Latin and Greek terminology

Latin and Greek nature roots: science word meanings

Earth, water, plants, and animals.

100 entries with source words, meanings, and examples. Search or filter this collection in the app.

Earth & landscapes

• ge/o — Earth

  geology

• terr- — Earth or land

  terrestrial

• lith/o — Stone

  lithosphere

• petr/o — Rock

  petrology

• or/o — Mountain

  orography

• seism/o — Shaking

  seismology

• strat- — Layer

  stratigraphy

• sediment- — Settling material

  sedimentary

• ped/o — Soil or ground

  pedology

• edaph/o — Soil

  edaphic

• psamm/o — Sand

  psammophyte

• aren- — Sand

  arenaceous

• argill- — Clay

  argillaceous

• glaci- — Ice

  glacial

• igne- — Fire

  igneous

• calc- — Lime or limestone

  calcareous

• silic- — Flint or silica

  siliceous

• crystall/o — Crystal or ice

  crystallography

• tecton- — Building or structure

  tectonic

• pale/o — Ancient

  paleontology

Water & weather

• hydr/o — Water

  hydrology

• aqu/a — Water

  aquatic

• limn/o — Lake

  limnology

• thalass/o — Sea

  thalassic

• mar- — Sea

  marine

• fluv/i — River

  fluvial

• pluvi/o — Rain

  pluviometer

• anem/o — Wind

  anemometer

• neph/o — Cloud

  nephology

• therm/o — Heat

  geothermal

• cry/o — Cold

  cryosphere

• atm/o — Vapor

  atmosphere

• aer/o — Air

  aerobiology

• bar/o — Weight or pressure

  barometer

• hygr/o — Moisture

  hygrometer

• ombr/o — Rain

  ombrometer

• niv- — Snow

  nival

• ripar- — Riverbank

  riparian

• littor- — Shore

  littoral

• pelag/o — Open sea

  pelagic

• bathy- — Deep

  bathymetry

Plants & fungi

• phyt/o — Plant

  phytoplankton

• dendr/o — Tree

  dendrology

• arbor- — Tree

  arboreal

• phyll/o — Leaf

  chlorophyll

• foli/o — Leaf

  foliar

• rhiz/o — Root

  rhizosphere

• radic- — Root

  radicle

• anth/o — Flower

  anthesis

• flor- — Flower

  floral

• sperm/o — Seed

  angiosperm

• myc/o — Fungus

  mycology

• botan- — Plant or herb

  botany

• chlor/o — Green

  chloroplast

• xyl/o — Wood

  xylem

• carp/o — Fruit

  pericarp

• fruct- — Fruit

  fructification

• semin- — Seed

  seminiferous

• spor/o — Seed or spore

  sporophyte

• bry/o — Moss

  bryophyte

• pterid/o — Fern

  pteridology

• lichen- — Lichen

  lichenology

• alg- — Seaweed or algae

  algal

• silv- — Forest or woodland

  silviculture

Animals & living systems

• zo/o — Animal

  zoology

• ornith/o — Bird

  ornithology

• avi- — Bird

  avian

• ichthy/o — Fish

  ichthyology

• pisc/i — Fish

  piscivore

• entom/o — Insect

  entomology

• herpet/o — Creeping animal

  herpetology

• bi/o — Life

  biology

• ec/o — Home or environment

  ecology

• herb- — Plant or grass

  herbivore

• mamm- — Breast

  mammal

• theri/o — Wild animal or beast

  theriology

• lepid/o — Scale

  Lepidoptera

• cole/o — Sheath

  Coleoptera

• hymen/o — Membrane

  Hymenoptera

• di- / -ptera — Two; wings

  Diptera

• arachn/o — Spider

  arachnology

• acar/o — Mite

  acarology

• malac/o — Soft

  malacology

• conch/o — Shell

  conchology

• cet- — Whale or large sea creature

  cetacean

• chir/o + -ptera — Hand; wings

  Chiroptera

Ecology & adaptation

• troph/o — Nourishment or feeding

  trophic

• sapr/o — Rotten or decaying

  saprotroph

• xer/o — Dry

  xerophyte

• hal/o — Salt

  halophyte

• phot/o — Light

  phototropism

• chem/o — Chemical activity

  chemosynthesis

• phag/o — Eating

  phagocytosis

• -vore / -vorous — Eating or devouring

  omnivore

Sky & cycles

• heli/o — Sun

  heliocentric

• sol- — Sun

  solar

• selen/o — Moon

  selenology

• lun- — Moon

  lunar

• astr/o — Star

  astronomy

• stell- — Star

  stellar