Identify the Root
If you are talking about air or gas, you are using this 4-letter Greek root.
What is Atmo-?
This root literally means stone, which is why it names the rocky outer shell of Earth.
What is Lithos-?
This root means ball or globe and is found in the names of all Earth's layers.
What is Spher?
"The diver descended into the hydrosphere to study coral." Based on the root, he entered the part of Earth made of this.
What is Water?
"The atmospheric pressure dropped before the storm." Based on the root atmo-, this pressure comes from the what?
What is the Air?
This root is used to describe anything shaped like a ball or a globe.
What is Spher-?
This 5-letter root means heavy, and it is the base for the word "Gravity."
What is Grav-?
The lowest layer of the atmosphere, where weather "turns" and churns, uses this root.
What is Tropos?
"The hiker checked the topographic map to see the elevation." Based on the root topo-, this map describes a specific what?
What is a Place?
"This heliosphere protects our planets from cosmic rays." Based on the root, this "sphere" belongs to what object?
What is the Sun?
When you talk about the sun, you can use the Latin root sol- or this Greek root.
What is Helio-?
If something is arranged in a layer, like the second level of our atmosphere, it uses this root.
What is Strato-?
High-altitude clouds are often found in this "layered" part of the atmosphere.
What is Stratosphere?
"The metal was very dense, making the small cube feel surprisingly heavy." In this sentence, dens- refers to the cube being what?
What is Thick (or compact)?
"Water vapor rose from the pot of boiling noodles." Based on the root, the water turned into what?
What is Steam?
If a layer is located exactly in the middle, it uses this prefix.
What is Meso-?
These two suffixes are used at the end of a word to mean "referring to."
What are -ic and -ical?
Calculated as mass divided by volume, this "thick" property determines if an object sinks or floats.
What is Density?
"Ancient people looked at celestial bodies like stars to navigate." Based on the root celes-, these bodies are located where?
What is The Heavens (or Space)?
"The mesosphere is the layer found between the stratosphere and the thermosphere." Meso- tells us it is in the what?
What is the Middle?
To describe something as heavenly or belonging to the sky, you use this root.
What is Celes-?
This root means to turn, which describes the constant mixing of air in the lowest layer of the atmosphere.
What is Tropos-?
Adding these two suffixes to a root like "sphere" changes it into an adjective.
What are -ic and -ical?
"The geologist studied the lithospheric plates moving beneath the soil." Based on the root litho-, these plates are made of this.
What is Stone (or Rock)?
"Meteorologists study the troposphere because that is where weather turns." The root tropos- literally means this.
What is Turn (or Change)?