The root of a word (the word's primary unit without prefixes or suffixes) can often give us an idea of what the word means, even if we are not sure of the word's definition.
For example, the word thermometer has the root therm, which means heat. A thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature (in other words, it measures heat).
Here are some examples of other words and their roots:
WORD
ROOT / MEANING
WORD DEFINITION
vacant
vac / empty
not occupied, without content
bibliophile
biblio / book
lover of books
zoology
zoo / animal
the study of animals
This exercise will test your knowledge of root words in biology.
The root word adipo means:
fat
bone
intestine
tissue
In the word arteriosclerosis, the root arter means:
artery
arthroscopic
aorta
veins
In the word arthroscopy, the root arthr (or arthro) means:
joint
bone
artery
veins
The root word aud means:
hearing
fat
seeing
joint
In the word bronchospasm, the root bronch (or broncho) means:
lung
pneumonia
cough
cartilage
In the word cardiogram, the root cardi (or cardio) means:
heart
lung
aorta
cartilage
The root word carp (or carpo) means:
wrist
bone
heart
joint
The root word cephal means:
head
brain
wrist
phallic
The root word cerebr (or cerebro) means:
brain
cartilage
nerve
cerebellum
The root word chondr (or chondro) means:
cartilage
knee
intestine
tissue
In the word colonoscopy, the root colon (or colono) means:
intestine
stomach
gallbladder
small intestine
In the word dermatitis, the root derm (or dermo) means:
skin
intestine
heat
tissue
The root word entero means:
intestine
stomach
inner
outer
In the word gastroenteritis, the root gastr (or gastro) means:
stomach
female
intestine
gaseous
In the word gynecologist, the root gynec (or gyneco) means:
female
stomach
intestine
male
In the word hemophilia, the root hem (or hemo) means:
blood
male
tissue
sexuality
In the word hepatitis, the root hepat (or hepato) means:
liver
blood
gallbladder
bile
The root word hist (or histo) means:
tissue
blood
liver
allergy
In the word leukocyte, the root leuk (or leuko) means:
white
liver
lung
cell
In the word mammogram, the root mamm (or or mammo) means:
breast
muscle
cancer
female
The root words my (or myo), or myos (or myoso) means:
muscle
breast
female
pain
In the word nephrolithiasis, the root nephr (or nephro) means:
kidney
nerve
urinary
death
In the word neurology, the root neur (or neuro) means:
nerve
kidney
urinary
lung
The root word ocul (or oculo) means:
eye
bone
cartilage
hearing
The root word op (or opth) means:
eye
ear
operation
opening
In the word osteomyelitis, the root oste (or osteo) means:
bone
joint
eye
cartilage
In the word pneumococcus, the root pneum (or pneumo) means: