Word Roots: Let’s Have A Look!

In English grammar and terminology, a root is a word or word constituent from which other phrases grow, typically by the addition of prefixes and suffixes.

Word root is a semantic unit in Greek and Latin Roots. Simply said, a word root is a word portion that means something. It is a meaningful combination of letters. Root is derived from Old English, which means examples and observations.

Common Form Of English Root Words

The most common form of English root words is Latin; the other two major sources are Greek and Old English.

Certain root words are complete words, while others are word fragments. Certain root words have evolved into free morphemes and may now be used as distinct words, while others cannot. Cent, for example, is derived from the Latin root word centage, which means hundred. The word is treated in English as a root word that can be used alone or in conjunction with affixes, as in centenary, bicentennial, and centipede. The words cosmopolitan, microcosm are derived from the Greek root word kosmos, which means universe; cosmos is also a separate root word in English.

Since a root tells us more about a word’s meaning than anything else, the first question we generally ask about a complex term is: What is its root? As in blackbird, a complex word frequently contains more than one origin.” Roots are considered free morphs because they can occur as independent words in our native and nativized language. This makes it especially simple to discover the origins of words like black-bird, re-fresh, and bookish-ness. Roots are bound morphs in Latin and Greek, which means they can only emerge when related to other components. For example, the origin of concurrent is curr, which means ‘to run,’ and is not a separate word in English or Latin.

Lexical Categories And Roots

A complex word is made up of a root word or phrase with one or more affixes. The root is the base of the word and contains the majority of its meaning. Roots are often associated with a lexical item, such as noun, verb, adjective, or preposition. Affixes, unlike roots, do not have a lexical categorization and are always linked morphemes. For example, the affix -er is a bound morpheme that joins with a verb like teach to form the noun ‘one who teaches.’

Words That Are Simple And Complex

Morphologically simple words have only one root morpheme, whereas morphologically complex words have at least one independent morpheme and any number of bound morphemes. As an example, the word ‘desire’ can be characterized as a root morpheme that forms a single word. ‘Desirable,’ on the other hand, is more complicated, mixing a root morpheme with the bound morpheme ‘-able.’ ‘Undesirability’ is much more complicated, with one root and three bound morphemes: un+desire+ability. It’s also worth noting how, in complicated words like this, the spelling of the root can be changed to conform to the bound morphemes around it. As a result, ‘desire’ becomes ‘desir-,’ while ‘beauty’ becomes ‘beauty-‘ in the construction of ‘beautiful’ and the highly complicated ‘beautician.’ 

What Exactly Is a Root Word?

A root word is a word or word component that serves as the foundation for new words by adding prefixes and suffixes. Traditional root words are derived from Latin and Greek and do not generally stand on their own as a complete term. Knowing the definitions of common roots will assist you in deciphering the meanings of new words when you come across them.

Several of the words we use often are derived from a root word. The root is usually what remains after removing any prefixes or suffixes. For example, “egotist” is made up of the core word “ego” with the suffix -ist. “Acting” is derived from the main word “act,” while the suffix “-ing” is only a suffix.

What Exactly Are Roots?

While ancient root words are derived from Greek and Latin, current roots in English may also be discussed. A root is a whole term that cannot be broken down further. For example, if you start with the word uncomfortable and then remove the prefix un- and the suffix -able, you get the root of “comfort.” While this is not a Greek or Latin root word, it is the most basic form of the term.

Now that you understand the distinction between traditional and modern roots, look at some instances of root words as well as some of the words created from them.

Root Words That Can Stand On Their Own

Some root words can be used individually or as part of other common English words. The meanings of the following root words are presented, as well as a few examples of the root as part of other words in parenthesis.

act – to move or perform (actor, acting, reenact)

arborea – a tree (arboreal, arboretum, arborist)

crypt – to conceal (apocryphal, cryptic, cryptography)

shape – form (conform, formulate, reform)

legal – pertaining to the law (illegal, legalities, paralegal)

meter – unit of measurement (kilometer, millimeter, pedometer)

typical – typical (abnormal, normality, paranormal)

phobia – apprehension (arachnophobia, claustrophobia, hydrophobia) 

Conclusion

A root word is a basic term to which affixes, suffixes, and prefixes are appended because it serves as the foundation for a new word. The root word is also a word in its own right. For example, the word lovely consists of the word love and the suffix -ly. One should remember the rules and significance of the root words to be careful to modify them in their daily communication.