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Root Words Flashcards

The 44 must-know roots
for the GRE

Copyright 2012, by Aristotle Prep

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Aristotle Prep Root Words Flashcards

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

A-without Ab- down, off, without

Amoral – neither moral nor immoral Abnormal- deviating from normal

Atypical - not typical Abhor – to hate, detest
Atheist –one who does not believe in God Abominate – to detest
Atrophy- wasting away, deterioration Abduct - to take by force
Abstruse – hard to understand
Abstract – considered apart from normal existence

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Ac –bitter, sharp Arch- chief/important

Acute – sharp, severe Archbishop - the highest ranking bishop

Acerbic –sour or astringent in taste Archenemy - chief or worst enemy
Acrid – unpleasantly sharp or bitter Matriarch - a female who rules a group
Acidic – something that is sour Monarch - a king or queen
Acrimony- bitter animosity

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Am,ami- love Ambi –both

amiable - friendly, pleasant, lovable
amicable – characterized by friendliness
amity - friendly and peaceful relations
amorous - showing romantic love
enamored – inflamed with love,captivated
ambidextrous -able to use both hands equally
ambiguous - having more than one meaning
ambivalence - conflicting or opposite feelings
toward a person or thing

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Anti- Against, opposite Av- bird

Antibody - a substance that destroys micro- Aviary - a large enclosure for birds
Organisms Aviatrix - a female airplane pilot
Antidote – a remedy to neutralize poison or disease Aviation - the art of designing or operating aircraft
Antiseptic - preventing infection
Antipathy - hatred
Antisocial - opposing social norm

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Bene- Good (NOTE: Opposite : “Mal”)
benefactor - person who gives money to a cause;
beneficial - producing a good effect;
benevolent - showing kindness or goodwill
benediction -blessing
Belli - war
bellicose – warlike in manner or temperament
belligerent - hostile, ready to fight
rebel - person who opposes and fights

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Cide, cise - kill
homicide - murder
incisor - a sharp tooth for cutting food
insecticide - a chemical used to kill insects
regicide – killing of a king
patricide – murdering one’s father
matricide – murdering one’s mother
fratricide – murdering one’s bother
Circum- around, about
circumnavigate - to sail around;
circumscribe - to draw around, to restrict
circumspect - looking around, prudent
circumlocution - roundabout talk, beating
around the bush
circumambulate- to walk about or around

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Col,com,con – together/jointly Cog- to know

collaborate - to work together Cognizant- fully informed, conscious

collision - smashing together
colloquial - words formed by everyday interaction
commemorate - to memorize together
commune - living together while owning things in common
concomitant- accompanying
concur - to agree with someone
cognition - process of acquiring knowledge
incognito - disguised so no one knows you
recognize - to discover that one knows
cogitate - to think carefully about

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Cred- believe Dol – suffer, pain

Condolence – expression of sympathy

credence - belief that something is true or valid Indolence – a state of being lazy or slothful
credulous - believing things too easily, gullible Doleful – sorrowful, mournful
incredible - unbelievable Dolorous – full of pain or sorrow
incredulous - skeptical, disbelieving

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Dys - abnormal, bad Eu - good, well

dyspepsia - abnormal indigestion euphemism - replacing an offensive word with

dystopia - an imaginary place of total misery
dyslexia - impairment of the ability to handle words
dysfunctional – poorly functional
an inoffensive one
euphony - having a pleasant sound
euphoria - feeling of well-being
eulogy - speech in praise of someone
eugenics - the study of hereditary improvement
of a race

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Extra - outside, beyond Gen/o/e/genesis- birth, production, formation

extraordinary - beyond ordinary genealogy - the study of the history of a family

extraterrestrial - outside the Earth generation - all the people born at approx the same
extrovert - an outgoing person genetic -relating to heredity encoded in the genes.
extradite – to hand over an accused to the Congenital – existing from birth
state where crime was committed

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Ger- old age Grat- pleasing

geriatrics - medicine pertaining to the elderly gratify - to please someone

gerontocracy - the rule of the elders grateful - feeling thankful
gerontology - the science of aging. gratuity - a tip, token of appreciation
ingratiate – to bring oneself into the favor of
another by deliberate efforts

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Grand - big, huge Loq/loc – speak

grandeur – the quality of being grand/magnificient Grandiloquent – pompous or inflated in language

grandiose- pretentiously grand eloquent - speaking beautifully and forcefully
aggrandize- to make something appear bigger or loquacio loquacious -very talkative
greater circumlocution –roundabout talk
grandiloquent –pompous or bombastic elocution - art of clear & expressive speaking

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Mal/Male – bad, ill ,evil Meta - change, after, beyond, between

malfunction – not functioning properly metaphysics - study of nature and reality

malevolence-ill will metamorphosis - a complete change of form
malicious - showing strong ill will metastasis - the transmission of disease to
malediction- a curse other parts of the body.
malign – to speak ill about someone
maladroit – clumsy, tactless

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Morph- shape Mor/Mort- death

metamorphosis - complete change of form mortal - certain to die

morphology – the branch of biology that deals with Morbid – gruesome, grisly
the structure & form of organisms Morose - gloomy
amorphous - without distinct shape or form moribund – dying, decaying
immortal - living forever, unable to die

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Nat - born Ob/op-- in the way, against

innate - included since birth object - to be against something

nascent – starting to develop obscure - hard to understand
natal - relating to birth obstruct- hinder
natural - gotten at birth, not afterward obfuscate- confuse, darken
obtuse –not sharp, dull
obstreperous –noisly defiant. Unruly

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Omni –all Pan - all, any, everyone

omnipotent - with all the power panacea - a cure for all diseases or problems
omniscient - knowing all things panorama - an all-around view
omnipresent- present everywhere pantheism - the worship of all gods
omnivorous -eating all foods pandemic - affecting all

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Path - feeling, emotion Phil - love

empathy- identification with & understanding of
another’s feelings
apathy - a lack of feeling or interest
sympathy-harmony or agreement, sharing
someone’s feelings
antipathy- a feeling of great dislike
philanthropist - one who loves humanity
philology - the love of words
philosophy - the love of wisdom
philatelist – one who loves or collects stamps
bibliophile – a lover of books

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Purge – clean Sci - to know

Purge - remove anything undesirable
purgatory - according to Roman Catholics a place
where souls must clean themselves of sin
expurgate - remove objectionable passages from
a publication
conscience - sense of knowing right from wrong
conscious - knowing what is happening
omniscient - knowing everything
prescient - ability to perceive events before they
occure

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Sol - alone Somn - sleep

desolate - lonely, dismal, gloomy insomnia - inability to fall asleep

solitary - done alone, by yourself somniloquy - talking in one’s sleep
soliloquy – the act of speaking to oneself somnolent - feeling sleepy
Somnambulist- sleep walker

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Theo – God Tract - pull

monotheism - belief in one god attract - to pull nearer

polytheism - worshiping more than one God distract - to drag attention away from
theology - the study of religion, god, etc something
theocracy- Form of govt where religion is the Intractable- stubborn
guiding principle

Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Trans- across, beyond, through Vac - empty

transcontinental - across the continent evacuate - to empty a dangerous place

transfer - to move from one place to another vacant - empty, not occupied
transport - to carry something across a space vacation - a time without work
intransigent- Uncompromising vacuous - lacking intelligence

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Verbal Root words Verbal Root words

Ver - truth Viv - life

veracious - truthful, honest Vivid- lively

veracity - the truth; revival - the act of bringing back to life
verify - to make sure that something is true vital - pertaining to live
veritable vivacious - high-spirited and full of life
aver convivial- sociable
asseverate

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