Greek Vocabulary 1

Greek Vocabulary 1 Roots, definitions, synonyms and antonyms, sentences, and related words

amoral • a, an – • not; without • amoral – • adj. 1. neither moral nor immoral; 2. lacking moral principles. • n. amorality, amoralism. • adv. amorally

amoral Sentence: • While the cat killed indiscriminately, it was was completely unaware of right and wrong, making it an amoral creature acting purely on its instincts. • The amoral saleswoman went about her day with no concern for the ethics of her actions, living only for her own goals and with a drive to succeed in business regardless of the people who were harmed by her decisions.

amoral Related words: • abyss • amnesia • amnesty • anemia • anaerobic • anesthesia • anonymous • apathy • asocial • atheist • atom

autonomous • auto – • self; same • autonomous – • adj. 1. not controlled by others or outside forces; 2. having the right or power of self-government. • n. autonomy adj. autonomic adv. autonomously, • Synonyms: independent, self-governing, sovereign, self-directed, self-reliant • Antonym: dependent

autonomous Sentence: • Because they produce all that they need to survive, Amish farmers live in an autonomous society. • Once high school students graduate and go to college, they often think they are autonomous, but autonomy truly comes after they make their own way in the world and are able to support themselves without parental assistance.

autonomous Related words: • autism • autobiography • autocracy • autograph • autoimmunity • automatic • automobile • autopsy

Biopsy • bio – • life; living things • biopsy – • n. the removal of a small piece of tissue for laboratory examination (+ -opsy – inspection ) • n. pl. biopsies v. biopsy, biopsied, biopsies, biopsying • Synonyms: probe, medical test

biopsy Sentence: • Because of the unusual test results, his physician ordered a biopsy of the liver to determine if it was cancerous. • The patient reported an abnormal swelling on her jawline, causing the doctor to order a needle biopsy of the salivary gland.

biopsy Related words: • aerobics • amphibious • antibiotic • autobiography • biochemistry • biodegradable • biology • biome • bionics • symbiosis

Cyclops • cycl/o – • circle; wheel • Cyclops – • n. In Greek mythology, a giant with a single eye in the middle of the forehead • n. pl. Cyclopes adj. cyclopean • Synonyms: giant thing, ogre

Cyclops Sentence: • In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus outsmarts the Cyclops and hides amongst the sheep to escape with most of his men. • Finishing the first encyclopedia with tens of thousands of entries must have been a cyclopean task.

Cyclops Related words: • bicycle • cycle • cyclical • cyclone • encyclopedia • motorcycle • recycle • tricycle • unicycle

diameter • dia – • through; apart; across • diameter – • n. a straight line that measures the distance through the center of a circle, sphere, etc. • Synonyms: thickness, width

diameter Sentence: • By determining the diameter of the orange, the scientist is able to plot the weekly growth and relate those numbers to average rainfall during the same period. • The engineering students’ task was to identify the liquid capacity of the local water tower by measuring the internal diameter and the height of the cylindrical container.

diameter Related words: • diabetes • diadem • diagnosis • diagonal • diagram • dialect • dialog/dialogue • diaphanous • diarrhea • diatribe • diorama

graph, -graphy– writing, recording, drawing, science autobiography– n. the history of a person’s life told by that person n. pl. autobiographies n. autobiographer adj. autobiographic, autobiographical adv. autobiographically Synonyms: memoir, journal, confession autobiography

Sentence: Some autobiographies are vastly interesting, while others may only interest the writer who has chosen to write about his or her own life. The autobiographical information found in To Kill a Mockingbird enriches the novel and helps the reader understand the realities of small town life in the South during the Great Depression. autobiography

Related words: autograph bibliography calligraphy cardiograph cartography choreography geography graphite paragraph photograph autobiography

hydroplane • hydr/o – • water; hydrogen; liquid • hydroplane – • n. a watercraft or aircraft that skims the water at high speeds; • v. to skim the surface of water at high speeds • v. hydroplanes, hydroplaned, hydroplaning • Synonyms: seaplane, hydrofoil

hydroplane Sentence: • Because of Alaska’s rugged terrain and sparsely populated area, people regularly use hydroplanes to reach remote villages by air and water. • Most people do not know the dangers of driving just as rain begins to coat the road, but when the surface of the road becomes slick, the chances of hydroplaning are high.

hydroplane Related words • carbohydrate • dehydrated • Hydra • hydrangea • hydrant • hydraulics • hydrocortisone • hydroelectric

ballistics • –ics – • science; study of; skill; knowledge • ballistics – • n. the study of projectiles in flight, firearms, and ammunitions adj. ballistic • (Idiom: go ballistic – become very angry or irrational)

ballistics Sentence • The forensics team used ballistics to determine if the criminal’s gun had been used in other crimes. • Although the student studied velocity and trajectory as part of a ballistics unit in physics class, when he went to the shooting range, he discovered that he was not a very good shot.

ballistics Related words: • acoustics • astrophysics • avionics • civics • dynamics • ethics • genetics • linguistics • phonics • politics

odometer • meter, metr, -metry – • measure • odometer – • n. a device for measuring distance traveled in a vehicle pl. n. odometers

odometer Sentence: • Many new cars now have the original odometer and two additional manual reset odometers for keeping up with short trips and keeping track of oil change times. • When following directions, a driver must often refer to the odometer to determine where to make specific turns.

odometer Related words: • altimeter • barometer • centimeter • optometry • pedometer • perimeter • speedometer • tachometer • telemetry • tetrameter

herpetology • –ology, -logy – • study of; science • herpetology – • n. the study of reptiles and amphibians • n. herpetologist adj. herpetologic, herpetological adv. herpetologically

herpetology Sentence: • A herpetologist must love nature and cannot be afraid to touch or study snakes, lizards, or frogs. • Herpetologically speaking, the Blue-tailed Skink is actually only native to Australia, but the blue-tailed lizard seen in the U. S. is only a juvenile form of the (American) Five-lined Skink.

herpetology Related words • biology • cytology • entomology • epidemiology • geology • meteorology • microbiology • mythology • psychology • speleology

Anglophile • phil/o, -phile – • love of • Anglophile – • n. one who is an admirer of England and its customs adj. Anglophilic n. Anglophilia • Antonym: Anglophobe

Anglophile Sentence: • My neighbor Louise is an Anglophile and collects anything English, including tea cups, flags, books, and posters of the queen. • His Anglophilic obsession forced him to build a storage room to display all of his British collectibles.

Anglophile Related words: • audiophile • bibliophile • hemophilia • pedophile (attraction to) • Philadelphia • philander • philanthropist • Philharmonic • philosophy

hydrophobia • –phobia – • fear of • hydrophobia – • n. a fear of water; • Rabies (so named because those suffering from rabies are unable to swallow liquids in spite of extreme thirst) adj. hydrophobic

hydrophobia Sentence: • Mr. Franklin’s hydrophobia really made a splash when he had to be given oxygen and was removed from the water park on a stretcher. • In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, one of Janie’s husband’s contracts hydrophobia after encountering and being bitten by a rabid dog.

hydrophobia Related words: • acrophobia • agoraphobia • arachnophobia • claustrophobia • homophobia • nyctophobia • ophidiophobia • technophobia • xenophobia

Root Review • cycl/o – • circle; wheel • –ology, -logy – • study of • –phobia – • fear of

Root Review • meter, metr, -metry – • measure • graph, -graphy – • writing • phil/o – • love of

Root Review • a, an – • not; without • –ics – • science; study of; skill; knowledge • dia – • through; apart; across

Root Review • hydro – • water • auto – • self; same • bio – • life; living things

Greek Vocabulary 1