A/AN: not, without
agnostic: one who believes the
existence of God is not provable
amoral: neither moral nor immoral;
having no relation to morality
atrophy: the wasting away of body tissue
AB: off, away from, apart, down
abdicate: to renounce or relinquish a
throne
abject: cast down; degraded
abstract: conceived apart from concrete realities, specific objects,
or actual instances
abstruse: hard to understand; secret, hidden
ABLE/IBLE: capable of, worthy of
changeable: able to be changed
combustible: capable of being burned; easily
inflamed
AC/ACR: sharp, bitter, sour
acerbic: sour or astringent in taste;
harsh in temper
acid: something that is sharp,
sour, or ill-natured
acrimonious: caustic, stinging, or
bitter in nature
acumen: mental sharpness;
quickness of wit
ACT/AG: to do, to drive, to
force, to lead
agile: quick and well-coordinated in movement; active, lively
pedagogue: a teacher
AD: to, toward, near (often the d is dropped and the first
letter to which a is prefixed is doubled.)
accede: to yield to demand; to enter
office
addict: to give oneself over, as to a
habit or pursuit
adjoin: to be close or in contact with
AL/ALI/ALTER: other, another
alias: an assumed name
allegory: figurative treatment of one subject
under the guise of another
altruist: a person unselfishly
concerned for the welfare of others
AM: love
amateur: a person who engages in an
activity for pleasure rather than financial or professional gain
amity: friendship; peaceful harmony
amorous: inclined to love, esp. sexual
love
AMBI/AMPHI: both, on both sides, around
ambidextrous: able to use both hands equally well
ambient: moving around freely;
circulating
ambiguous: open to various interpretations
AMBL/ABUL: to go, to walk
ambulance: a vehicle equipped for carrying
sick people (from a phrase meaning “walking hospital”)
ambulatory: of, pertaining to, or
capable of walking
perambulator: one who makes a tour of
inspection on foot
ANIM: of the life, mind, soul, breath
animosity: a feeling of ill will or
enmity
equanimity: mental or emotional
stability, especially under tension
magnanimous: generous in forgiving an
insult or injury
ANNUI/ENNI: year
annals: a record of events, esp. a
yearly record
annual: of, for, or pertaining to a
year; yearly
perennial: lasting for an indefinite
amount of time
ANT/ANTE: before
antecedent: existing, being, or going before
antedate: precede in time
antediluvian: belonging to the period
before the biblical flood; very old or old-fashioned
ANTRHO/ANDR: man, human
androgen: any substance that promotes
masculine characteristics
androgynous: being both male and female
misanthrope: a person who hates humans or
humanity
APO: away
apocalypse: revelation; discovery;
disclosure
apogee: the highest or most distant
point
apostasy: a total desertion of one’s
religion, principles, party, cause, etc.
ARCH/ARCHI/ARCHY: chief, principal, ruler
anarchy: a state or society without
government or law
monarchy: a government in which the
supreme power is lodged in a sovereign
oligarchy: a state or society ruled by a
select group
ARD: to burn
ardent: burning; fierce; passionate
ardor: flame; passion
arson: the crime of setting property
on fire
AUTO: self
autonomy: independence or freedom
autocrat: an absolute ruler
B
BE: about, to make, to surround, to affect (often used to transform words into transitive verbs)
belie: to misrepresent; to contradict
belittle: to make small; to make
something appear smaller
bemoan: to lament; to moan for
BEL/BELL: beautiful
belle: a beautiful woman
embellish: to make beautiful; to ornament
BEN/BENE: good
benediction: act of uttering a blessing
benefit: anything advantageous to a
person or thing
benign: having a kindly
disposition
BI/BIN: two
biennial: happening every two years
bilingual: able to speak one’s native
language and another with equal facility
binocular: involving two eyes
BON/BOUN: good, generous
bona fide: in good faith; without fraud
bountiful: generous
BREV/BRID: short, small
abbreviate: to shorten
breviloquent: laconic; concise in one’s
speech
brevity: shortness
BURS: purse, money
bursar: treasurer
bursary: treasury
disburse: to pay
C
CAD/CID: to fall, to happen by chance
cascade: a waterfall descending over a
steep surface
coincidence: a striking occurrence of two or
more events at one time, apparently by chance
recidivist: one who repeatedly relapses, as
into crime
CAP/CIP/CEPT: to take, to get
capture: to take by force or stratagem
percipient: having perception; discerning;
discriminating
precept: a commandment or direction
given as a rule of conduct
CAP/CAPIT/CIPIT: to head, headlong
capital: the city or town that is the
official seat of government
capitulate: to surrender unconditionally or
on stipulated terms
precipice: a cliff with a vertical face
CARD/CORD/COUR: heart
concord: agreement; peace, amity
concordance: agreement, concord, harmony
discord: lack of harmony between persons
or things
CED/CEED/CESS: to go, to yield, to stop
accede: to yield to a demand; to enter
office
cessation: a temporary or complete
discontinuance
incessant: without stop
CELER: speed
accelerant: something used to speed up a
process
celerity: speed; quickness
CERN/CERT/CRET/CRIM/CRIT: to separate, to judge, to distinguish, to decide
certitude: freedom from doubt
discrete: detached from others, separate
hypocrite: a person who pretends to have
beliefs that she does not
CHROM: color
chromatic: having to do with color
chromosome: genetic material that can be
studied by coloring it with dyes
CHRON: time
anachronism: something that is out-of-date
or belonging to the wrong time
chronic: constant, habitual
chronometer: a highly accurate clock or
watch
CIRCU/CIRCUM: around
circuitous: roundabout, indirect
circumspect: cautious; watching all sides
CIS: to cut
exorcise: to seek to expel an evil spirit
by ceremony
incisive: penetrating, cutting
CLA/CLO/CLU: to shut, to close
claustrophobia: an abnormal fear of enclosed places
cloister: a courtyard bordered with
covered walks, esp. in a religious institution
preclude: to prevent the presence,
existence, or occurrence of
CLAIM/CLAM: to shout, to cry out
clamor: a loud uproar
disclaim: to deny interest in or
connection with
proclaim: to announce or declare in an
official way
CLI: to lean toward
climax: the most intense point in the
development of something
disinclination: aversion, distaste
Proclivity: inclination, bias
CO/COL/COM/CON: with, together
commensurate: suitable in measure,
proportionate
conciliate: to placate, win over
connect: to bind or fasten together
CONTRA/CONTRO/COUNTER: against
contrary: opposed to; opposite
countermand: to retract an order
CORP/CORS: body
corps: a body (an organized group) of
troops
corpulent: obese; having a lot of flesh
incorporation: combining into a single body
COSM: order, universe, world
cosmology: a theory of the universe as a
whole
cosmopolitan: worldly
microcosm: a small system that reflects a
larger whole
COUR/CUR: running, a course
concur: to agree
cursory: going rapidly over something;
hasty; superficial
incursion: a hostile entrance into a
place, esp. suddenly
CER/CRESC/CRET: to grow
accretion: an increase by natural growth
accrue: to be added a matter of
periodic gain
excrescence: an outgrowth
CRED: to believe, to trust
credo: any formula of belief
credulity: willingness to believe or trust
too readily
CULP: fault, blame
culpable: deserving blame or censure
inculpate: to charge with fault
mea culpa: through my fault; my fault
D
DAC/DOC: to teach
didactic: intended for instruction
indoctrinate: to imbue a person with learning
DE: away, off, down, completely, reversal
defame: to attack the good name or
reputation of
deferential: respectful; to yield to
judgment
defile: to make foul, dirty, or unclean
DEM: people
democracy: government by the people
endemic: peculiar to a particular person
or locality
pandemic: general, universal
DI: day
diurnal: daily
quotidian: everyday; ordinary
DI/DIF/DIS: away from, apart, reversal, not
diffuse: to pour out and spread, as in a
fluid
dilatory: inclined to delay or
procrastinate
dissipate: to scatter wastefully
DIGN: worth
condign: well deserved; fitting;
adequate
dignitary: a person who holds a high rank
or office
disdain: to look upon or treat
with contempt
DOL: to suffer, to pain, to grieve
doleful: sorrowful, mournful
dolorous: full of pain or sorrow,
grievous
indolence: a state of being lazy or
slothful
DUB: doubt
dubiety: doubtfulness
dubious: doubtful
indubitable: unquestionable
DULC: sweet
dulcet: sweet; pleasing
dulcified: sweetened; softened
dulcimer: a musical instrument
DYS: faulty, abnormal
dysfunctional: poorly functioning
dyspepsia: impaired digestion
dystrophy: faulty or inadequate nutrition
or development
E
E/EX: out, out of, from, former, completely
efface: to rub or wipe out; surpass,
eclipse
extricate: to disentangle, release
EPI: upon
epidermis: the outer layer of the skin
epigram: a witty or pointed saying
tersely expressed
epilogue: a concluding part added to a
literary word
EQU: equal, even
equation: the act of making equal
iniquity: gross injustice; wickedness
ERR: to wander
errant: wandering or traveling,
especially in search of adventure
erratic: deviating from the proper or
usual course in conduct
ESCE: becoming
convalescent: recovering from illness
obsolescent: becoming obsolete
EU: good, well
euphemism: pleasant-sounding term for
something unpleasant
euphony: pleasantness of sound
F
FAB/FAM: to speak
affable: friendly, courteous
defame: to attack the good name
of
ineffable: too great for description in
words; that which much not be uttered
FATU: foolish
fatuity: foolishness; stupidity
fatuous: foolish; stupid
infatuated: swept up in a fit of passion
impairing one’s reason
FI/FID: faith, trust
affidavit: a written statement on oath
fiduciary: of a trust; held or given in
trust
infidel: disbeliever in the supposed
true religion
FLU/FLUX: to flow
confluence: merging into one
effluence: flowing out of (light,
electricity, etc.)
mellifluous: pleasing, musical
FULG: to shine
effulgent: shining forth
refulgent: radiant; shining
FUS: to pour
diffuse: to spread widely or thinly
profuse: lavish, extravagant, copious
suffuse: to spread throughout or over
from within
G
GEN: birth, creation, race, kind
congenital: existing or as such from
birth
progeny: offspring, descendants
GNI/GNO: to know
ignoramus: a person lacking knowledge,
uninformed
prognosis: to forecast, especially of
disease
GRAT: pleasing
gratuity: money given for good service
ingratiate: to bring oneself into favor
GREG: flog
aggregate: a number of things considered a
collective whole
egregious: remarkably bad; standing out
from the crowd
gregarious: sociable; enjoying spending
time with others
H
HAP: by chance
haphazard: at random
hapless: without luck
HER/HES: to stick
adherent: able to adhere; believer or
advocate of a particular thing
coherent: logically consistent; having
waves in phase and of one wavelength
inherent: involved in the constitution or
essential character of something
HOL: whole
catholic: universal
holograph: a document written entirely by
the person whose name it’s in
holistic: considering something as a
unified whole
HYPER: over, excessive
hyperactive: excessively active
hyperbole: purposeful exaggeration for
effect
HYPO: under, beneath, less than
hypochondriac: one affected by extreme
depression of mind or spirits, often centered on imaginary physical
ailments
hypocritical: pretending to have beliefs one
does not
hypodermic: relating to the parts beneath
the skin
I
ICON: image, idol
iconic: being representative of a
culture or movement
iconoclast: one who attacks established
beliefs; one who tears down images
iconology: symbolism
IN/IM: in, into (often the m is
dropped and the first letter to which i is prefixed is
doubled)
incarnate: given a bodily, esp. a human,
form
influx: the act of flowing in
intrinsic: belonging to a thing by its
very nature
IN/IM: not, without
indigent: poor, needy, lacking in what is needed
indolence: showing a disposition to avoid
exertion; slothful
innocuous: not harmful or injurious
J
JECT: to throw, to throw down
abject: utterly hopeless, humiliating,
or wretched
conjecture: formation of opinion on
incomplete information
eject: to throw out, expel
JOC: joke
jocose: given to joking; playful
jocular: in a joking manner; funny
jocund: merry; cheerful
JUD: to judge
abjudicate: to act as a judge
judicious: having good judgment
JUR: law, to swear
abjure: to renounce an oath
adjure: to beg or command
perjury: willful lying under oath
L
LAUD: praise, honor
laudable: praiseworthy
laudatory: expressing praise
LAV/LAU/LU: to wash
ablution: act of cleansing
antediluvian: before the biblical flood;
extremely old
deluge: a great flood of water
LEC/LEG/LEX: to read, to speak
legible: readable
lexicographer: a writer of dictionaries
lexicon: a dictionary
LECT/LEG: to select, to choose
eclectic: selecting ideas, etc. from
various sources
predilection: preference, liking
LI/LIG: to tie, to bind
liable: legally responsible; bound by
law
lien: the right to hold a property
due to an outstanding debt
ligature: a connection between two
letters; a bond
LIBER: free
liberality: generosity
libertine: one who follows one’s own path,
without regard for morals or other restrictions
LITH: stone
acrolith: a statue with a stone head and
limbs (but a wooden body)
lithography: a printing process that
originally involved writing on a flat stone
lithology: the study of rocks and stones
megalith: a very big stone
LOC/LOG/LOQU: word, speech, though
colloquial: of ordinary or familiar
conversation
elocution: art of clear and expressive
speaking
grandiloquent: pompous or inflated in language
loquacious: talkative
LUD/LUS: to play
allude: to refer casually or indirectly
delude: to mislead the mind or judgment
of, deceive
elude: to avoid capture or escape
defection by
M
MACRO: great, long
macrobiotics: a system intended to prolong
life
macrocephalous: having a large head
macrocosm: the universe; a large system
that is reflected in at least one of its subsets
MAG/MAJ/MAX: big, great
magnanimous: generous in forgiving an insult
or injury
magnate: a powerful or influential
person
maxim: an expression of general truth
or principle
MAL/MALE: bad, ill, evil, wrong
maladroit: clumsy; tactless
malapropism: humorous misuse of a word
malfeasance: a misconduct or wrongdoing
often committed by a public official
malign: to speak harmful untruths
about, to slander
MEGA: large, great
megapolis: a very large city
megaton: explosive power equal to 1000
tons of TNT
MICRO: very small
microbe: a very small organism
micron: a millionth of a meter
MIN: small
diminution: the act or process of diminishing
minutiae: small or trivial details
MIS: bad, wrong, to hate
misadventure: bad luck; an unlucky accident
misanthrope: one who hates people or
humanity
mischance: bad luck; an unlucky accident
MIS/MIT: to send
emissary: a messenger or agent sent to
represent the interests of another
remit: to send money
MOLL: soft
emollient: something that softens or
soothes (e.g., a lotion)
mollify: sooth; soften; calm
MON/MONIT: to remind, to warn
admonish: to counsel against something;
caution
premonition: forewarning, presentiment
remonstrate: to say or please in protest,
object, or reproof
MON/MONO: one
monarchy: rule by a single person
monograph: a scholarly study of a single
subject
monomania: an obsession with a single
subject
MOR/MORT: death
immortal: not subject to death
moribund: dying, decaying
MORPH: shape
amorphous: without definite form; lacking
a specific shape
anthropomorphism: attribution of human
characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena
MULT: many
multiplex: having many parts
multitudinous: very many; containing very
many; having very many forms
MUT: to change
commute: to substitute; exchange;
interchange
immutable: unchangeable, invariable
N
NAT/NAS/NAI/GNA: birth
cognate: related by blood; having a
common ancestor
nascent: starting to develop
NIHIL: nothing, none
annihilate: wipe out; reduce to nothing
nihilism: denial of all moral beliefs;
denial that existence has any meaning
NOC/NOX: harm
innocuous: not harmful or injurious
noxious: injurious or harmful to health
or morals
NOCT/NOX: night
noctambulant: walking at night; sleepwalking
nocturne: a dreamlike piece of music; a
painting set at night
NOM/NYM/NOUN/NOWN: name
nomenclature: a system of names;
systematic naming
nominal: existing in name only;
negligible
renown: fame; reputation
NON: not
nonentity: something that doesn’t exist;
something that isn’t important
nonpareil: something with no equal
NOV/NEO/NOU: new
neologism: a newly coined word, phrase, or
expression
neophyte: a beginner; a new convert; a
new worker
neoplasm: a new growth in the body; a
tumor
O
OB: toward, to, against, over
obfuscate: to render indistinct or dim;
darken
obsequious: overly submissive
obstinate: stubbornly adhering to an idea,
inflexible
obstreperous: noisily defiant, unruly
OMNI: all
omnibus: an anthology of the works of
one author or of writings on related subjects
omnipotent: all powerful
omnipresent: everywhere at one time
ONER: burden
onerous: burdensome; difficult
onus: a burden; a responsibility
P
PAC/PEAC: peace
appease: to bring peace to
pacify: to ease the anger or agitation
of
PALP: to feel
palpable: capable of being felt; tangible
palpate: to feel; to examine by feeling
palpitate: to beat quickly, as the heart;
to throb
PAN/PANT: all, everyone
panegyric: formal or elaborate praise at
an assembly
panoply: a wide-ranging and impressive
array or display
PAR: equal
disparage: to belittle, speak
disrespectfully about
parity: equally, as in amount, status, or character
PARA: next to, beside
paragon: a model of excellence
parody: to imitate for purpose of
satire
PAU/PO/POV/PU: few, little, poor
paucity: smallness of quantity;
scarcity; scantiness
pauper: a person without any personal
means of support
puerile: childish, immature
pusillanimous: lacking courage or resolution
PEC: money
impecunious: having no money; penniless
peculation: embezzlement
pecuniary: relating to money
PED/POD: foot
antipodes: places that are
diametrically opposite each other on the globe
impede: to retard progress by means of
obstacles or hindrances
PEL: to drive, to push
dispel: to drive away; to disperse
impel: to force; to drive forward
PER: completely
perforate: to make a way through or into
something
perfunctory: performed merely as routine
duty
pertinacious: resolute, persistent
PET/PIT: to go, to seek, to strive
impetuous: characterized by sudden or rash
action or emotion
petulant: showing sudden irritation, esp.
over some annoyance
PHIL: love
bibliophile: one who loves or collects books
philatelist: one who loves or collets
postage stamps
PHON: sound
euphony: the quality of sounding good
polyphony: the use of simultaneous melodic
lines to produce harmonies in musical compositions
PLAC: to please
complacent: self-satisfied, unconcerned
complaisant: inclined or disposed to please
implacable: unable to be pleased
POLY: many
polyandry: the practice of having multiple
husbands
polyglot: someone who speaks many
languages
POT: to drink
potable: drinkable; safe to drink; a
drink
potation: drinking; a drink
PRI/PRIM: first
primal: original; most important
primeval: ancient; going back to the
first age of the world
PROB: to prove, to test
approbation: praise, consideration
opprobrium: the disgrace incurred by
shameful conduct
probity: honesty, high-mindedness
PROP/PROX: near
proximate: nearby; coming just before or
just after
proximity: nearness; distance
PROT/PROTO: first
protagonist: the main character in a play or
story
prototype: the first version of an
invention, on which later models are based
PUG: to fight
impugn: to challenge as false
pugilist: a fighter or boxer
pugnacious: to quarrel or fight repeatedly
PUNC/PUNG/POIGN: to point, to prick, to pierce
compunction: a feeling of uneasiness for
doing wrong
expunge: to erase, eliminate completely
punctilious: strict or exact in the
observance of formalities
PYR: fire
pyre: a bonfire, usually for burning
a dead body
pyrosis: heartburn
Q
QUAD/QUAR/QUAT: four
quadrille: a square dance involving four
couples
quart: one-fourth of a gallon
QUIE/QUIT: quiet, rest
acquiesce: to comply, give in
quiescence: the condition of being at rest,
still, inactive
QUIN/QUINT: five
quinquennial: a five-year period
quintuple: five times as many
R
RACI/RADI: root
deracinate: to uproot
radish: a root vegetable
RAMI: branch
ramiform: branchlike
RECT: straight, right
erect: upright; starting up
straight
rectitude: moral uprightness; moral
straightness
REG: king, rule
interregnum: a period between kings
regent: one who serves on behalf of a
king; one who rules
regicide: killing a king; one who kills a
king
RETRO: backward
retroactive: extending to things that
happened in the past
retrofit: to install newer parts into an
older device or structure
RUB/RUD: red
rubella: German measles; a disease
marked by red spots
rubicund: reddish; rosy-cheeked
RUD: crude
rude: uncivilized; impolite
rudimentary: undeveloped
S
SACR/SANCT: holy
sacrament: something regarded as
possessing sacred character
sacrilege: the violation of anything
sacred
sanctify: to make holy
SAG/SAP/SAV: taste, thinking, discerning
sagacious: perceptive; discerning;
insightful
sage: wise
sapient: wise
savant: a learned person
SAL/SIL/SAULT/SULT: to leap, to jump
assault: a sudden or violent attack
exult: to show or feel triumphant
joy
SALU: health
salubrious: healthful
salutary: healthful
SALV: to save
salvage: to save; something saved or
recovered
salvation: being saved
savior: one who saves
SAN: healthy
sane: mentally healthy
sanitarium: a place of healing
SANG: blood
consanguinity: being related by blood
sanguinary: bloody; bloodthirsty
SAT: enough
dissatisfied: feeling that one does not
have enough
sate: to fill
saturate: to fill completely; to
entirely satisfy
SCI: to know
conscience: the inner sense of what is
right or wrong, impelling one toward right action
omniscient: knowing everything
prescient: having knowledge of things
before they happen
SE: apart, away
secede: to withdraw formally from an
association
sedition: incitement of discontent or
rebellion against a government
SEC/SEQU/SUE/SUI: to follow
non sequitur: an inference or a conclusion
that does not follow from the premises
obsequious: fawning
SED/SESS/SID: to sit, to settle
assiduous: diligent, persistent,
hardworking (literally, “sitting down” to business)
insidious: intended to entrap or
beguile; lying in wait to entrap
SEMI: half
semicircle: half a circle
semiconscious: only partly conscious; half
awake
SEN: old
senate: the highest legislative body
(from “council of elders”)
senescent: getting old
senile: relating to old age;
experiencing memory loss or other age-related mental impairments
SENS/SENT: to feel, to be aware
dissent: to differ in opinion, esp.
from the majority
insensate: without feeling or
sensitivity
presentiment: a feeling that something is
about to happen
SOL: alone
desolate: deserted; laid waste; left
alone
isolate: to set apart from others
soliloquize: talk to oneself; talk onstage
as if to oneself
solipsism: the belief that the only
thing that really exists, or can really be known, is oneself
SOL: to loosen, to free
absolution: forgiveness for wrongdoing
dissolute: indifferent to moral
restraints
SOL: sun
parasol: an umbrella that protects from the sun
solarium: a sunroom; a room with
windows for taking in the sun
SOMN: sleep
somnambulist: a sleepwalker
somniferous: sleep-inducing
somniloquist: one who talks while asleep
somnolent: sleep-inducing; sleepy;
drowsy
SOPH: wisdom
philosopher: one who studies logic,
beauty, truth, etc.; one who seeks wisdom
sophisticated: complex; worldly; experienced
SOURC/SURG/SURRECT: to rise
insurgent: rising up in revolution;
rushing in
insurrection: rising up in armed rebellion
surge: to rise up forcefully, as
ocean waves
SPEC/SPIC: to look, to see
circumspect: watchful and discreet,
cautious
conspicuous: easily seen or noticed;
readily observable
specious: deceptively attractive
SUA: sweet, pleasing, to urge
assuage: to make less severe, ease,
relieve
suave: smoothly agreeable or polite;
sweet
SUB/SUP: below, under
subliminal: existing or operating below
the threshold of consciousness
subsidiary: serving to assist or
supplement
suppose: to put down as a hypothesis;
to use as the underlying basis of an argument; to assume
SUMM: highest, total
consummate: highly qualified; complete;
perfect
summit: highest point
SUPER/SUR: over, above
supercilious: arrogant, haughty,
condescending
superfluous: extra, more than necessary
SYM/SYN: together
symbiosis: living together in a mutually
beneficial relationship
symposium: a meeting at which ideas are
discussed
T
TAC/TIC: to be silent
reticent: disposed to be silent or not
to speak freely
tacit: unspoken understanding
taciturn: uncommunicative
TEND/TENS/TENT/TENU: to stretch, to thin
attenuate: to weaken or reduce in force
extenuating: making less serious by
offering excuses
THEO: god
apotheosis: glorification, glorified
ideal
theocracy: a form of government in which
a deity is recognized as the supreme ruler
THERM: heat
thermal: relating to heat; retaining
heat
thermonuclear: relating to a nuclear
reaction that takes place at high temperatures
TOR/TORQ/TORT: to twist
contort: to twist; to distort
distort: to pull out of shape, often
by twisting; to twist or misrepresent facts
extort: to wring money, property, or
services out of somebody using threats or force
TORP: stiff, numb
torpid: numbed; sluggish
torpor: numbness; listlessness;
apathy
TOX: poison
antitoxin: an antibody that counteracts
a given poison
toxic: poisonous
TRANS: across, beyond
intransigent: refusing to agree or
compromise
transcendent: going beyond ordinary limits
transgress: to violate a law, command, or
moral code
U
ULT: last, beyond
penultimate: second-to-last
ulterior: beyond what is immediately
present; future; beyond what is stated; hidden
ultimate: last; final
UMBR: shadow
adumbrate: to foreshadow; to sketch; to
overshadow
penumbra: a shaded area between pure
shadow and pure light
umbrage: shade; shadow; displeasure;
resentment
UN: not
unseen: not seen
unusual: not usual; exceptional;
strange
UND: wave
abound: to be plentiful; to overflow
(from water flowing in waves)
inundate: to flood
undulate: to move in a wavelike way
UNI/UN: one
unanimous: of one mind; incomplete
accord
uniform: of one kind; consistent
US/UT: to use
abuse: to use wrongly or improperly
usurp: to seize and hold
utilitarian: efficient, functional, useful
V
VAIL/VAL: strength, use, worth
ambivalent: being caught between
contradictory feelings of equal power or worth
avail: to have force; to be useful;
to be of value
convalescent: recovering strength; healing
VEN/VENT: to come or to move toward
adventitious: accidental contravene: to
come into conflict with
convene: to assemble for some public
purpose
VER: truth
aver: to affirm, to declare to be
true
veracious: habitually truthful
verisimilitude: the appearance or semblance
of truth
VERB: word
proverb: an adage; a byword; a short,
commonly known saying
verbatim: exactly as stated;
word-for-word
verbiage: excessive use of words;
diction
VERD: green
verdant: green with vegetation;
inexperienced
verdure: fresh, rich vegetation
VI: life
convivial: sociable
viable: capable of living
vivacity: the quality of being lively,
animated, spirited
VIL: base, mean
revile: to criticize with harsh
language
vile: loathsome, unpleasant
vilify: to slander, to defame
VIRU: poison
virulent: acrimonious; very bitter;
very poisonous
viruliferous: containing a virus
VOC/VOK: call, word
advocate: to support or urge by
argument
convoke: to call together
vocabulary: the stock of words used by or
known to a particular person or group
vociferous: crying out noisily
VOL: wish
benevolent: characterized by or
expressing goodwill
malevolent: characterized by or
expressing bad will
volition: free choice, free will; act
of choosing
VOLU/VOLV: to roll, to turn
convolution: a twisting or folding
voluble: easily turning; fluent;
changeable
VOR: to eat
carnivorous: meat-eating
omnivorous: eating or absorbing
everything
voracious: having a great appetite
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