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Using prefixes, roots, and endings
∗
to learn new science vocabulary
Brandon Poe
This work is produced by OpenStax-CNX and licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0
†
Abstract
Learning new vocabulary for a science course, like Anatomy and Physiology, requires understanding
the underlying etymology of the words. Often a new term is related to a term that you already know.
1 Building a Vocabulary
The Language of Anatomy (and Physiology)
The history of science and medicine spans many cultures and has been expanded through infusions from
many languages. In the renaissance, many scientic works and concepts were translated into Latin, though
Greek and Arabic sources remained. The establishment of universities necessitated the commonality of
language, which also kept education separated from common people who did not know Latin and could not
understand the very specic jargon which had developed within science.
In the modern word, where education and science are more broadly available, the legacy of these languages
persist. Many students feel they cannot learn science because so much of the vocabulary looks foreign. But,
by looking at the parts of words, and nding relationships between new terms and familiar words, the
language of science is not impossible to learn.
The Anatomy of Language
By looking at the parts of words, you can see how they t together, and what they may mean. This is the
study of etymology (roughly dened). A perfect place to start is with the word etymology itself. It is not
a term from science, but a useful place to start.
Probably, you are comfortable with some clues from how words are constructed. When you see a word
ending in -ology, you probably think of "the study of" as it's meaning. The root of this part of the word
is logos, which can be translated from Greek as reason or word. It is the root of the word logic. Now, to
understand the word etymology, it is only necessary to know what etym- means. The Greek root etymon
means "true sense," which means the etymology of etymology is "the study of the true sense of a word."
Continuing on from etymology, other words with the ending -ology are obviously the study of something.
To nd out what they are the study of, it is only necessary to dene the root of the word. An obvious word
to move on to from here is biology. The root bio- means "life." Most people are comfortable with the idea
that biology is "the study of life" or "the study of living things." Using the roots cyto- or histo- or even
physio-, it is possible to grow a vocabulary.
∗ Version
1.1: Nov 11, 2013 10:03 am -0600
† http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Sources
The denitive source, often, for etymology is the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a compendium of pretty
much all the words used in the English language. It is not always available, as it requires a subscription.
Many libraries will have access to OED.com1 , but there are other sources to use. A favorite is The Online
Etymology Dictionary2 , and Google3 can be very useful, especially with the keyword "etymology" in the
search.
Exercise 1
(Solution on p. 5.)
Exercise 2
(Solution on p. 5.)
Exercise 3
(Solution on p. 5.)
What does cytology mean, most likely, based on the meaning of cyto-?
What does histology mean, most likely, based on the meaning of histo-?
What does physiology mean, most likely, based on the meaning of physio-?
2 Building from bits and pieces
Following a trail
Starting with roots that are known, or at least recognized, a broader vocabulary can be built. Knowing that
cyto- means cell, it is obvious that any word containing that root is related. The words hematocyte and
hepatocyte must be the names of certain types of cells. All that is necessary is to see what the other roots
mean.
If a root seems new, it might be possible to guess its meaning by thinking of other words containing
it. The roots hemato- and hepato- might seem familiar. Does hemato- have anything in common with
hemoglobin? Or is hepatitis a familiar word? Perhaps a hemotocyte is a blood cell, and a hepatocyte is a
liver cell. Now that connections are forming with other words, new parts of the words are becoming clearer.
What is -globin or -itis ?
Common words that contain -itis are meningitis, pancreatitis, or arthritis. The words are related
to disease, or at least inammation. Meningitis might not have a recognizable root, but it is used often,
especially with the modiers bacterial and viral. It is the inammation of the coverings of the central nervous
system (the meninges) in reaction to certain disease-causing agents. Pancreatitis may not have a bacterial
or viral cause, but it is a serious reaction of the pancreas to conditions in the body. And nally, arthritis is
inammation of the joints, suggesting that arthr- is probably a root that means "joint."
Exercise 4
(Solution on p. 5.)
Exercise 5
(Solution on p. 5.)
Which of the following words does not have to do with blood?
A) hemopoiesis
B) hyperglycemia
C) homeostasis
D) hematocrit
Are all three words that have to do with blood using the root hemo in the same way?
What part of the word hyperglycemia is the root hemo ?
1 http://www.oed.com
2 http://etymonline.org
3 http://www.google.com
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3 Perfect endings
Going back to the word hemoglobin, consider the second half of the word, -globin. Considering this, hopefully
the a root similar to the word "globe" jumps out. In fact, the root -glob- really means globular, or globeshaped. But then what does -in mean? Does it just make the word sound better than "hemoglob?"
There are a number of endings used in scientic words that tell you something about the denition of
that word. In the case of -in it is a reference to the molecule being a protein. Most words that end in -in or
-ein are referring to a protein, a word which has the same ending. Other common endings are listed below.
ending
-ase
-ose
-yl
-ol
-ectomy
-gen
-lysis
-one
-oid
meaning
enzyme
sugar, or carbohydrate
molecular group
alcohol, or a molecule containing a hydroxyl group (-OH)
surgical removal (literally "to cut out," from ecto- and -tom
causing or generating
to dissolve
chemical
resembling, or shaped like
example
hydrogenase
sucrose
hydroxyl
ethanol
appendectomy
allergen
dialysis
testosterone
adenoid
Table 1
Ending for grammatical forms
There are a number of endings which have little more use than to indicate which part of speech a word is.
These can be very important in understanding a word in the context that it is used. For example, the word
mucus and the word mucous sound exactly the same and are often used incorrectly. The ending -us is
a Latin ending for a noun. And -ous is the ending for an adjective. The sentence "a mucous membrane
secretes mucus" makes the point of the dierence in these two words.
Many of these endings are likely to be familiar. They are found in much outside of the language of
science. Most people recognize that a word ending in -ly is an adverb. A table of some common endings
that indicate parts of speech are below.
ending
-ar
-al
-ies
-ina
-elle
-ellum
-tor
part of speech
adjective
adjective
plural noun
plural noun
diminutive noun
diminutive noun (see above)
agent noun (as in "is responsible for")
Table 2
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example
granular
arterial
arteries
foramina
organelle
cerebellum
levator
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Exercise 6
(Solution on p. 5.)
Exercise 7
(Solution on p. 5.)
Correct this sentence with the proper forms where indicated: The arteriole ow of blood brings
nutrients to the granulyl cells of the cerebelle, such as glucase.
Which of the following is not a type of chemical or molecule, based on the ending?
A) ketone
B) adenylyl
C) cyclase
D) angina
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Solutions to Exercises in this Module
Solution to Exercise (p. 2)
Cytology is "the study of cells."
Solution to Exercise (p. 2)
Histology is "the study of tissues."
Solution to Exercise (p. 2)
The etymology of physiology suggests that it mean "the study of nature." But "the study of the nature of"
something is probably more accurate.
Solution to Exercise (p. 2)
C) homeostasis
Solution to Exercise (p. 2)
hyperglycEMia, the "h" is not used in that construction, since it would combine with the preceding "c" to
make the "ch" sound.
Solution to Exercise (p. 3)
The arterial ow of blood brings nutrients to the granular cells of the cerebellum, such as glucose.
Solution to Exercise (p. 4)
Angina is a condition that presents with chest pain.
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