My Personal GRE Preparation Article: Root Words (Vocab)

Introduction

The roots of a word are the basic units of meaning that a word is made from.

• Take the word “transportation” Its root, “trans” means “across” or “beyond” and it gives the word its basic sense of movement from one place to another.
• Take the word “outstanding” It can be broken up into “out” and “stand” which gives a clue that it refers to something that “stands out”.

The majority of roots in GRE words have their origins in either Greek or Latin. A positive aspect of this is that we are already familiar with a significant number of them.

• Anti ==> Against ==> eg: Antidote, Antibiotic, etc
• Alter ==> Other ==> eg: Alternate, Alternative, etc

So, are you ready to dominate the GRE’s vocabulary? Let’s dive into the essential root words that make those tricky terms tick.

Aqu?—?Water

• Aquarium: A Fish Tank.
• Aqueduct: A pipe or channel that carries a huge volume of water.
• Aquifers: Bedrocks that holds ground water.
• Aqueous: Refers to something related to or containing water.

Agr?—?Land,?Field

• Agriculture: A large-scale farming enterprise.
• Agrarian: Something relating to farms or farming.
• Agronomy: The science of soil management and crop production.
• Peregrination: A long journey or act of traveling from place to place, especially by foot.

Alter?—?Other

• Alter: To make something different from what it was.
• Alternative: Another choice.
• Altruistic: If someone is altruistic, they care more about other people and their interests than themselves.
• Alternate: A pattern having the first one and then the other.
• Altercation: A noisy or heated argument.
• Alterego: Other self, a close friend or inseparable companion.
• Adultery: An Extramarital affair that willfully interferes with marriage relation.
• Adulterate: To make something impure or of lesser quality by adding inferior or harmful substances.

Temp?—?Time

• Temporary: Lasting for a limited time or not permanent.
• Contemporary: Exisitng at the same time as something else or at the current time.
• Tempo: The speed at which the musical composition is played.
• Temporal: Describes something that is limited by time or temporary in nature.
• Tempest: A violent commotion or disturbance.
• Extemporaneous: Unprepared.
• Contretemps: An unexpected and unfortunate event that disrupts the flow of what is transpiring.

Aud?—?Hear

• Audible: Something loud enough to be clearly heard.
• Audience: Group of people who gather to watch or listen to a performance, presentation, or event.
• Auditorium: The area of a concert hall where the audience sits.
• Audition:?. It is a process through which performers showcase their talents to be considered for a specific role or position.

Voc,Vok?—?Call,Summon

• Vocal: Relating to the voice.
• Revoke: To call back, withdraw.
• Advocate: A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause, policy, or idea.
• Invoke: Summon into action or existence.
• Provoke: To call forth or intentionally stir up emotions, feelings, and responses.
• Evoke: Call forth emotions, feelings, and responses.
• Convoke: To bring people together for a formal gathering.
• Vocation: A regular occupation, a calling.
• Vociferous: Expressing openions loudly and strongly because they wan to be heard.
• Irrevocable: Impossible to change, reverse, or stop.
• Equivocal: Open to two or more interpretations.
• Unequivocal: Adimitting of no doubt or misunderstanding.

Man?—?Hand

• Manicure: Care of the hands.
• Manufacture: Make into a product.
• Manual: Work done with the hands.
• Manipulate: Influence or control shrewdly.
• Maneuver: Direct the course of something.
• Manager: One who controls resources and expenditures.
• Manacle: A device used to chain someone’s wrist or ankles together.
• Legerdemain: Skillful use of one’s hands, usually to deceive someone.
• Emancipation: Freeing someone from the control or hand of another.
• Manumission: The formal act of freeing someone from slavery.
• Manuscript: It is a handwritten or typed document, typically an author’s original work or a copy of it, before it is typeset and printed.

Termin?—?Boundary, End,?Limit

• Terminate: To end or dismiss from employment.
• Terminal: Final, ulitmate, occurring at the end.
• Determine: Figuring it out or deciding the limit.
• Terminology: A system of words used to name things withing some defined limits.
• Interminable: Infinitely long, and doesnot plan to terminate.
• Exterminate: To kill something or get rid of something.
• Coterminous: Having the same boundaries.
• Terminus: A place where something is complete.

Tact, Tang, Tig, Ting?—?Touch

• Contact: Coming together or touching of things.
• Tangent: Touching at a single point.
• Tangible: Something that can be touched and thus considered real.
• Contagious: It refers to a disease that is transmissible by direct or indirect contact.
• Contiguous: Adjecnt or sharing a boundary.
• Intact: Refers to something that is untouched or not been altered.
• Contingency: It is a potential future event or circumstance that might occur.
• Tactile: Something that can be physically touched.
• Tactful: It is an adjective that describes someone who is skilled at dealing with people and difficult situations in a way that avoids causing offense.
• Integral: An essential part of soemthing.
• Contingent: Dependant on something else.

Scrib, Script?—?Write

• Describe: To provide details, explanations, or portrayals in words
• Prescription: Laying down rules or directions to follow.
• Manuscript: Written by hand.
• Transcribe: To make a written copy.
• Circumscribe: Limit or restrict inside a circular body.
• Scribble: Write down quickly without much attention to details.
• Proscribe: It means to prohibit, condemn, or officially forbid something.
• Ascribe: It involves assigning credit, responsibility, or explanation for a particular occurrence or trait.
• Inscribe: It means to write or carve words, symbols, or characters onto a surface, such as stone, paper, or metal.
• Nondescript: It suggests that the object, person, or thing is unremarkable, ordinary, or difficult to describe because it doesn’t stand out in any significant way.
• Postscript (PS): It is a note or message appended to the end of a letter, typically written after the writer’s signature.Scripture: The sacred writings of the Christian religion.

Log, Logue, Logy?—?Word, Study, Proportion or Reasoning

• Logic: Study of principles of reasoning.
• Psychology: Study of the nature and functioning of the mind.
• Homologous: Similar in structure, function or value. Possibly having the same ancestor or origin.
• Analogous: A comparision between two thing to highlight some similar aspects.
• Prologue: It refers to any introductory part of a discourse or event.
• Epilogue: It refers to a concluding part of a discourse or event.
• Neologism: A new word or expression or an existing word used with a new meaning.
• Etymology: Study of the origin of words.
• Genealogy: Study of one’s family history.
• Eulogy: It is a speech or piece of writing that praises and commemorates someone who has recently died.
• Apologia: A formal defense or justification of a belief, an idea or a mode of conduct.
• Monologue: It is a speech or a long, uninterrupted piece of spoken expression by a single person.

Dic, Dict?—?Speak,?Say

• Predict: Guess/Say something before it actually happend.
• Dictate: Say words to another person.
• Addict: Speak heavily towards something.
• Contradict: Say against something.
• Dedicate: To say something about or for another.
• Indicate: To point out something by speaking.
• Edic: A command which one has to say out loud.
• Benediction: Giving blessing or saying out good.
• Malediction: Giving curse or saying out evil.
• Valedictorian: One who says farewell.
• Verdict: To speak the truth.
• Vindicate: To speak up and be free from something.
• Predicament: A result of speaking too quickly or before one should.
• Abdicate: To announce giving up responsibility (resignation from a company).
• Judicious: Saying the right things, sound judgement.

Fac, Fact, Fect, Fic?—?Make,?Do

• Manufacture: Make something.
• Facility: Easy to do.
• Effective: Capable of doing.
• Satisfaction: Done enough.
• Malefactor: Evil-Doer.
• Banefactor: Good-Dooer.
• Fictive: Made up.
• Prolific: Fertile or will make alot.
• Artifact: Made by human skill.
• Petrifaction: The act of making something rigid.
• Stupefaction: The act of making someone amazed or shocked.

Graph?—?Write

• Autograph: Written signature of a person.
• Graphic: Detailed written/drawn description of something.
• Biography: Writing of someones life.
• Geography: Writing about the earth.
• Chreography: Writing of dance steps.
• Photography: Writing of picture using advance tech.
• Telegraphy: Writing from far away.
• Graffiti: Writing on walls.
• Calligraphy: Writing which is beautiful.
• Bibliography: Writing about the books used.

Mor, Mort?—?Death

• Mortal: One that can die.
• Immortal: One that cannot die.
• Post-Moterm: Analysis of a dead body to determine the cause of death.
• Mortuary: A place where dead bodies are kept before burial.
• Mortician: A funeral director who directly deals with the death of people.
• Rigor Mortis: The stiffness of death.
• Mortgage: A loan that becomes dead after payment.
• Moribund: Someone who is being in a state of dying.
• Mortify: Process of making something dead or lifeless.

Ped, Pod?—?Foot

• Biped: Having two feet.
• Pedometer: Measuring instrument for recording number of steps.
• Quadruped: Having four feet.
• Impede: Something that restricts or obstructs forward movement.
• Expedite: Something that facilitate the progress of something.
• Pedestrian: Travelling on foot.
• Expedient: Something that is convenient, practical, or suitable for achieving a particular purpose.
• Centipede: Something that looks like it has 100’s of legs.
• Pedestal: A support or foundation for standing.

Vac, Van, Void?—?Empty, Desolated, Ravaged

• Vacant: Empty.
• Vain: Characteristics of empty pride.
• Vanish: Disappear.
• Avoid: To stay away from.
• Evacuation: To empty or withdraw.
• Vacate: To cease to occupy.
• Vaunt: Show off.
• Vainglorious: Having empty or false pride.
• Evanescent: Vanishing quickly.
• Devoid: It describes a state of being entirely lacking or empty of something
• Vacuous: Empty or blank.

Ver?—?True

• Verdict: Decision of a jury.
• Verify: Confirm the truth.
• Veracious: Habitually speaking the truth.
• Verity: The truth of something.
• Veritable: Authentic
• Aver: To testify the truth.
• Veracity: Truthfulness or Accuracy.
• Verisimilitude: State of appearance of the truth.

Phil?—?Love

• Philosophy: Love of wisdom.
• Philanthropy: Overall love for humans in general.
• Audiophil: One who loves to music.
• Bibliophile: One who loves books.
• Anglophile: One who loves british.
• Hemophilia: Congentional tendency to uncontrolled bleeding.
• Philology: It is the study of language in historical texts.
• Philanderer: It is someone who engages in casual relationships, especially sexual ones, often without a long-term commitment.
• Philatelist: A person who loves to collect and study postage stamps.

Phon?—?Sound

• Telephone: Instrument used for transmitting and receiving sound.
• Megaphone: A cone shaped instrument used to intensify the human voice.
• Microphone: An instrument which converts sound waves into electrical energy.
• Symphony: A long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra.
• Saxophone: The saxophone is a musical instrument that belongs to the woodwind family.

• Xylophone: The xylophone is a musical instrument that belongs to the percussion family.
• Phonic: About sound.
• Phonetics: Branch of study that concerns itslef with sound of speech.
• Euphonious: Plesant sounding.
• Cacophony: A loud, unplesant mixture of sound.
• Polyphonic: Consisting of many sounds.

Tempr?—?Regulate, Modify

• Temperature: Degree of hot or cold.
• Tempered: Made hard or flexible especially by heat treatment.
• Temperance: It generally refers to moderation, self-restraint, and avoiding excess. It is a concept that encourages individuals to exercise control over their actions, particularly in areas such as consumption of food, drink, or other indulgences.
• Contemplate: When someone contemplates, they engage in a process of reflection, pondering ideas or situations with a controlled and often prolonged focus.
• Temperamental: It describes someone or something characterized by a tendency to exhibit strong and unpredictable moods, behaviors, or attitudes.
• Intemperate: Lack of self-control, or indulgence to an extreme degree.
• Temperate: One who has achieve self-control.

Somn?—?Sleep

• Insomnia: Chronic sleeplessness.
• Somniloquist: One who talks in his sleep.
• Somnolent: Something that induces sleep.
• Somnambulist: One who walks in his sleep.

Soph?—?Clever,?Wise

• Philosophy: Love of wisdom.
• Sophisticated: Experienced, Cultured, Wordly.
• Sophistry: False or clevar argument.
• Sophism: False argument in the hope of deceiving someone.
• Sophomoric: Behavior, ideas, or attitudes characteristic of a sophomore, which is a student in their second year of college.

Stru, Struct?—?Build, Arranged?Patterns

• Construct: Build something.
• Instruct: Provide knowledge.
• Instrument: Originally referred to a tool that is used to construct something.
• Destruct: Destroy.
• Obstruct: Hinder the progress of accomplishment.
• Construe: Explain the meaning of something in a particular way.
• Misconstrue: To understand incorrectly.

Ped?—?Child, Education

• Pediatrics: It is a branch of medicine that focuses on the health and medical care of infants, children, and adolescents.
• Encyclopedia: A book containing knowledge on various topics.
• Pedant: A bookish person.
• Pedagogy: The methods and strategies used in teaching.
• Pedagogue: The term is often used to describe someone who is particularly focused on the formal or systematic aspects of education, emphasizing instruction, discipline, and guidance.
• Pedantry: It refers to an excessive concern with formal rules, details, or minor points of learning, often to the point of being overly concerned with precision and accuracy, especially in language or academic contexts. A person who engages in pedantry is called a “pedant.”

Prot?—?First

• Prototype: The initial model of a to be completed product.
• Protocol: It refers to a set of rules to be followed from the start.
• Protein: One of lifes chief or first components.
• Protagonist: The main character in a drama or a movie.
• Protean: It is an adjective derived from the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape at will. In general it refers to something that is versatile, capable of assuming various forms.
• Protozoa: The first animal.

Omn, Omni?—?All, Everywhere

• Omnivorous: Eating both veg and non-veg.
• Omnipresent: Present everywhere.
• Omniscient: Knows it all.
• Omnipotent: All powerful, God.
• Omnibus: A vehicle for all.

Path, Pathy, Pathos?—?Emotion, Suffering, Feeling

• Sympathy: Feeling of pity.
• Empathy: Ability to understand someone.
• Antipathy: A strong feeling of dislike or hostility.
• Apathy: Lack of intrest or unenthusiastic involvement.
• Pathetic: Something that evokes pity, sympathy, or compassion.
• Pathology: Study of the essential nature of diseases.
• Psychopath: A mentally unstable person with an absence of empathy for others.
• Sociopathic: Exhibiting antisocial behaviour.

Nasc, Nat, Nate, Nant?—?Birth,?Born

• Native: Born in that environment.
• Pregnant: Carrying a child before birth.
• Renascence: Rebirth.
• Natal: Dating from birth.
• Innate: It refers to characteristics that are inherent, natural, or present from birth
• Nascent: Something just starting to develop.

Nomen?—?Name

• Nominee: A person name in connection with a grant.
• Nomenclature: Naming convention.
• Nominal: Relatively insignificant.
• Cognomen: A surname or nickname.
• Misnomer: Wrong name.
• Ignomity: A situation in which someone feels publicly embarrassed.

Loqu, Loquy, Locut?—?Speak,?Talk

• Loquacious: Talkative.
• Soliloquy: Talking to oneself, usually during plays.
• Circumlocution: Evasive language.
• Ventriloquist: Speaks without moving their lips.
• Colloquy: High level discussion.
• Eloquent: Beautifully expressive in speech.
• Grandiloquent: Exaggerated talking.
• Interlocutor: It refers to a person who takes part in a conversation or dialogue.

Magn?—?Large,?Great

• Magnitude: A number for how much greater is something.
• Magnificient: Grand.
• Magnanimous: Great mind or spirit.
• Magnify: Increase in size.
• Magnate: A rich and powerful person in a industry.
• Magniloquent: A person or text that, uses impressive and often extravagant words and expressions to convey a sense of importance.

Luc, Lux, Lum, Lumin?—?Light, Brightness, Clarity

• Lucent: Emitting light, clear.
• Translucent: Partially allowing light to pass through.
• Illuminate: Make something visible by shining light on it, help to clarify.
• Lucid: Think clearly with great understanding.
• Pellucid: Easy to understand or extremely clear.
• Elucidate: Make something easier to understand by providing relevant information.
• Luminary: A very bright professional.

Mal?—?Bad,?Evil

• Malaria: A disease caused by mosquito bitr.
• Malicious: Prone to do evil. (virus in a pendrive)
• Malefactor: Evil doer.
• Maleficent: One who can be associated with evil things.
• Malign: Speak evil about.
• Malignant: Having the potential to cause harm or suffering.
• Dismal: Used to describe a bad or depressing day.

Fid?—?Faith,?Trust

• Affidavit: Official document made under oath to ensure that it is trustworthy.
• Confident: Having faith in oneself.
• Diffident: Not having faith in oneself.
• Fidelity: It generally refers to faithfulness, loyalty, and the quality of being reliable or accurate.
• Perfidy: Refers to the act of deliberate betrayal, treachery, or the violation of trust and faithfulness
• Infidel: An unbeliever.

Grat, Grace?—?Favor, Pleasing, Welcome

• Gratitude: Thankfulness.
• Congratulate: To express joy or praise to someone for an achievement or a positive event.
• Ingrate: Some one ungrateful.
• Gratuity: Gifiting money in return for services.
• Grace: It is associated with qualities like elegance, kindness, and divine favor.
• Ingratiate: To gain something by doing or saying things that will please.
• Gratuitous: Someone who does something without payment or compensation (big heart).
• Gratification: Satisfaction or pleasure.

Fract, Frag, Frang, Fring?—?Break

• Fracture: Result of breaking especially bone.
• Fragile: Something that can break easily.
• Fragment: A broken-off piece of something.
• Frangible: Abe to be broken.
• Infringe: Breaking of a oath or pledge.

Equ?—?Equal

• Equator: Line of a latitude that divides earth into equal halves.
• Equation: Condition of two sides of a mathematical equation being equal.
• Inequity: Not fair, unequal.
• Equidistant: At equal distance from.
• Equivocal: It implies maintaining an equal or neutral stance on both sides of the argument.
• Equinox: A time of equal light and darkness.
• Equanimity: A state of mind being equal or peaceful.
• Adequate: Equal to what is needed.

Duc, Duct?—?Lead

• Conductor: Can lead electricity easily.
• Produce: An item that is led forth.
• Deduce: Determine something by leading down a logical path.
• Reduce: To lead back.
• Educate: To lead forth especially in teaching.
• Seduce: To lead forth especially in a sexual way
• Abduct: Kidnap some one or lead them away.
• Aqueduct: A channel for water, water is lead along it.
• Traduce: Lead down the wrong path.
• Ductile: Easily led or influenced.
• Induct: Lead through a formal ceremony.

Cred?—?Believe or?Trust

• Credit: Believe or trust.
• Incredible: Hard to believe.
• Creditor: One who belives in a clients ability to pay money.
• Credentials: Attributes that help to gain trust.
• Discredit: Do not belive in this.
• Credibility: How believable people think you are.
• Incredulous: Unable to believe.
• Creed or Credo: They are commonly associated with religious traditions and are used to articulate the fundamental beliefs of a particular faith.
• Credulous: Believing something too easily.

Corp?—?Body

• Incorporate: To make part of the body.
• Corporation: Municipal corporation is a body that governs the working of the city.
• Corpse: Dead body.
• Corporal: Affecting the body as opposed to the mind. (physical punishment)
• Corporeal: The physical or material world.
• Corpulent: Some one whoes body is fat.
• Corpuscle: A small body like a red blood cell.

Dem?—?People

• Pendemic: A diseases that has spread all over the world and affects all people.
• Epidemic: A diseases that has spread in a particular region and affects the people of that region.
• Endemic: Refers to the “constant” presence and circulation of a disease within a specific geographic area or population.
• Democratic: Idea that all people are equal.
• Demographic: “Demography” is the study of people and their patterns, which includes factors such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and more.
• Demagogue: Refers to a political leader who appeals to the emotions, prejudices, and fears of the public, often using populist and manipulative tactics.

Ben?—?Good,?Well

• Benefit: Something good because it provides advantage.
• Beneficiary: Someone who will receive the benefit of something. (generally money in terms of banks)
• Benevolent: Wishing to do good or Kind.
• Benign: Kind, gentle or harmless.
• Benefactor: A person who will do good to someone.
• Benediction: Typically seeks to convey blessings.

Capit?—?Head

• Captain: The head of ship.
• Capital: The head of a state.
• Capitulate: Bow the head or surrender.
• Recapitulate: Become head again.
• Precipitate: Related to head downwards.
• Decapitate: Cut off the head.

Anim?—?Life, Soul,?Mind

• Animal: Something that has life.
• Animate: Make something live.
• Magnanimous: Great mind or spirit.
• Unanimous: Being of single mind.
• Equanimity: Balanced mind.
• Pusillanimity: Small mind or cowardly.
• Animadversion: Mind is against some one.
• Animosity or Animus: Dislike.

Arch?—?First,?Cheif

• Architect: Some one who creates plan for a task.
• Archangel: The highest ranking angel.
• Archenemy: The principal enemy.
• Monarch: A head of state.
• Autarch: Chief ruler.
• Archipelago: A chief or principal sea, indicating a group of islands closely scattered in a body of water, typically forming a chain.
• Archetype: They are fundamental and original (first) patterns that serve as universal prototypes.

Anthrop?—?Man

• Anthropology: Study of human.
• Anthropic: Relating to humans.
• Anthropomorphic: Representing a human shape.
• Misanthrope: One who hates human.
• Philanthropist: One who loves human.
• Anthropoid: Human like in shape.

Chron?—?Time

• Chronic: Occurring again and again for a long period of time.
• Synchronized: Happening at the same time.
• Chronological: According to the order of time.
• Anachronism: Something that is mentioned as existing out of its appropiate historical time frame. (bullock cart in age of space travel)
• Chronicle: It is a historical record of events arranged in chronological order.
• Crony: Some one you spend time with. (friend)

Cord?—?Heart

• Discord: Disagreement, two hearts are apart.
• Concord: Agreement, the hearts are together.
• Accord: In agreement or harmony.
• Record: To remember something byheart.
• Cordial: A hearwarming greeting.

Cogn?—?Know or?Learn

• Incognito: To not known by others.
• Recognize: To acknowledge someone's presence.
• Cognition: The ability or act of knowing.
• Cognizable: Offense that a police officer can take action against once he learns or knows it.
• Cognoscentic: Experts who know.
• Precognition: Learn beforehand.
• Reconnaissance: Learning to gain information. (Detective)

Hey, rockstar! Guess what? We just tackled 50 awesome root words, and those funky images are like memory magic to help you lock in those meanings.

Guess what’s coming up next in my articles? We’re diving into the world of prefixes and suffixes. It’s like leveling up your word wizardry!

Sending you all the good vibes for your exam?—?you’ve got this! If my study hacks brought a smile to your face, how about giving me a follow on Medium and LinkedIn ? Here’s to crushing that GRE vocab game! ??

This article was originally published by me on medium.