Understanding Scientific Terms/Roots-Prefixes-Suffixes

Lesson 1 - Roots, prefixes, and suffixes How technical words are made The main part of a word is the word root. This may be a Greek or Latin word or combining form that has a meaning. Roots can be combined with other roots to make more complex words such as the word electrocardiogram. Many word roots actually begin and/or end with consonants. In order to make the word sound better a vowel is placed between the two words to make them easier to say. Tel : Is a word root that means far. gram : Is something that is written. A letter. A recording. putting them together makes tel/gram but we add a vowel between the two ( In this case the letter e) to make the word telegram. tel/e/gram - A written record sent from afar. In fact many words have a preferred letter that is used as a combining form. When this is so, the letter is placed beside the root after a slash (/) to tell you how to combine it. Try the following exercise: TERMS TO KNOW tel/e : Greek, meaning far or far off. -phone : Greek, meaning sound or voice. (also phon/o) Write the word What is the correct way to write the word meaning a sound heard from far off? What means a record of a sound? telephone phonogram prefixes and suffixes Prefixes and suffixes may also be added to a words to modify its meaning. In fact the term prefix is made this way. fix : Is a word root from Latin fixus which means to fasten. pre : Is a prefix from the Latin Prae before or front. Therefore prefix means to fasten to the front of a word. Suffixes follow a word. o/logy is a suffix that means The study of. Bio is a word root that means Life. Define the word What does Biology mean? What is Phonology? The study of Life. The study of Sound (or Speech).