1. 20 Common Root Words

2. Root Word = mor, mort Meaning = death
Related words = mortal, immortal, mortality, mortician, mortuary
Sentence = Vampires may be immortal; but the rest of us will eventually die.

3. Root Word = magn Meaning = great, big
Related words = magnify, magnificent, magnate, magnification, magnificence
Sentence = I used a magnifying glass to see the tiny petals of the flower.

4. Root Word = hypno or dorm
Meaning = sleep
Related words = hypnosis, hypnotist, hypnotism, hypnophobia, dormitory, dormant
Sentence= When in college, students often live and sleep in a dormitory.

5. Root Word = bibl Meaning = book
Related words = Bible, bibliography, bibliomania, (in Spanish bibliotheca = library, a building that holds books),
Sentence = My teacher wanted me to include a bibliography at the end of my essay.

6. Root Word = ced, ceed, cede, cess
Meaning = move, yield, go, surrender
Related words = procedure, proceed, cede, concede, recede, precede, success
Sentence = You may not proceed to the bathroom without a pass.

7. Root Word = dict Meaning = to speak
Related words = dictionary, dictator, contradict, indictment, diction, verdict
Sentence= Hitler and Castro were famous dictators who told their people what to do.

8. Root Word = spec Meaning = to see or look
Related words = circumspect, perspective, respect, retrospective, spectacle, spectacles, inspect
Sentence= You should always respect your elders even if you do not agree with them.

9. Root Word = bio Meaning = life
Related words = biology, biological, biologist, biography, autobiography, neurobiology, antibiotic, biosphere, symbiosis,
Sentence= In my biology class we learned about live animals and people.

10. Root Word = ject Meaning = to throw
Related words = dejected, trajectory, projectile, eject, reject, subject, injection, projector
Sentence= I ejected the DVD from my DVD player.

11. Root Word = graph Meaning = to write
Related words = autograph, bibliography, paragraph, phonograph, photograph, seismograph, homograph, biography, autobiography
Sentence = My teacher wants me to write a 100 page autobiography by tomorrow!

12. Root Word = ben, bene, bon Meaning = good, positive
Related words = benediction, benefactor, benefit, beneficial, benevolent, benign, bona fide, bon voyage, bonus
Sentence= I hope my boss gives me a bonus tomorrow.

13. Root Word = man (manu) Meaning = hand
Related words = manual, manuscript, manufacture, emancipate, manacles, mandate, manipulate, manicure
Sentence = I got a manicure at the nail salon.

14. Root Word = mit, miss Meaning = to send
Related words = remit, submit, omit, emit, admit, mission, missile, intermission, dismiss
Sentence= My teacher said that the class was dismissed.

15. Root Word = ped (pod) Meaning = foot
Related words = quadruped, biped, centipede, millipede, pseudopod, tripod, pedestrian
Sentence – I used a tripod to hold my camera as I took a picture.

16. Root Word = port Meaning = to carry
Related words = deport, report, export, import, transport, portable, porter, portfolio, support
Sentence= The United States imports and exports many goods.

17. Root Word = script Meaning = write
Related words = manuscript, inscription, postscript, prescription, subscription, transcribe
Sentence = The author wrote his manuscript using his computer.

18. Root Word = geo Meaning = earth
Related words = geology, geographer, geography, geode, geothermal, geometry
Sentence = I took a geography class and learned where all the countries are located on a map.

19. Root Word = astro Meaning = star
Related words = astronomy, astronaut, asterisk, asteroid, disaster, astrophysicist
Sentence = Little kids often want to be an astronaut when they grow up.

20. Root Word = thermo Meaning = heat
Related words = thermometer, thermal, hypothermia, thermodynamic, thermos, thermostat, endothermic, exothermic
Sentence = My thermos keeps my coffee hot all day.

21. Root Word = hydro Meaning = water
Related words = hydroponics, hydrated, dehydrated, hydrogen, hydraulic, hydroplane
Sentence= I got dehydrated because I did not drink water all day long.