your subject to successfully decide upon a topic or proposition for your essay. By learning more about essays and the various types of essays, you will be better positioned to practice and master the art of essay writing.

What is an Essay?

Essays are designed to encourage students to develop and discuss your ideas regarding a certain topic. In writing the essay, you’re generally required to present credible information that supports your claims . On top of this, you are often expected to provide an analysis or comparison of multiple factors.

While there is no fixed structure for an essay, most essays contain three main sections .

• The introduction , which gives the reader a brief idea of the topic that is covered and often a thesis statement or main argument.
• The body, which includes in-depth information to support the basic premise and proof to persuade the reader to agree with the author’s point of view. Citations are essential here in establishing credible sources of academic information.
• The conclusion, which summarizes and reinforces the assertions of the essay.

Academic essays can be written in several different formats. Five paragraphs is the most frequent length for a basic essay. However, the minimum word count can vary depending on the academic level of the assignment.

Essay Types

The four most common types of essays are listed below.

• Narrative essays are essays where the author narrates a story from the first-person point of view. They aim to describe how a certain event unfolds chronologically and is often a highly subjective form of writing.
• Descriptive essays are essays where the author attempts to paint a picture and fully describe a subject using all five senses. The subject could be a place, a person, an event, or an object, and details are essential in writing a great descriptive essay.
• Expository essays are essays where the author presents facts that cover both (or more) sides of a topic in a balanced manner. They do so objectively and without bias to either side, using reliable sources .
• Persuasive essays are essays that are the opposite of expository essays. Authors present facts in an attempt to influence the reader to support your argument or point of view.

Essay writing is a skill that improves with practice. When faced with an essay writing assignment, you should start the writing process as soon as possible gain a thorough understanding of the subject, and craft an essay that is interesting and informative for the reader.

For additional resources, see the resources at the John S. Knight Institute For Writing in the Disciplines .

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What does the noun essay mean?

There are 12 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun essay , nine of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

essay has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun essay ?

How is the noun essay pronounced?

British english, u.s. english, where does the noun essay come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun essay is in the late 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for essay is from 1597, in the writing of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor, politician, and philosopher.

It is also recorded as a verb from the Middle English period (1150—1500).

essay is a borrowing from French .

Etymons: French essai .

Nearby entries

• esrache, v. 1477
• esraj, n. 1921–
• ESRO, n. 1961–
• ess, n. 1540–
• -ess, suffix¹
• -ess, suffix²
• essamplerie, n. 1393
• essart, n. 1656–
• essart, v. 1675–
• essarting, n. a1821–
• essay, n. 1597–
• essay, v. 1483–
• essayal, n. 1837–
• essayer, n. 1611–
• essayette, n. 1877–
• essayfy, v. 1815–
• essay-hatch, n. 1721–
• essayical, adj. 1860–
• essaying, n. 1861–
• essaying, adj. 1641–
• essayish, adj. 1863–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for essay, n..

essay, n. was first published in 1891; not yet revised.

essay, n. was last modified in June 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into essay, n. in June 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1891)

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Etymology of the literary form "essay"

I am currently reading The Creators by Daniel Boorstin and came across the account of how Montaigne essentially created the essay as a literary form. Montaigne used the word "Essays" for his work because the work was an attempt by him to record his thoughts (to "essay" means to "attempt" something in old French). Future works of a similar vein have been called essays after Montaigne's work. This is corroborated by multiple online sources as well.

Boorstin mentions in passing that Montaigne might have come across this sense of the word "Essay" in the Floral Games that he attended as a child in Toulouse. Apparently, in these games, if there is a tie between poets in a poetry contest, the tiebreaker would be decided by giving the poets an incomplete poem and by having them attempt to complete it as best as they could. Whoever has the better attempt is judged the winner. This tiebreaker, Boorstin claims, was called an essay. I couldn't find any corroboration for this online. Have any of you heard this theory before? Your thoughts/references would be much appreciated.

• 1 Essay is not only old French. The verb essayer (to try) is modern French too. –  Drew Commented Dec 10, 2016 at 17:19
• "To essay" means "to attempt" in English. The OED says of the usage of "essay" as a composition of moderate length "is apparently taken from Montaigne, whose Essais were first published in 1580." –  Alan Carmack Commented Dec 11, 2016 at 10:07

I found what I believe to be the original source for the theory: A Suggestion as to the Source of Montaigne's Title: "Essais" , which was published in 1936. Unfortunately, (for most of you) it's behind a paywall. I'm paying a lot of money towards tuition right now, so I have access and I'll provide some quotes.

It's true that the Floral Games had a tiebreaker known as an Essay :

The Essay was a regulation formulated in 1540 to meet the difficulty which arose of having to choose from among a number of contestants of equal skill and merit. After unanimously awarding the Violet to Jehan Corrière, a student in the University of Toulouse, the judges had difficulty in awarding the Marigold and Églantine, for there were four other candidates whose poems appeared to be of equal value. After deliberation it was decided to put the four to a test ( examen ). To each was assigned a certain refrain upon which he was required to construct an impromptu huitain or dixain .

It bases the theory off of the following:

It is conjectured from the character of his learning displayed in the Essais that he then took the two years of the course in philosophy at Bordeaux, and that between 1548 and 1554, when he became a conseiller in the Cours des Aides at Perigueux, he completed the law course at Toulouse. In the sixteenth century most of the contestants at the annual meetings of the Floral Games were students in the University, many of them law students. Since the connection between the students and the Floral Games was so close, it is quite certain that Montaigne would have been familiar with the annual programs and the trial by Essay . Since the Essay was an impromptu trial or test it is possible that Montaigne caught the idea of his title from it, as he uses the word in precisely the same sense as it was used at Toulouse. Also there is a similarity between the composition of the Essays and the composition of the poems for the Essay at Toulouse. In his earlier essays Montaigne uses an anecdote or a quotation from the ancients as his starting point, around which he clusters his own observations.

As you can see, there's no hard proof that there's a connection. I believe the accepted theory is correct (it's from the Old French essai meaning trial).

Practising Reform in Montaigne's Essais

Montaigne's Essais, II, 10 ( dans le français original )

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Over 50 Greek and Latin Root Words

How to Identify Greek and Latin Roots in Everyday Language

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In English grammar, a root is a word or portion of a word from which other words grow, usually through the addition of  prefixes and suffixes . By learning root words, you can decipher unfamiliar words, expand your vocabulary, and become a better English speaker.

For example, consider the Greek root bio , meaning "life." This root forms the basis of words like "biology," "biography," and "biodegradable," showcasing how a single root can be used for a variety of related concepts. You can also use multiple root words to construct a word, as is evident in "biology," which combines the roots bio for "life" and logos for "study."

The Roots of Words

Most words in the English language are based on words from ancient Greek and Latin. The root of the word "vocabulary," for example, is ​ voc , a Latin root meaning "word" or "name." This root also appears in such words as "advocacy," "convocation," "evocative," "vocal," and "vowel." By dissecting words such as these, etymologists can study how a word has evolved over time and tell us about the cultures they came from.

In some cases, root words might be slightly transformed en route to becoming part of words that we're familiar with. In the above example, " vowel " is a word that's clearly related to the voc root and its family of derivative words, and yet the "c" in voc is not present. There are several reasons for this sort of pattern, and the changes often depend on what language each individual word comes from, but it serves as a reminder that not every word with the same root will look exactly the same.

Root words are also useful for creating new words , especially in technology and medicine, where innovations occur frequently. Think of the Greek root word tele , which means "far," and inventions that traverse long distances, such as the telegraph, telephone, and television. The word "technology" itself is a combination of two other Greek root words, techne , meaning "skill" or "art," and logos , or "study."

Because several modern languages share some of the same ancestor languages, it's not entirely uncommon for several related languages to share root words . For instance, the Latin root voc, described above, is shared by several Romance languages. Connections between languages can be found in the shared roots between them, although one always has to be wary of false cognates —that is, words that sound like they have the same roots (and thus related meanings) but actually don't.

Greek Root Words

The table below defines and illustrates some of the most common Greek roots.

Latin Root Words

The table below defines and illustrates some of the most common Latin roots.

Tricky Root Words

​Understanding the meanings of the common word roots can help us deduce the meanings of new words that we encounter. But be careful: Root words can have more than one meaning as well as various shades of meaning. Similarly, words that look similar may  derive  from different roots.

In addition, a handful of root words can stand on their own as whole words in and of themselves. This list includes words such as photo , kinesis , chrome , port , and script . Words like this tend to have related meanings on their own, then can also act as roots for longer, more complex words.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding Greek and Latin root words can enhance your vocabulary and language comprehension.
• Root words, such as chrono for "time" and hydr for "water," provide essential building blocks for a wide range of terms, such as "chronology" and "hydrogen."
• While root words offer valuable insights, they can have multiple meanings, and similarities between words don't always imply shared roots.

Learning English. " Grow Your Vocabulary by Learning Root Words ."

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Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin

Peter Smith, University of Victoria

Copyright Year: 2016

Publisher: BCcampus

Language: English

Formats Available

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Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Kirsten Day, Associate Professor of Classics, Augustana College on 11/14/18

Smith provides an impressively thorough overview of the many ways Latin has made an imprint on the English language. In doing so, he includes the grammatical principles of Latin that are essential to understanding how a knowledge of Latin roots,... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

Smith provides an impressively thorough overview of the many ways Latin has made an imprint on the English language. In doing so, he includes the grammatical principles of Latin that are essential to understanding how a knowledge of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes can greatly enhance one’s fluency in English, but leaves out the aspects of the language that are extraneous in this context. This book will give native English speakers enhanced appreciation for the vocabulary they use everyday, while providing them the tools necessary to analyze and understand a vast number of words with which they are unfamiliar. Sections on the historical development of the English language are useful in understanding how language is transferred and transformed. Diligent students will undoubtedly complete this text with a much richer appreciation for their own language, as well as some basic understanding of the grammar and vocabulary of Latin. In light of the book’s title, however, I did expect to find more specific focus on specialized roots used in scientific terminology. In large part, this text seemed more appropriate to an English linguistics course than to one primarily catering to students in either the sciences or the social sciences. The book provides appendices at the back with answers to the exercises and vocabulary charts, but no index or glossary.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did not see any errors in subject matter, and very few typographical or proofreading errors (the few I did notice include “ADN” for “AND” in §26 (p. 70); a space in the first bullet point of the second box in §38 (p. 96) that results in an awkward comma at the beginning of a line; in §78 (p. 188), “armée” is rendered “arme!e”; and §87 (p. 212) note 3 refers to §74 number 4, while the bullet points in this section are not numbered). Overall, however, this is a well-edited and polished text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The overall subject of this text is timeless and will be useful indefinitely, and for the most part, the author has done a good job in keeping his discussion of word development up to the moment. There are a few references, however, that will make this 2016 text seem dated to today’s students: in §31 (p. 77), “Present-Day English” is described as referring to the 19th and 20th centuries (despite the fact that many of today’s students were not even born until the 21st century); references to Ben Cartwright’s ranch (§42, p. 105) or to Perry Mason (§65, p. 155) will likely be lost entirely upon most students, as too might an excerpt from the Pirates of Penzance (§93, p. 223); while most students will not have heard of actor Lee Marvin (§49, p. 123), the reference might be considered more relevant (though it might need Googling).

Clarity rating: 4

Most explanations are clear and accessible to those who have no Greek or Latin (and indeed, few assumptions are made about students’ familiarity with English grammatical terms). For me, the explanation of the Latin pronunciation of vowels in §7 (pp. 17-18) might be cleaned up a bit (that E = “English” is not necessarily to be taken for granted when vowel sounds are being discussed). Some other of the abbreviations that are used in giving the shorthand of etymologies are not explained (like the E); these usually can be figured out, but a key would be nice (modF = modern French: see §23, p. 63).

Consistency rating: 5

Smith’s book impressed me with its consistency in treatment and comprehensiveness across sections.

Modularity rating: 5

This text seems very useful in terms of modularity. The reading sections are short, and would allow an instructor much flexibility in terms of how much to assign in each class. While concepts necessarily build on one another, links within each section lead students to appropriate places to fill in or review the concepts that have been covered previously. In addition, there are some sections that might be regarded as supplemental and thereby excluded, depending on the needs of the course and time constraints.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

While I understand the reasons behind dedicating the first volume to Latin (accessibility/familiarity, volume of material) and the second to Greek, this seems an odd choice to me in terms of chronology. Within the volume itself, the organizational logic and breakdowns of section are usually clear and logical. I did have a few quibbles within chapters: for example, on the first set of exercises, it would be useful to reiterate the numbering scheme rather than referring back to a chart much earlier in the text (§17, p. 45 #3). And while Smith’s exhaustive list of examples of words for analysis or consideration is useful, it might be a bit overwhelming in its presentation for many students (i.e. §83, p. 200).

Interface rating: 4

The online version is fairly easy to navigate, but the sections are fairly short: this results in a lot of clicking, but is useful in other ways. The downloadable PDF has a lot of blank pages. §19 (p. 53) has a spacing issue within a paragraph, which also appears in the online version. In both cases, there seem to be some reference errors: for instance, we are told to “consult the Bestiary” in §41 (p. 94), but this should read §42.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The breadth and depth of Dr. Smith’s language expertise is impressive. I did not find any grammatical errors in this text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

There are potentially minor slights to Smith’s fellow Canadians in §18 (p. 51) n. 1, and a comment that seems to equate “ardent feminists” with man-haters who are unable to set aside their biases to study language as objectively as male linguists in §42 (p. 105) might best be omitted. And although minor, making light of terms associated with abortion as a political issue (p. 225) also might sit badly with some in today’s divisive political climate.

The text will provide students far more information about the history of English, its relationship to Latin (and other languages), and about the grammar of Latin than many other texts on this subject. In places, I would like to see citations for references (i.e., the references to Juvenal on p. 71 and to Plautus in n. 1 in §56 (p. 137). There are many interesting cultural tidbits (such as the relationship of the political term “fascist” to the Roman fasces (§56, p. 137). Occasionally, the text offers a tease, which in some cases can prompt to further study (the etymology of “vanilla” might make you blush: again, §56, p. 137), but in other cases seems just to assume too much (as with the above noted reference to Lee Marvin and the origin of the word “palimony”). Overall, I think this text is highly useful for a course on English linguistics, but less useful as a stand alone text for a course that focuses on equipping those in the sciences and social sciences with an arsenal of word roots pertinent to their field (though as a supplemental text, for this sort of course, I think it could be very useful indeed).

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)
• Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)
• Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives
• Chapter 5: Turning Latin Nouns into Adjectives
• Chapter 6: Turning Latin Adjectives into Latin Nouns
• Chapter 7: Latin Diminutives
• Chapter 8: Latin Prefixes
• Chapter 9: The Latin Verb System
• Chapter 10: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Nouns
• Chapter 11: Turning Latin Nouns into Latin Verbs
• Chapter 12: Latin Present Participles and Gerundives
• Chapter 13: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Adjectives
• Chapter 14: Compound Words in Latin
• I. Key to Exercises (Latin)
• Key to Exercises (Latin)
• II. Summary of Vocabulary Tables (Latin)
• Appendix II
• Summary of Vocabulary Tables (Latin)

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin is part one of a two part series. This series examines the systematic principles by which a large portion of English vocabulary has evolved from Latin and (to a lesser degree) from Greek. This book focuses on Latin roots. A link to the second part focusing on the Greek roots can be found below. Part I will try to impart some skill in the recognition and proper use of words derived from Latin. There is a stress on principles: although students will be continually looking at interesting individual words, their constant aim will be to discover predictable general patterns of historical development, so that they may be able to cope with new and unfamiliar words of any type that they have studied. They will be shown how to approach the problem by a procedure known as “word analysis,” which is roughly comparable to the dissection of an interesting specimen in the biology laboratory. The text assumes no previous knowledge of Latin, and does not involve the grammatical study of this language—except for a few basic features of noun and verb formation that will help students to understand the Latin legacy in English. Although there will be some attention paid to the historical interaction of Latin with English, this text is definitely not a systematic history of the English language. It focuses on only those elements within English that have been directly or indirectly affected by this classical language. In order to provide the broadest possible service to students, the text emphasizes standard English vocabulary in current use. The more exotic technical vocabulary of science and medicine can be extremely interesting, but is explored in only summary fashion. Nevertheless, this text should be of considerable value, say, to a would-be botanist or medical doctor, if only by providing the foundation for further specialized enquiry.

About the Contributors

Peter Smith (1933 – 2006) was founding Chair of the Classics Department (now named Greek and Roman Studies) and later served as Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, both at the University of Victoria.

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