Master List of Morphemes

Suffixes, Prefixes, Roots

Suffix
-er
-er

Meaning
one who, that which
more

*Syntax
noun
adjective

Exemplars
teacher, clippers, toaster
faster, stronger, kinder

-ly

to act in a way that is

adverb

kindly, decently, firmly

-able
-ible

capable of, or worthy of

capable of, or worthy of

adjective
adjective

honorable, predictable
terrible, responsible, visible

-hood

condition of being

noun

childhood, statehood, falsehood

-ful

full of, having

adjective

wonderful, spiteful, dreadful

-less

without

adjective

hopeless, thoughtless, fearless

-ish

somewhat like

adjective

childish, foolish, snobbish

-ness

condition or state of

noun

happiness, peacefulness, fairness

-ic

relating to

adjective

energetic, historic, volcanic

-ist
-ian
-or
-eer

one who
one who
one who
one who

noun
noun
noun
noun

pianist, balloonist, specialist

librarian, historian, magician
governor, editor, operator
mountaineer, pioneer, commandeer,
profiteer, engineer, musketeer

o-logy

study of

noun

biology, ecology, mineralogy

-ship

art or skill of, condition,

rank, group of

noun

leadership, citizenship, companionship,

kingship

-ous

full of, having,

possessing

adjective

joyous, jealous, nervous, glorious,

victorious, spacious, gracious

-ive

tending to

adjective

active, sensitive, creative

-age

result of an action

noun

marriage, acreage, pilgrimage

-ant
-ant

a condition or state
a thing or a being

adjective
noun

elegant, brilliant, pregnant

mutant, coolant, inhalant

Page 1
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)

-ent

noun

student, president, nutrient

-ent

someone who,
something that
inclined to

adjective

different, fluent, persistent

-ment

state or act of

noun

payment, basement, improvement

-ary
-ary
-ary

place for, collection of

relating to, condition
one who

noun
adjective
noun

glossary, granary, library

secondary, military, necessary
secretary, dignitary, emissary

-ize
-ise

to make
to make

verb
verb

hypnotize, fertilize, centralize

advise, advertise, improvise

-ure

action or condition of

noun

moisture, mixture, pleasure

-ion
-ation

act or condition
act or condition

noun
noun

action, friction, fusion, mission

starvation, condensation

-ance
-ence

act or condition of
act or condition of

noun
noun

assistance, endurance, importance

persistence, excellence, confidence

-ity

state or quality of

noun

prosperity, equality, security

-al
(ti)-al
(si)-al

relating to
relating to
relating to

adjective
adjective
adjective

magical, comical, logical

spatial, initial, essential
official, social, artificial

-ate
-ate

to make
state or quality of

adjective

calculate, activate, participate

desolate, ultimate, literate

-tude

condition of

noun

solitude, exactitude, fortitude

-ism

practice, belief

noun

feudalism, racism, monotheism

*The syntax column indicates the most-likely grammatical function of words ending with
the given suffix.
Prefix
de-

Meaning(s)
from, reduce, or opposite

Exemplars
defrost, dethrone, dehydration

dis-

opposite

disagree, disadvantage, dishonest

Page 2
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)

transdia-

across, over, through

across, through

transfer, translate, transcontinental

diagonal, diagnostic, diameter

exe-

out, from
out, from

expel, excavate, expatriate, exhale

erase, evict, emit, evaporate, evacuate

monounibiditrimultipoly-

one, single
one, single
two
two, or in parts
three
many, much
many, much

monoplane, monopoly, monorail

unicycle, unicorn, universal
bicycle, biped, bilateral
digraph, divert, diameter
tricycle, triangle, triune
multicolored, multimillionaire
polygon, polyhedron, polyester

pre-

before

predict, prepare, preheat

post-

after

postwar, postscript, postdate

mal-

bad, evil

malcontent, maladjusted, malnutrition

mis-

wrong, bad

mistake, misspell, misunderstand

bene-

good, well

benefit, beneficial, benediction

pro-

forward, forth, before

protector, procreate, profession

sub-

under, beneath

substitute, subtraction, subway

re-

back, again

rewind, remember, retaliate

interintra-

among, between
within

interstate, internet, interpersonal

intranet, intravenous, intranasal

cocomconcol-

together, with
together, with
together, with
together, with

cooperate, coworker, copilot

company, commit, committee
concur, concert, contingent
colleague, collide, collaborate

benonun-

to, completely
not
not

befriend, belie, belittle, bejeweled

nonsense, nonrefundable, nonprofit
uncomfortable, uncertain, untrue

inim-

not
not

incapable, inedible, intolerant

imperfect, immoral, imbalanced

Page 3
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)

ilir-

not
not

illiterate, illogical, illegal

irregular, irresponsible

in- (im-,
il-, ir-)

in, into, on, upon (this

prefix has two meanings:
not and in)

inside, insert, implant, impostor,

infuriate, inflammable, incandescent

aan-

not, negative
not, negative

amoral, atonal, atheist

anarchist, anomaly, anathema

anti-

against, opposite

contracounter-

against, opposite
against, opposite

antiseptic, anticrime, antitrust,

antisocial
contradict, contrary, contraceptive
counterclockwise, counterfeit,
counterbalance

en-

to cause to be, to put or go

into or onto
to cause to be, to put or go
into or onto

em-

enable, enrich, engulf, enflame

employ, embark, embellish

Greek and Latin roots are often written with slightly varied spellings, as shown below.
The hyphen indicates the most typical connecting vowel (phon-o, hyd-o, etc.)
Greek
Root
astr-o

Meaning(s)

Exemplars

stars, heavens

astronaut, astrology, astronomer

bi-o

life

biography, biosphere, biology

ge-o

earth, rocks

geology, geographer, geothermal

therm

heat, warm

thermostat, thermal, exothermic

aut-o

self

autism, automatic, autoimmune, autograph

hom-o

same, alike

homonym, homogenize, homophone

hydr-o

water

hydrogen, hydrology, hydroelectric

micro

small

microscope, microclimate, microcosm

macro

large

macroclimate, macroevolution

Page 4
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)

phon-o

sound, speech

telephone, phonics, symphony

scope

instrument used
to observe, to see

telescope, microscope, kaleidoscope

graph

written

autograph, telegraph, geographer

phot-o

light

photograph, photon, photobiotic

tele

distant, far

telescope, television, telecommunications

meter,
metr

instrument used
to measure

metric, thermometer, barometer, chronometer

path, pass

suffering, disease

psychopath, pathogen, sympathy, compassion

psych-o

mind, mental

psychology, psychic, psychotropic

pan

all, whole

panorama, panacea, pantomime, pandemonium

zoo

animal

zoology, zootoxin, zoogeography

chron

time

chronic, chronological, synchronized

phobia

fear, intense
dislike

claustrophobia, xenophobic, arachnophobia

Latin Root
port

Meaning(s)
to carry

Exemplars
transport, export, porter, portal, reporter

form

to shape

formation, reform, conform, formulation

tract

to pull

tractor, subtract, detract, traction, retractable

rupt

to break

disrupt, interrupt, rupture, corrupt

spect, spec

to see, to watch

inspect, suspect, spectator, respect, specimen

struct, stru

to build

construct, structure, instruct, construe

dict, dic

to tell, to say

dictionary, dictate, predict, indicate

flec, flex

to bend

flexible, reflector, genuflect, inflection,

Page 5
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)

reflective
cred

to believe

credit, credentials, credulous, incredible

aqua

water

aquatic, aquarium, aquamarine

pel, puls

to drive, push

propel, compel, impel, repel, impulse, pulsate

fact, fac

to make, to do

factory, facilitate, factor, faction, factotum

ject

to throw, to
throw down

inject, projectile, reject, subject, conjecture

vert, vers

to turn

reverse, versatile, convert, revert, divert

mit, mis

to send

missile, missionary, admission, emit, transmit

mort

to die

mortal, mortician, mortuary

script, scrib

to write

scribble, script, scripture, prescription

junct

to join

conjunction, junction, adjunct, juncture

cide

to kill, a killer

suicide, genocide, homicide

press

to force,
squeeze

press, impress, express, compress, repress

to breathe

respire, respiration, respiratory, conspire,

inspire, perspire, expire, spirit, spirited, spiritual

grad, gress

to step

graduate, gradual, gradations, regress, congress,

digress, transgress, egress, progression

cept, capt

to take, seize,
receive

capture, captivity, intercept, exception

spire

Page 6
Master morpheme list from Vocabulary Through Morphemes: Suffixes, Prefixes, and Roots for
Grades 4-12, 2nd Edition, Ebbers, 2010 (www.sopriswest.com)