Solar & Space
This Greek root means “sun” and appears in words like heliocentric.
What is helios?
A military force of one hundred soldiers in ancient Rome gives its name to words built from this Latin root.
What is centum?
Appearing in words like geology and geometry, this Greek root originally referred to the Earth itself.
What is geo?
Words connected to labor done “by hand,” including one describing a car transmission, come from this Latin root.
What is manus?
Detectives often use this Latin phrase to describe a criminal’s characteristic method of operation.
What is modus operandi?
This Latin root meaning “sun” survives in words connected to sunlight, including a common adjective for energy panels.
What is sol?
This Latin root meaning “thousand” appears in scientific measurements involving tiny distances.
What is mille?
This Latin root for “earth” or “land” is hidden inside words describing landforms and territory.
What is terra?
The words captain, capital, and decapitate all trace back to this Latin root meaning “head.”
What is caput/capitis?
Borrowed from Sanskrit, this word refers to the spiritual principle that actions influence future outcomes.
What is karma?
This root meaning “moon” appears in terms connected to tides, eclipses, and a calendar based on moon cycles.
What is luna?
Triangles, tricycles, and triplets all trace back to this Latin root for a number.
What is tres?
Fireworks experts and chemistry demonstrations both rely on words built from this Greek root meaning “fire.”
What is pyro?
This Latin root meaning “foot” appears in words describing children’s doctors and people traveling on foot.
What is ped/pedis?
Fashion critics may use this French phrase for a mysterious charm that cannot easily be defined.
What is Je ne sais quoi?
From the Greek word for “star,” this root forms the basis of terms for people who study celestial objects.
What is astron?
September was once the seventh month in the Roman calendar because of this Latin root.
What is septem?
This Latin root meaning “fire” survives in English verbs connected to setting something ablaze.
What is ignis?
Orthodontists, dentures, and dental records all derive from this Latin root for “tooth.”
What is dens/dentis?
In legal or historical writing, this Latin phrase is used to describe something authentic or genuine.
What is bona fide?
This Latin word meaning “star” appears in an adjective often used to describe exceptional athletes or performers.
What is stella?
Decimal systems, decathlons, and decades all contain this Latin root for a number.
What is decem?
This Greek root for “water” appears in words related to pressure systems, dams, and fluid movement.
What is hydros?
This Latin root meaning “body” appears in both business terminology and words referring to dead bodies.
What is corpus/corporis?
This German psychological term describes the idea that the complete form is perceived differently from its individual components.
What is Gestalt?