Common Root Classifications
Admit it, at one point in your life as a nursing student/ Registered Nurse, you have encountered unfamiliar words in patient’s charts and nursing books that have left you clueless and thinking. It may seem impossible to be able to learn all of those in a short span of time, but there are techniques on how to make understanding those strange words a bit easier such as a list of common root classifications (e.g. body components, quantity, description, etc.).
Roots of Bodily Concepts
| Bodily Concept | Greek Root | Latin Root | Other Root |
| Digestion | -pepsia | – | – |
| Disease | -pathy | – | – |
| Eating | -phagia | – | – |
Roots of body parts and components
(Internal Anatomy, External Anatomy, Body Fluids, Body Substances)
| Body Part/Component | Greek Root | Latin Root | Other Root |
| abdomen | lapar(o)- | abdomin- | – |
| aorta | aort(o)- | aort(o)- | – |
| arm | brachi(o)- | – | – |
| armpit | – | axill- | – |
| artery | arteri(o)- | – | – |
| back | – | dors- | – |
| big toe | – | allic- | – |
| bladder | cyst(o)- | vesic(o)- | – |
| blood | haemat-, hemat- (haem-, hem-) | sangui-, sanguine- | – |
| blood clot | thromb(o)- | – | – |
| blood vessel | angi(o)- | vascul-, vas- | – |
| body | somat-, som- | corpor- | – |
| bone | oste(o)- | ossi- | – |
| bone marrow, marrow | myel(o)- | medull- | – |
| brain | encephal(o)- | cerebr(o)- | – |
| breast | mast(o)- | mamm(o)- | – |
| chest | steth(o)- | – | – |
| cheek | – | bucc- | – |
| ear | ot(o)- | aur- | – |
| eggs, ova | oo- | ov- | – |
| eye | ophthalm(o)- | ocul(o)- | optic(o)[French] |
| eyelid | blephar(o)- | cili-; palpebr- | – |
| face | – | faci(o)- | – |
| fallopian tubes | salping(o)- | – | – |
| fat, fatty tissue | lip(o)- | adip- | – |
| finger | dactyl(o)- | digit- | – |
| forehead | – | front(o)- | – |
| gallbladder | cholecyst(o)- | fell- | – |
| genitals, sexually undifferentiated | gon(o)-, phall(o)- | – | – |
| gland | aden(o)- | – | – |
| glans penis or clitoridis | balan(o)- | – | – |
| gums | – | gingiv- | – |
| hair | trich(o)- | capill- | – |
| hand | cheir(o)-, chir(o)- | manu- | – |
| head | cephal(o)- | capit(o)- | – |
| heart | cardi(o)- | cordi- | – |
| hip, hip-joint | – | cox- | – |
| horn | cerat(o)- | cornu- | – |
| intestine | enter(o)- | – | – |
| jaw | gnath(o)- | – | – |
| kidney | nephr(o)- | ren- | – |
| knee | gon- | genu- | – |
| lip | cheil(o)-, chil(o)- | labi(o)- | – |
| liver | hepat(o)- (hepatic-) | jecor- | – |
| loins, pubic region | episi(o)- | pudend- | – |
| lungs | pneumon- | pulmon(i)- (pulmo-) | – |
| marrow, bone marrow | myel(o)- | medull- | – |
| mind | psych- | ment- | – |
| mouth | stomat(o)- | or- | – |
| muscle | my(o)- | – | – |
| nail | onych(o)- | ungui- | – |
| navel | omphal(o)- | umbilic- | – |
| neck | trachel(o)- | cervic- | – |
| nerve; the nervous system | neur(o)- | nerv- | – |
| nipple, teat | thele- | papill-, mammill- | – |
| nose | rhin(o)- | nas- | – |
| ovary | oophor(o)- | ovari(o)- | – |
| pelvis | pyel(o)- | pelv(i)- | – |
| penis | pe(o)- | – | – |
| pupil (of the eye) | cor-, core-, coro- | – | – |
| rib | pleur(o)- | cost(o)- | – |
| rib cage | thorac(i)-, thorac(o)- | – | – |
| shoulder | om(o)- | humer(o)- | – |
| sinus | – | sinus- | – |
| skin | dermat(o)- (derm-) | cut-, cuticul- | – |
| skull | crani(o)- | – | – |
| stomach | gastr(o)- | ventr(o)- | – |
| testis | orchi(o)-, orchid(o)- | – | – |
| throat (upper throat cavity) | pharyng(o)- | – | – |
| throat (lower throat cavity/voice box]) | laryng(o)- | – | – |
| thumb | – | pollic- | – |
| tooth | odont(o)- | dent(i)- | – |
| tongue | gloss-, glott- | lingu(a)- | – |
| toe | dactyl(o)- | digit- | – |
| tumour | cel-, onc(o)- | tum- | – |
| ureter | ureter(o)- | ureter(o)- | – |
| urethra | urethr(o)-, urethr(a)- | urethr(o)-, urethr(a)- | – |
| urine, urinary System | ur(o)- | urin(o)- | – |
| uterine tubes | sarping(o)- | sarping(o)- | – |
| uterus | hyster(o)-, metr(o)- | uter(o)- | – |
| vagina | colp(o)- | vagin- | – |
| vein | phleb(o)- | ven- | – |
| vulva | episi(o)- | vulv- | – |
| womb | hyster(o)-, metr(o)- | uter(o)- | – |
| wrist | carp(o)- | carp(o)- | – |
Roots of Color
| Color | Greek Root in English | Latin Root in English | Other Root |
| black | melano- | nigr- | – |
| blue | cyano- | – | – |
| gray, grey | polio- | – | – |
| green | chlor(o)- | vir- | – |
| purple | porphyr(o)- | purpur-, purpureo- | – |
| red | erythr(o)-, rhod(o)- | rub-, rubr- | – |
| red-yellow | cirrh(o)- | – | – |
| white | leuc-, leuk- | alb- | – |
| yellow | xanth(o)- | flav- | jaun – [French] |
Roots of description
[Size, Shape, Strength, etc.]
| Description | Greek Root in English | Latin Root in English | Other Root |
| bad, incorrect | cac(o)-, dys- | mal(e)- | – |
| bent, crooked | ankyl(o)- | prav(i)- | – |
| big | mega-, megal(o)- | magn(i)- | – |
| biggest | megist- | maxim- | – |
| broad, wide | eury- | lat(i)- | – |
| cold | cry(o)- | frig(i)- | – |
| dead | necr(o)- | mort- | – |
| equal | is(o)- | equ(i)- | – |
| false | pseud(o)- | fals(i)- | – |
| female, feminine | thely- | – | – |
| flat | platy- | plan(i)- | – |
| good, well | eu- | ben(e)-, bon(i)- | – |
| great | mega-, megal(o)- | magn(i)- | – |
| hard | scler(o)- | dur(i)- | – |
| heavy | bar(o)- | grav(i)- | – |
| hollow | coel(o)- | cav(i)- | – |
| huge | megal(o)- | magn(i)- | – |
| incorrect, bad | cac(o)-, dys- | mal(e)- | – |
| irregular | poikil(o) | – | |
| large; extremely large | mega- | magn(i)- | – |
| largest | megist- | maxim- | – |
| long | macr(o)- | long(i)- | – |
| male, masculine | arseno- | vir- | – |
| narrow | sten(o)- | angust(i)- | – |
| new | neo- | nov(i)- | – |
| normal, correct | orth(o)- | rect(i)- | – |
| old | paleo- | veter- | – |
| sharp | oxy- | ac- | – |
| short | brachy- | brev(i)- | – |
| small | micr(o)- | parv(i)- (rare) | – |
| smallest | – | minim- | – |
| slow | brady- | tard(i)- | – |
| fast | tachy- | celer- | – |
| soft | malac(o)- | moll(i)- | – |
| straight | orth(o)- | rect(i)- | – |
| thick | pachy- | crass(i)- | – |
| varied, various | poikilo- | vari- | – |
| well, good | eu- | ben(e)- | – |
| wide, broad | eury- | lat(i)- | – |
Roots of position
| Description | Greek Root in English | Latin Root in English | Other Root |
| around | peri- | circum- | – |
| left | levo- | laev(o)-, sinistr- | – |
| middle | mes(o)- | medi- | – |
| right | dexi(o)- | dextr(o)- | – |
| surrounding | peri- | circum- | – |
Roots of quantity
(Amount, Quantity)
| Description | Greek Root in English | Latin Root in English | Other Root |
| double | diplo- | dupli- | – |
| equal | iso- | equi- | – |
| few | oligo- | pauci- | – |
| half | hemi- | semi- | demi- (French) |
| many, much | poly- | multi- | – |
| twice | dis- | bis- | – |
Sources:
Liane Clores, RN MAN
Currently an Intensive Care Unit nurse, pursuing a degree in Master of Arts in Nursing Major in Nursing Service Administration. Has been a contributor of Student Nurses Quarterly, Vox Populi, The Hillside Echo and the Voice of Nightingale publications. Other experience include: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Obstetric, Emergency and Recovery Room Nursing.
