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Greek and Latin were the languages of ancient Greece and Rome. I speak Latin. I speak Greek.

Ancient Greece and Rome were in the Mediterranean part of the world. right around here Ancient Greece and Rome were in the Mediterranean part of the world.

Greek and Latin Roots They were very successful civilizations. Through conquest and colonization, they spread their languages across the land for centuries.

The Greek Language The Latin Language I speak Latin. I speak Latin. I speak Greek. I speak Greek. I speak Greek. I speak Latin. I speak Latin. I speak Greek. I speak Greek. I speak Greek. I speak Latin. I speak Latin. I speak Latin. I speak Greek. I speak Greek. The Greek Language Greek and Latin were spoken in the geographical area that represents, more or less, the cradle of Western civilization. This map shows the approximate area of the Ancient Greece, and the area in which the Greek language was spoken in one form or another. Ancient Greece is the civilization belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity and beginning of the Early Middle Ages with the rise of the Byzantine era following Justinian I.[1] At the center of this time period is Classical Greece, which flourished during the 5th to 4th centuries BC, at first under Athenian leadership successfully repelling the military threat of Persian invasion. The Athenian Golden Age ends with the defeat of Athens at the hands of Sparta in the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC. Following the conquests of Alexander the Great, Hellenistic civilization flourished from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece Requires an internet connection. The Latin Language

Greek and Latin roots are word parts that have meaning. Thousands of English words are made from a couple hundred Greek and Latin roots.

Take the word Mediterranean for example.

Mediterranean Latin root is a “middle.” that means

Mediterranean Latin is a root “land.” that means

Mediterranean

Mediterranean middle land Mediterranean means “middle of the land.” (Latin) land (Latin)

Here’s another example… photograph

is a photograph Greek root that means “light.”

graph is a Greek root “drawn” that means

photograph light drawn Photograph means “picture drawn with light.” (Greek) drawn (Greek) Photograph means “picture drawn with light.”

Here’s another one.

bio is a Greek root life that means

is a Greek root ology study that means

biology life study Biology means “the study of living things.” (Greek)

Here’s another example.

uni is a Latin root one that means

cycl is a Greek root circle that means

unicycle one (Latin) circle (Greek) A unicycle has one wheel.

unity together as one

cyclone a circular storm This image file is in the public domain because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted".

unify to make as one

cyclic something that occurs again an again.

unicorn one horn

Knowledge of Greek and Latin roots is important and useful because it gives you the ability to spot patterns…

meritocracy democracy theocracy autocracy bureaucracy I see a pattern here… meritocracy democracy theocracy autocracy bureaucracy

and figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words.

I know that cracy means “a type of government.” So meritocracy must be “a government based on merit.” And technocracy is “a government based on technology.”

Conclusion Greek and Latin roots are word parts that have meaning. If you know the meaning of the most common Greek and Latin roots, you will know the meaning of thousands of English words.

Copyright ©2014 Steven Gipson All rights reserved by the author. Permission to copy for classroom use only. Electronic distribution limited to classroom use only. This product is to be used by a single teacher. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. The product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view without written permission of the author.