Language/Modern-greek-1453/Vocabulary/Greek-Roots-in-Biology
What is biology?
The word biology is derived from the Greek words bios
meaning "life" and logos
meaning "study" and is defined as the science of life and living organisms.
An organism is a living entity made up of a cell, e.g. bacteria, or multiple cells, e.g. animals, plants and fungi.
Aspects of biological science range from the study of molecular mechanisms in cells to the classification and behavior of organisms, the evolution of species and the interaction between ecosystems.
Biology often overlaps with other sciences; for example, biochemistry and toxicology along with biology, chemistry and medicine; biophysics with biology and physics; stratigraphy with biology and geography; astrobiology with biology and astronomy. Social sciences such as geography, philosophy, psychology, and sociology may also interact with biology, for example, in the administration of biological resources, developmental biology, biogeography, evolutionary psychology, and ethics.
Biology is the branch of science that studies life and living organisms. There are many branches of science that are part of biology, including ecology (how organisms interact with their environment), agriculture (the study of the production of crops from the earth), biochemistry (the chemical reactions necessary to support life), botany (the study of plants), physiology (how living organisms work), and zoology (the study of animals).
Common Roots in Biology
Students in introductory biology lessons usually have to learn more new vocabulary words than students in a foreign language! The good news is that many words in scientific vocabulary use the same Greek and Latin roots. When you know these roots, you can understand what a word means, even if you've never heard it before. This chart shows you many roots to help you decipher the words you hear in biology class.
Greek or Latin Root | Greek or Latin? | Meaning | Meaning | Examples |
---|---|---|---|---|
A-, An- | Greek | Non-existence of life | Not, absent |
|
Ab-, Abs- | Latin | removal or cutting away | Away from | Abscission: separation of leaves from tree |
Allo- | Greek | other, different | Another | Allosteric: another binding site |
Aqua- | Latin | containing water | Water | Aqueous: watery |
Bi- | Latin | in compounds | Two | Bilayer: double layered |
Bio- | Greek | life + science | Life | Biology: the study of life |
-cide | Latin | cutter, killer, slayer | Kill | Bacteriocidal: kills bacteria |
Cyt | Greek | cyto- : cell + -plasm. | Cell | Cytoplasm: the fluid inside a cell |
Di- | Greek | "two" and cognate with bi- | Two | Disaccharide: a carbohydrate made of two simple sugars |
Dis- | Latin | lack of, not | Apart | Disjoin: separate |
Endo- | Greek | inside, within, internal | Inside | Endocytosis: a process that brings things into a cell |
Epi- | Greek | on, upon, above | Upon, over | Epidermis: the uppermost layer of tissue covering an organism |
Eu- | Greek | good, well | True | Eukaryotes have a true nucleus |
Ex- | Greek-Latin | out of, from within | Out | Exocytosis: a process that puts things out of cells |
Geno- | Greek | generation, race | Give birth, beget | Genetics: the study of heredity |
Hetero- | Greek | the other of two | Mixed, unlike | Heterozygous: a cell that has two different versions of a gene |
Homo- | Greek | the same,one and the same | Same | Homozygous: a cell that has two identical versions of a gene |
Hyper- | Greek | Above | Hypertonic: has a greater concentration of solutes | |
Hypo- | Below | Hypotonic: has a lower concentration of solutes | ||
Inter- | Between | Interphase: the cellular phase between cell divisions | ||
Iso- | Same | Isotonic: has same concentration of solutes | ||
Locus | Place | A locus on a chromosome is the place where a gene is located | ||
Macro- | Big | Macrophage: a large phagocyte | ||
-meter | Measure | Centimeter: a measurement that’s 1/100 of a meter | ||
Micro- | Small | Microbiology: the study of living things too small to see with the naked eye | ||
Mono- | One | Monosaccharide: a single simple sugar | ||
Olig- | Few | Oligosaccharide: a short chain of sugars | ||
Ped-, Pod | Foot | Pseudopod: a “false foot” or projection of an amoeba | ||
Phago- | Eat | Phagocytosis: a process where a white blood cell engulfs and destroys bacteria and viruses | ||
-phil | Love | Hydrophilic: mixes well with water | ||
-phobia | Fear | Hydrophobic: doesn’t mix with water | ||
Poly- | Many | Polypeptide: a chain of many amino acids | ||
Pro- | Before | Prokaryotes: cells that evolved before nucleated cells | ||
Stom- | Mouth | Stomates: openings in the surfaces of leaves | ||
Zoo- | Animal | Zoology: the study of animals |
Sources
- https://www.ntnu.edu/biology/about-us/what-is-biology
- https://www.dummies.com/education/science/biology/common-latin-and-greek-roots-in-biology-vocabulary/
Author
Marianthi
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