 According to Wikipedia: The root word is the primary lexical unit of a word, and of a word family o (root is then called base word), which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents.  According to dictionary.com: (linguistic) the form of a word after all the affixes are removed

ambi means both

Examples  ambivalent  having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone  ambidextrous  able to use the right and left hands equally well  ambiguous  open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning

duc/duct means lead or guide

Examples  conduct  organize and carry out  Induce  bring about or give rise to  abduction  the action or an instance of forcibly taking someone away against their will  educate  give intellectual, moral, and social instruction to

mal means bad

Examples  malevolent  having or showing a wish to do evil to others  malicious  intending or intended to do harm  malaria  an intermittent and remittent fever caused by a protozoan parasite that invades the red blood cells

sent means to feel; to send

Examples  consent  give permission for something to happen  resent  feel bitterness or indignation at (a circumstance, action, or person)

ced/cede means to yield or withdraw

Examples  recede  go or move back or further away from a previous position  secede  withdraw formally from membership in a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization  precede  come before (something) in time

dys means bad; hard; unlucky; abnormal

Examples  dysfunctional  not operating normally or properly  dysplasia  the enlargement of an organ or tissue by the proliferation of cells of an abnormal type, as a developmental disorder or an early stage in the development of cancer

gram means things written

Examples  telegram  a message sent by telegraph and then delivered in written or printed form  epigram  a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way  monogram  a symbol that has the first letters of a person's first, middle, and last names and that is put on towels, blankets, clothes, etc., as a decoration or to show ownership

hypo means below; beneath

Examples  hypothermia  the condition of having an abnormally low body temperature, typically one that is dangerously low  hypothetical  something that is assumed or based on theory  hypothesis  a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth

morph means form; shape

Examples  morphology  the study of the forms of things  morphing  change smoothly from one image/thing to another  metamorphosis  change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means

nym means name

Examples  antonym  a word opposite in meaning to another  synonym  a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language  homonym  each of two or more words having the same spelling but different meanings and origins  acronym  an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word

psych means soul; spirit

Examples  psychology  the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context  psychic  of or relating to the soul or mind  psychoanalysis  a system of psychological theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements in the mind and bringing repressed fears and conflicts into the conscious mind by techniques such as dream interpretation and free association

pseudo means false

Examples  pseudonym  a fictitious name, especially one used by an author  pseudoscience  a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method

bene means well, good

Examples  benefit  an advantage or profit gained from something  benign  not harmful in effect  beneficial  favorable or advantageous; resulting in good

mis/miso means hate

What does miscreant mean? Use the cartoon to help you. Remember mis means hate.

Examples  misogyny  dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women  misanthrope  a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society  miscreant  a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law