CAT 2022 : Enhance your Learning with Root Word Dictionary

A root of any word holds the most basic meaning of the word; it is what is left after you remove the prefixes and the suffixes. In your daily life, you might come across many words with different roots, it’s important to know the meaning of these words before you can guess the meaning of the said word. In this article, we provide to you a dictionary of important roots which will help in knowing a lot of difficult roots and eventually enhance your vocabulary.

Root Words Dictionary for Important Roots

Root Words	Meaning of the roots	Related Words
Ambi, amphi	both, on both sides, around	Ambidextrous – able to use both hands equally; Ambiguous – having more than one meaning; Ambivalence – conflicting or opposite feelings toward a person or thing
Anthrop/o	human	Anthropology – the study of mankind; Anthropomorphism – giving human form to non-human things; Philanthropy – the love to mankind
Auto	Self	Automatic – Working by itself Autonomous – self-governed
Bene	good, well	Benefactor – person who gives money to a cause; Beneficial – producing a good effect; Benevolent – showing kindness or goodwill
Bi/n	two, twice, once in every two	Binoculars – optical device with two lenses; Bilateral – of or involving two sides Biannual – happening twice a year;
Chrono	time	Chronology – Study of events in the order of their occurrence Chronograph – Instrument that records time with high accuracy
Cardio	heart	Cardiology – Branch of medicine dealing with the heart Cardiovascular – Pertaining to the heart and blood vessels
Duc/t	Lead	Conduct – to lead musicians in playing music; Educate – to lead to knowledge; Deduction – a subtraction of an amount.
Dem/o	People	Democracy – government of the people; Demographic – the study of people; Epidemic – spreading among people in a region
Ethno	race, people	Ethnic – pertaining to a defined group of people; Ethnocentric – focusing on the ethnicity of people; Ethnology – the science of people and races.
Ego	Self	Egoistic – self-centered; Alter ego – a higher aspect of oneself; Egomania – excessive preoccupation with oneself.
Fore	in front of, previous, earlier	Forebear – ancestor; Forebode – to give an advance warning of something bad; Forecast – a preview of events to be.
Fug	flee, run away, escape	Fugitive – a person who is running away; Refuge – a sheltered place to flee to; Refugee – a person seeking protection
Gastro	Stomach	Gastritis – Inflammation of the stomach lining Gastroenterologist – Doctor specialized in the study of stomach and intestinal disorders
Hepa	Liver	Hepatitis – Inflammation of the liver Hepatic – Relating to the liver
Hept	Seven	Heptagon – Figure with seven sides Heptathlon – Athletic event having seven events
Inter	between	Interconnect – Connect with each other Interdepend – Depend on each other
Intra, intro	within, inside	Intrastate – existing in one state; Intravenous – inside or into a vein; Introvert – shy person who keeps within him/herself.
Ir	not	Irredeemable – not redeemable; Irreformable – not reformable; Irrational – not rational.
Jud	law	Judgment – a decision of a court of law; Judicial – having to do with judges or courts of law; Judiciary – a system of courts of law.
Junct	join	Conjunction – a word that joins parts of sentences; Disjunction – a disconnection; Junction – a place where two things join.
Kilo	thousand	Kilogram – Thousand grams Kilolitre – Thousand litres
Loqu, locu	speak	Eloquent – speaking beautifully and forcefully ; Loquacious – very talkative; Elocution – art of public speaking.
Lumin	light	Illuminate – to fill with light; Lumen – unit measuring light.
Macro	large, great	Macroevolution – large scale evolution; Macromolecule – a large molecule; Macroeconomics – study of the overall forces of economy.
Magn/a/i	great, large	Magnify – make larger; Magnificent – grand; Magnate – a powerful person, especially in business or industry.
Narr	Tell	Narrate – To tell a story Narrator – Person who tells a story.
Nov	New	Novelty – Newness or originality Novice – Beginner
Oct	Eight	Octagon – Figure with eight sides Octave – Stanza of eight lines
Ocu	Eye	Ocular – Connected with the eyes Oculist – Specialist in the medical treatment of eye disorders
Omni	All	Omnipresent – Present everywhere at the same time Omnivorous – Eating all kinds of foods
Purg	clean	Purge – remove anything undesirable; Purgatory – place where souls must clean themselves of sin; Expurgate – remove objectionable passages from a publication.
Put	think	Computer – an electronic thinking device; Dispute – to disagree with what another person thinks; Input – contribution of one’s thinking.
Pyr/o	fire, heat	Pyrotechnics – the art of making fireworks; Pyrometer – a thermometer for measuring high temperature; Pyretic – relating to or producing fever.
Quad/r/ri	four	Quadrant – open space with buildings on 4 sides; Quadrennium – period of 4 years; Quadruped – a 4-footed animal.
Quart	fourth	Quarter – one fourth; Quart – a fourth of a gallon; Quartet – a musical composition or group involving 4 voices or instruments.
Retro	backward, back	Retroactive – relating to something in the past; Retrogress – to go back to an earlier condition; Retrospect – the remembering of past events.
Rid	Laugh	Deride – to make fun of someone; Ridicule – to make fun or mock; Ridiculous – silly, causing laughter.
Struct	Build	Construct – to build; Destruction – the act of destroying something that was built; Structure – something built; Infrastructure – underlying framework of a system.
Trans	Across	Transpacific – Across the Pacific Ocean Transnational – Across national boundaries
Tri	Three	Triangle – Figure with three sides Triathlon – Athletic event having three events
Uni	One	Unitarian – People who believes God is one person Unique – One of a kind
Vince	Conquer	Invincible – One who cannot be conquered Convince – Persuade a person

How should you learn using Root Word Dictionary?

Keep this detailed A to Z root word dictionary handy whenever you come across unknown words or roots and learn new words from this. You should also try to remember words by grouping them as per the word root.