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List of Greek and Latin roots in English

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Source updated March 18, 2026

The English language uses many Greek and Latin roots, stems, and prefixes. These roots are listed alphabetically on three pages:

Some of those used in medicine and medical technology are listed in the List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “List of Greek and Latin roots in English”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Neoclassical compound

Neoclassical compounds or classical compounds are compound words composed from combining forms derived from the classical languages, Latin and Ancient Greek. Neo-Latin comprises many such words and is a substantial component of the technical and scientific lexicon of English and other languages, via international scientific vocabulary (ISV).

English words of Greek origin

The Greek language has contributed to the English lexicon in five main ways: vernacular borrowings, transmitted orally through Vulgar Latin directly into Old English, e.g., 'butter', or through French, e.g., 'ochre' (< ὠχρός); learned borrowings from classical Greek texts, often via Latin, e.g., 'physics' (< Latin physica < τὰ φυσικά); a few borrowings transmitted through other languages, notably Arabic scientific and philosophical writing, e.g., 'alchemy' (< χημεία); direct borrowings from Modern Greek, e.g., 'ouzo' (ούζο) or 'doula' (δούλα); neologisms (coinages) in post-classical Latin or modern languages using classical Greek roots, e.g., 'telephone' (< τῆλε + φωνή) or a mixture of Greek and other roots, e.g., 'television' (< Greek τῆλε + English vision < Latin visio); these are often shared among the modern European languages, including Modern Greek. Of these, the neologisms are by far the most numerous.

List of Greek morphemes used in English

Greek morphemes are parts of words originating from the Greek language. This article lists Greek morphemes used in the English language.