WORD FORMATION : AN INTRODUCTION
1 INFOMATHS/MCA/ENGLISH
Word Formation
Words are basically divided in broadly three parts.
1. Words with Roots and Stems: These are the words that have ‘root’, generally from Latin / Greek words. These are the words that are easiest to deal with, once you know about their root words. Root could be anything like ‘EGO’ means ‘I’ and is used in different words like:
Example : Egoist – self-centered person
Egotist – one likes to talk about himself
2.Words with Suffix and Prefix : These are the most common words that have an added word / letters like ‘un’, ‘sub’, ‘dis’, ‘mis’ etc. in the starting, known as ‘prefix; or words / letters like ‘ful’, like’, ous’, ‘ly’ etc., known as ‘suffix’, at the end of other words. Both prefix and suffix can change the meaning of word entirely. Once you know the function of a suffix or a prefix you can guess the meaning of the word easily.
Example : sub + standard = substandard meaning ‘below standard’
caution + ous = cautious meaning ‘careful’
3.Foreign Words in English : Some very common and popular words from different language make their way into the colloquial form of English and with the passage of time stick to the tongues of English speakers, eventually carving out their niche in the Standard English language.
Example: Ad hoc = formed or used for a particular purpose or for immediate needs
Referendum = the referring of legislative measures to the voters for approval or rejection; a vote on such a measure
Each of the above mentioned THREE parts are explained ahead in detail.
Words with Roots and Stems
Sr. No. / Roots Or Stem / Meaning / Example1. / ac, acr / sharp / acrimonious bittern; caustic
acerbity bitternes of temper
acidulate to make somewhat acid
or sour
2. / aev, ev / age, era / primeval of the first age
coeval of the same age or era
medieval or mediaeval of the middle ages
3. / ag, act / do / act deed
agent doer
4. / agog / leader / demagogue false leader or people
pedagogue teacher (leader of children)
5. / agri, agrari / field / agrarian one who works in the field agriculture cultivation of fields
peregrination wandering (through fields)
6. / ali / another / alias assumed (another)name
alienate estrange (turn away from another)
7. / alt / high / altitude height
altimeter instrument for
measuring height
8. / alter / other / altruistic unselfish, considering others
alter ego a second self
9. / am / love / amorous loving, especially sexually amity friendship
amicable friendly
10. / anim / mind, soul / animadvert cast criticism upon unanimous of one mind
magnanimity greatness of mind or spirit
11. / ann, enn / year / annuity yearly remittance
biennial every two years
perennial present all years;
persisting for several years.
12. / anthrop / man / anthropology study of man
misanthrope hater of mankind
philanthropy love of mankind;
charity
13. / apt / fit / aptitude still
adapt make suitable or fit
14. / aqua / water / aqueduct passageway for conducting water
aquatic living in water
aqua nitric acid (strong water)
15. / arch / ruler, first / archaeology study of antiquities (study of first things)
monarch sole ruler
anarchy lack of government
16. / aster / star / astronomy study of the starts
asterisk start-like type character (*)
disaster catastrophe (contrary star)
17. / aud, audit / hear / audible able to be heard
auditorium place where people may be heard
audience hearers
18. / auto / self / autocracy rule by one person (self)
automobile vehicle that moves by itself
19. / belli / war / bellicose inclined to fight
belligerent inclined to wage war
rebellious resisting authority
20. / ben, bon / good / benefactor one who does good deeds
benevolence charity (wishing good)
bonus something extra above regular pay
21. / biblio / book / bibliography list of books
bibliophile lover of books
bible the holy book
22. / bio / life / biography writing about a person’s life
biology study of living things
biochemist student of the chemistry of living things
23. / breve / short / brevity briefness
abbreviate shorten
breviloquent marked by brevity of speech
24. / cad, cas / to fall / decadent deteriorating
cadence intonation, musical
movement
cascade waterfall
25. / cap, capt, cept, cip / to take / capture seize
participate take part
precept wise saying (originally a command)
26. / capit, capt / head / decapitate remove (cut off)
someone’s head
captain chief
27. / carn / flesh / carnivorous flesh-eating
carnage destruction of life
carnal fleshy
28. / ced, cess / to yield, to go / recede go back, withdraw
antecedent that which goes before
process go forward
29. / celer / swift / celerity swiftness
decelerate reduce swiftness
accelerate increase swiftness
30. / cent / one hundred / century one hundred years
centennial hundredth anniversary
centipede many-footed wingless animal
31. / chron / time / chronology timetable of events
anachronism a thing out of time sequence
chronicle register events in order of time
32. / cid, cis / to cut, to kill / incision a cut (surgical)
homicide killing of a man
fratricide killing of a brother
33. / cit, citat / to call, to start / incite stir up, start up
excite stir up
recitation a recalling (or repeating) loud
34. / civi / citizen / civilization society citizens, culture
civilian member of community
civil courteous
35. / clam, clamat / to cry out / clamorous loud
declamation speech
acclamation shouted approval
36. / claud, claus, clos, clud / to close / claustrophobia fear of close places
enclose close in
conclude finish
37. / cognosc, cognit / to learn / agnostic lacking knowledge, skeptical
incognito traveling under assumed name
cognition knowledge
38. / compl / to fill / complete filled out
complement that which completes something
comply fulfill
39. / cord / heart / accord agreement (from the heart)
cordial friendly
discord lack of harmony
40 / corpor / body / incorporate organize into a body
corporeal pertaining to the body, fleshy
corpse dead body
41. / cred, credit / to believe / incredulous not believing, skeptical
credulity gullibility
credence belief
42. / cur / to care / curator person who has to take care of something
sinecure position without responsibility
secure safe
43. / curr, curs / to run / excursion journey
cursory brief
precursor forerunner
44. / da, dat / to give / data facts, statistics
mandate command
date given time
45. / deb, debit / to owe / debt something owed
indebtedness being under debt
debenture bond
46. / dem / people / democracy rule of the people
demagogue (false) leader of the people
epidemic widespread (among the people)
47. / derm / skin / epidermis skin
pachyderm thick-skinned quadruped
dermatology study of skin and its disorders
48. / di, diurn / day / diary a daily record of activities, feeling, etc.
diurnal pertaining to daytime
49. / dic, dict / to say / abdicate renounce
diction speech
verdict statement of jury
50. / doc, doct / to teach / docile obedient; easily taught
document something that provides evidence
doctor learned person (originally teacher)
51. / domin / to rule / dominate have power over
domain land under rule
dominant prevailing
52. / duc, duct / to head / viaduct arched roadway
aqueduct artificial waterway
53. / dynam / power, strength / dynamic powerful
dynamite powerful explosive
dynamo engine making electrical power
54. / ego / self / egoist person who is self-interested
egotist selfish person
egocentric revolving about self
55. / erg, urg / work / energy power
ergatocracy rule of the workers
metallurgy science and technology of metals
56. / err / to wander / error mistake (wandering away from right)
erratic not reliable, wandering
knight-errant wandering knight
57. / eu / good, well, beautiful / eupeptic having good digestion
eulogize praise
euphemism substitution of pleasant way of saying something blunt
58. / fac, fic, fee, fect / to make, to do / factory place where things are made
fiction manufactured story
affect cause to change
59. / fall, fals / to deceive / fallacious misleading
infallible not prone to error, perfect falsify lie
60. / fer, lat / to bring, to bear / transfer bring from one place to another
translate bring from one language to another
conifer bearing cones (as pine trees)
61. / fid / belief, faith / infidel nonbeliever, heathen
confidence assurance, belief
62. / fin / end, limit / confine keep within limits
finite having definite limits
63. / flect, flex / bend / flexibleable to bend
deflect bend away, turn aside
64. / fort / luck, chance / fortuitous accidental, occurring by change
fortunate lucky
65. / fort / strong / fortitude strength, firmness of mind
fortification strengthening
fortress stronghold
66. / frag, fract / break / fragile easily broken
infraction breaking of a rule
fractious unruly, tending to break rules
67. / fug / flee / fugitive someone who flees
refuge shelter, home for someone fleeing
68. / fus / pour / effusive gushing, pouring
diffuse widespread (poured in many directions)
69. / gam / marriage / monogamy marriage to one person
bigamy marriage with two people at the same time
polygamy having many wives or husbands at the same time
70. / gen, gener / class, race / genus group of animals with similar traits
generic characteristic of a class
gender class organized by sex
71. / grad, gress / go, step / digress go astray (from the main point)
regress go backwards
gradual step by step, by degrees
72. / graph, gram / writing / epigram pithy statement
telegram instantaneous message over great distance
stenography shorthand (writing narrowly)
73. / greg / flock, herd / gregarious to group together as in a herd aggregate group, total egregious conspicuously bad; shocking
74. / helio / sun / heliotrope flower that faces the sun
heliograph instrument that uses the sun’s rays to send signals
75. / it, itiner / journey, road / exit way out
itinerary plan of journey
76. / jac, jact, jec / to throw / projectile, something thrown forward
trajectory path taken by thrown object
ejaculatory casting or throwing out
77. / jur, jurat / to swear / perjure testify falsely
jury group of people sworn to seek the truth
adjuration solemn urging
78. / labor, laborat / to work / laboratory place where work is done
collaborate work together with others laborious difficult
79. / leg, lect, lig / to choose, to read / election choice
legible able to be read
eligible able to be chosen
80. / leg / law / legislature law-making body
legitimate lawful
legal lawful
81. / lib, libr / book / library collection of books
libretto the “book” of a musical play
libel slander (originally found in a little book)
82. / liber / free / liberation the fact of setting free
liberal generous (giving freely); tolerant
83. / log / word, study / entomology study of insects
etymology study of word parts and derivations monologue speech by one person
84. / locut / to talk / soliloquy speech by one individual
loquacious talkative
elocution speech
85. / luc / light / elucidate enlighten
lucid clear
translucent allowing some light to pass through
86. / magn / great / magnify enlarge
magnanimity generosity, greatness of soul
magnitude greatness, extent
87. / mal / bad / malevolent wishing evit
malediction curse
malefactor evil-doer
88. / man / hand / manufacture create (make by hand)
manuscript written by hand
emancipate free (let go from the hand)
89. / mar / sea / maritime connected with seafaring
submarine undersea craft
mariner seaman
90. / mater, matr / mother / maternal pertaining to motherhood
matriarch female ruler of a family, group, or state
matrilineal descended on the mother’s side
91. / mit, miss / to send / missile projectile
dismiss send away
transmit send across
92. / mob, mot, mo / move / mobilize cause to move
motility ability to move
immovable not able to be moved
93. / mon, monit / to warn / admonish warn
premonition foreboding
monitor watcher
94. / mori, mort / to die / mortuary funeral parlor
moribund dying
immortal that does not dic
95. / morph / shape, form / amorphous formless, lacking shape
metamorphosis change of shape
anthropomorphic in the shape of man
96. / mut / change / immutable not able to be changed
mutate undergo a great change
mutability changeableness, inconstancy
97. / nat / born / innate from birth
prenatal before birth
nativity birth
98. / nav / ship / navigate sail a ship
circumnavigate sail around the world naval pertaining to ships
99. / neg / deny / negation denial
renege deny, go back on one’s word renegade turncoat, traitor
100. / nomen / name / nomenclature act of naming, terminology
nominal in name only (as opposed to actual)
cognomen surname, distinguishing nickname
101. / nov / new / novice beginner
renovate make new again
novelty newness
102. / omni / all / omniscient all knowing
omnipotent all powerful
omnivorous eating everything
103. / oper / to work / operate work
cooperation working together
104. / pac / peace / pacify make peaceful
pacific peaceful
pacifist person opposed to war
105. / pass / feel / dispassionate free of emotion
impassioned emotion-filled
impassive showing no feeling
106. / pater, part / father / patriotism love of one’s country (fatherland)
patriarch male ruler of a family, group, or state
paternity fatherhood.
107. / path / disease, feeling / pathology study-of diseased tissue
apathetic lacking feeling; indifferent
antipathy hostile feeling
108. / ped, pod / foot / impediment stumbling-block; hindrance
tripod three-footed stand
quadruped four-footed animal
109. / ped / child / pedagogue teacher of children
pediatrician children’s doctor
110. / pel,puls / to drive / compulsion a forcing to do
repel drive back
expel drive out, banish
111. / pet, petit / to seek / petition request
appetite craving, desire
compete vie with others
112. / phil / love / philanthropist benefactor, lover to humanity
anglophile lover of everything english
philanderer one involved in bried love affairs
113. / pon, posit / to place / postpone place after
positive definite, unquestioned (definitely placed)
114. / port, portat / to carry / portable able to be carried
transport carry across
export carry out (of country)
115. / poten / able, powerful / omnipotent all-powerful
potentate powerful person
impotent powerless
116. / psych / mind / psychology study of the mind
psychosis mental disorder
psychopath mentally ill person
117. / put, putat / to trim, to calculate / putative supposed (calculated)
computation calculation
amputate cut off
118. / quer, ques, quir, quis / to ask / inquiry investigation
inquisitive questioning
query question
119. / reg, rect / rule / regicide murder of a ruler
regent ruler
insurrection rebellion; overthrow of a ruler
120. / rid, ris / to laugh / derision scorn
risibility inclination to laughter
ridiculous deserving to be laughed at
121. / rog, rogat / to ask / interrogate question
prerogative privilege
122. / rupt / to break / interrupt break into
bankrupt insolvent
rupture a break
123. / sacr / holy / sacred holy
sacrilegious impious, violating something holy
sacrament religious act
124. / sci / to know / science knowledge
omniscient knowing all
conscious aware
125. / scop / watch, see / periscope device for seeing around corners
microscope device for seeing small objects
126. / scrib, script / to write / transcribe make a written copy
script written text
circumscribe write around, limit
127. / sect / cut / dissect cut apart
bisect cut into two pieces
128. / sed, sess / to sit / sedentary inactive (sitting)
session meeting
129. / sent, sens / to think, to feel / consent agree resent shown indignation
sensitive showing feeling
130. / sequai, secut, seque / to follow / consecutive following in order
sequence arrangement
sequel that which follows
non sequitur something that does not follow logically
131. / solv, solut / to loosen / absolve free from blame
dissolute morally lax
absolute complete (not loosened
132. / somn / sleep / insomnia inability to sleep
somnolent sleepy
somnambulist sleepwalker
133. / soph / wisdom / philosopher lover of wisdom
sophisticated worldly wise
134. / spec, spect / to look at / spectator observer
aspect appearance
circumspect cautious (looking around)
135. / spir / breathe / respiratory pertaining to breathing
spirited full of life (breath)
136. / string, strict / bind / stringent strict
constrict become tight
stricture limit, something that restrains
137. / stru, struct / build / constructive helping to build
construe analyze (how something is built)
138. / tang, tact, ting / to touch / tangent touching
contact touching with, meeting
139. / tempor / time / contemporary at the same time
extemporaneous impromptu
temporize delay
140. / ten, tent / to hold / tenable able to be held
tenure holding of office
retentive holding; having a good memory
141. / term / end / interminable endless
terminate end
142. / terr / land / terrestrial pertaining to earth
subterranean underground
143. / therm / heat / thermostat instrument that regulates heat
diathermy sending heat through body tissues
144. / tors, fort / twist / distort twist out of true shape or meaning
torsion act of twisting
tortuous twisting
145. / tract / drag, pull / distract pull (one’s attention) away
intractable stubborn, unable to be dragged
attraction pull, drawing quality
146. / trud, trus / push, shove / intrude push one’s way in
protrusion something sticking out
147. / urb / city / urban pertaining to a city
urbane polished, sophisticated (pertaining to a city dweller)
suburban outside of a city
148. / vac / empty / vacuous lacking content, empty headed
evacuate compel to vacate an area
149. / vad, vas / go / invade enter in a hostile fashion
evasive not frank; eluding
150. / veni, vent, ven / go come / intervene come in between
prevent stop
convention meeting
151. / ver / true / veracious truthful
verify check the truth
verisimilitude appearance of truth
152. / verb / word / verbose wordy
verbiage excessive use of words
verbatim word for word
153. / vers, vert / turn / vertigo turning dizzy
revert turn back (to an earlier stage)
an earlier state)
diversion something causing one to turn aside
154. / via / way / deviation departure from the way
viaduct roadway (arched)
trivial trifling (small talk at crossroads)
155. / vid, vis / to see / vision sight
evidence things seen
vista view
156. / vinc, vict, vanq / to conquer / invincible unconquerable
victory winning
vanquish defeat
157. / viv, vit / alive / vivisection operating on living animals
vivacious full of life
vitality liveliness
158. / voc, vocat / to call / avocation calling, minor occupation
provocation calling or rousing the anger
invocation calling in prayer
159. / vol / wish / malevolent wishing someone ill
voluntary of one’s own will
160. / volv, volut / to roll / revolve roll around
evolve roll out, develop
convolution coiled state
1 INFOMATHS/MCA/ENGLISH