Academic Word List: roots and the words they build
This list is for university and esl students. It covers the 175 roots behind the 414 words in WordPith's Academic Word List pack, most-used first. Learn a root once and you can work out every word it builds.
MIGR
“move, wander” · Latin
AUTH-
“originate, increase” · Latin
CO-
“together, with” · Latin
-IBILITY
“the capacity to be” · an English suffix
IDENTI-
“the same” · Latin
MINIM-
“least” · Latin
OD
“way, road” · Greek
PLICIT
“folded” · Latin
-POSE
“place, put” · Latin
PUR-
“forth, thoroughly” · Latin
SIMIL
“like, alike” · Latin
STITUTION
“a setting up” · Latin
UNDER-
“beneath” · Old English
-ABILITY
“the capacity to be” · an English suffix
ABLY
“in a manner able to be” · an English suffix
ANTICIP
“take beforehand” · Latin
APPAR
“come into sight” · Latin
APT
“fitted, suited” · Latin
AVAIL
“be of worth” · French
CAP
“take, hold” · Latin
COMMENT
“a thing thought out, a note” · Latin
CUP
“take, seize” · Latin
DEN
“say no” · Latin
DRAMAT
“a thing done, a play” · Greek
ESTIM
“value, appraise” · Latin
ETHN
“a nation, a people” · Greek
FINANCI
“a settling of what is owed” · French
GLOB
“a ball, a sphere” · Latin
ILLUSTR
“light up” · Latin
INDIC
“point out” · Latin
INTERN
“inward” · Latin
IVITY
“the quality of being” · an English suffix
KNOW
“know” · Old English
LEDGE
“the act or state of” · an English suffix
LEGIS
“law” · Latin
METH
“after, in pursuit of” · Greek
MINISTR
“serve, attend” · Latin
PLIC
“fold” · Latin
PRINCIP
“first, chief” · Latin
QUIRE
“seek, ask” · Latin
SEARCH
“go about, seek” · French
SPECI-
“kind, appearance” · Latin
STATIST
“of the state” · Greek
STITUTE
“set up, establish” · Latin
STRAIN
“draw tight” · Latin
STRATEG
“a general, an army-leader” · Greek
SUMMAR
“of the whole sum” · Latin
TEXT
“weave” · Latin
TRA-
“across, over” · Latin
VIRON
“circle, surround” · French
VOLVE
“roll” · Latin
ALE
“a thing relating to” · an English suffix
ALITY
“the quality of” · an English suffix
ALLOC
“set in place” · Latin
ARI
“relating to” · an English suffix
ARITY
“the quality of” · an English suffix
ATTI
“fitness, bearing” · Italian
BY
“by” · Old English
CATEGOR
“a statement, an accusation” · Greek
CHASE
“pursue, hunt” · French
CHEMIC
“of alchemy” · Greek
COME
“come” · Old English
COMING
“coming” · Old English
COMMOD
“fitting, convenient” · Latin
COMPLEMENT
“that which fills a thing up” · Latin
CONSULT
“take counsel” · Latin
CONTROVERS
“turned against” · Latin
CONVERSE
“turned about” · Latin
CORRESPOND
“answer together” · Latin
COUNTER
“against, in return” · French
CRUCI
“a cross” · Latin
CUMUL
“heap” · Latin
CYCL
“a circle, a wheel” · Greek
DIFFERENTI
“carry apart” · Latin
DIVERS
“turned different ways” · Latin
DOCUMENT
“a lesson, a proof” · Latin
EDITOR
“one who puts out” · Latin
EER
“one who” · an English suffix
ERG
“work” · Greek
EVIT
“avoid” · Latin
EXTERN
“outward” · Latin
FINIT
“bounded, ended” · Latin
FINITE
“bounded, having an end” · Latin
FORTH
“forward, onward” · Old English
FORWARD
“forward” · Old English
FOUND
“pour, lay a base” · Latin
FRAME
“a built shape” · Old English
FUNDA
“a bottom, a base” · Latin
GO
“go” · Old English
GOING
“going” · Old English
GUIDE
“lead, show the way” · French
HIGH
“high” · Old English
IDEO
“an idea, a form seen” · Greek
IMPLEMENT
“a filling up, a tool” · Latin
INFRA
“below” · Latin
INTEGR-
“whole, untouched” · Latin
INTRINSIC
“inward, belonging to the thing itself” · Latin
ISOL
“an island” · Italian
JOURN
“a day” · French
LAP
“a fold, an overhang” · Old English
LATE
“carry, bring forward” · Latin
LECTUR
“a reading” · Latin
LIE
“lie” · Old English
LIGHT
“light” · Old English
LIKE
“alike; or be fond of” · Old English
LIMIN
“a threshold” · Latin
LLEL
“of one another” · Greek
LYST
“one who loosens apart” · Greek
LYZE
“loosen, break up” · Greek
MAJ
“greater” · Latin
MANIPUL
“a handful” · Latin
MARGIN
“an edge, a border” · Latin
MENSION
“a measuring out” · Latin
MERG
“dip, plunge” · Latin
NOTE
“a mark” · Latin
ORI
“rise, begin” · Latin
PANS
“spread out” · Latin
PARTNER
“a sharer” · French
PHAS
“show, appear” · Greek
PHAT
“showing, speaking out” · Greek
PHENOMEN
“a thing that appears” · Greek
PLACE
“a place” · Latin
PLAY
“fold” · French
PLOIT
“unfold, bring off” · French
PORTION
“a share” · Latin
POUND
“put, place” · French
PRACTITION
“the doing of a thing” · French
PREHENS
“seize, grasp” · Latin
PRET
“negotiate, explain” · Latin
PRISE
“seize, take” · French
PROACH
“near” · French
PROFESS
“declare openly” · Latin
PROPRI
“one’s own” · Latin
PUBLISH
“make public” · French
QUALIT
“of what kind” · Latin
QUOT
“how many, how often” · Latin
RADIC
“a root” · Latin
RATION
“a reckoning, a reason” · Latin
RELEV
“raise up, bear upon” · Latin
RESID
“sit back, settle” · Latin
RETENT
“held back” · Latin
REVEL
“draw back the veil” · Latin
REVOLUTION
“a turning round” · Latin
RIGID
“stiff” · Latin
RIVE
“a bank, a stream” · Latin
RODE
“gnaw” · Latin
SIGHT
“sight” · Old English
SIGNI
“sign, mark” · Latin
SIMUL
“like, at the same time” · Latin
SOURCE
“a rising, a spring” · French
SPOND
“pledge, promise” · Latin
SPONS
“pledge, answer for” · Latin
SPREAD
“spread” · Old English
STORE
“set up, furnish” · Latin
STRAIGHT
“straight” · Old English
SUBSID
“a reserve, a support” · Latin
SUC-
“under, close after” · Latin
SUE
“follow” · French
SUIT
“a following” · French
SUME
“take” · Latin
SUPPLEMENT
“a filling up” · Latin
SURE
“safe, certain” · Latin
SUS-
“under, up from below” · Latin
TACH
“a stake, a fastening” · French
TAKE
“take” · Old English
THEMAT
“a thing set down” · Greek
THEOR
“viewing, contemplation” · Greek
ULTIM
“furthest, last” · Latin
VALU
“worth” · Latin
VISU
“see” · Latin
VOLUTION
“a rolling” · Latin
WHERE
“where” · Old English
WIDE
“wide” · Old English
WISE
“in the manner of” · Old English
WORK
“work” · Old English
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