Humanities & academic writing

Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin

Peter L. Smith (Estate)
University of Victoria · Sixth edition (adapted), 2016; iReadAll reading adaptation v2, 2026 · English · Published 2016

An introduction to the Latin roots, forms and historical development of English scientific and social-science vocabulary, with worked examples, exercises and reference tables.

Learning stage: College introduction
Prerequisites: Comfort with English vocabulary; no prior Latin or Greek course required.
Editorial review: 2026-10-29

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About this iReadAll reading edition
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Cover
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Title Page
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Copyright
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Table Of Contents
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Preface to 5th Edition
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Foreword
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Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 1: Introduction
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- §1. The Fascination of Words
  AI listening available · Free section audio · A short introduction to vocabulary, communication and word histories; discuss the author's figurative language with a teacher. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction. · About 2 min
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  §1. The Fascination of Words
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- §2. What is Greek and Latin Roots (GRS 250)
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- §3. Why Latin and Greek?
  Read the original · Greek and Latin influences on English vocabulary. Treat the account as a historical overview focused on Western language transmission, rather than a complete history of world cultures. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §4. The Indo-European Family of Languages
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- §5. The Unique Nature of English
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- §6. Dictionary Practice
  Read the original · Practice reading dictionary abbreviations and etymologies. Use a school or library dictionary; the original shopping comparisons and edition recommendations are historical, and no purchase is required. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §7. Latin Pronunciation
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Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)
- Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)
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- §8. Form and Meaning
  Read the original · Follow changes in word form and meaning through persona, person and parson. Learn the terms etymology, semantic change and doublet. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §9. What is a Noun?
  Read the original · Recognize nouns and distinguish concrete from abstract meaning. The < and > symbols show word history here, not numerical inequalities. The final paragraph introduces Latin declensions; memorizing their endings is unnecessary for this selection. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §10. Latin Nouns of the First Declension
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- §11. Interesting Words
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- §12. Latin Nouns of the Second Declension
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- §13. Interesting Words
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- §14. Patterns of Change in Form
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- §15. Patterns of Change in Meaning
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- §16. The Legacy of Latin: I. Old English
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- §17. Chapter 2: Exercises
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Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)
- Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)
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- §18. Latin Nouns of the Third Declension
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- §19. Interesting Words
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- §20. Latin Nouns of the Fourth Declension
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- §21. Latin Nouns of the Fifth Declension
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- §22. Summary of the Five Latin Noun Declensions
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- §23. The Legacy of Latin: II. Middle English
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- §24. Chapter 3: Exercises
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Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives
- Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives
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- §25. What is an Adjective?
  Read the original · Identify adjective modifiers with short English examples and compare ordinary, comparative and superlative forms. The author uses a traditional grammar classification for numerals. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §26. Latin Adjectives: 1st and 2nd Declension Type
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- §27. Latin Adjectives: 3rd Declension Type
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- §28. Interesting Words
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- §29. Comparative and Superlative Forms
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- §30. Latin Adverbs
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- §31. The Legacy of Latin: III. Modern English
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- §32. Chapter 4: Exercises
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Chapter 5: Turning Latin Nouns into Adjectives
- Chapter 5: Turning Latin Nouns into Adjectives
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- §33. The Process of Affixation
  Read the original · Build word families with prefixes and suffixes, starting from true, truth and truthful. Distinguish a base word from an affix; unfamiliar Latin examples can be explored with teacher support. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §34. Adjective-forming Suffixes in English
  Read the original · Explore five English adjective suffixes with word families. Distinguish adjectival -ly from adverbial -ly; some vocabulary examples reflect the original text's historical usage. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §35. The Latin suffix -ALIS (> E -al) / -ARIS (> E -ar or -ary)
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- §36. The Latin suffix -ILIS (> E -ile or -il)
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- §37. The Latin suffixes -ANUS (> E -an) and -INUS (> E -ine)
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- §38. The Latin suffix -ARIUS (> E -ary, -arium, -er)
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- §39. The Latin suffix -OSUS (> E -ous, -ose)
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- §40. The Latin suffix -LENTUS (> E -lent)
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- §41. Summary of Adjective-forming Suffixes
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- §42. Interesting words
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- §43. Word Analysis
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- §44. Chapter 5: Exercises
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Chapter 6: Turning Latin Adjectives into Latin Nouns
- Chapter 6: Turning Latin Adjectives into Latin Nouns
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- §45. Noun-forming Suffixes in English
  Read the original · Form abstract nouns with -ness, -th and -dom. Begin with familiar adjective pairs and notice spelling changes such as broad/breadth and wise/wisdom. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §46. The Latin suffix -ITAS (> E -ity); variant -ETAS (> E -ety)
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- §47. The Latin suffix -ITUDO (> E -itude)
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- §48. The Latin suffix -ITIA (> E -ice)
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- §49. Other Noun-forming Suffixes (-IA, -MONIUM)
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- §50. Interesting Words
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- §51. Chapter 6: Exercises
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Chapter 7: Latin Diminutives
- Chapter 7: Latin Diminutives
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- §52. What is a Diminutive?
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- §53. The Regular Latin Diminutive Suffixes -ULUS and -CULUS
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- §54. The Variant Latin Diminutive Suffixes -OLUS and -ELLUS
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- §55. Diminutive Adjective Derivatives in -ARIS
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- §56. Interesting Words
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Chapter 8: Latin Prefixes
- Chapter 8: Latin Prefixes
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- §57. An Introduction to Prefixes
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- §58. Prefixes Denoting Place
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- §59. A Summary of Latin Prefixes
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- §60. Interesting Words
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Chapter 9: The Latin Verb System
- Chapter 9: The Latin Verb System
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- §61. What is a Verb?
  Read the original · Distinguish verbs naming actions or states from nouns, using run in two sentence patterns. The closing Latin morphology overview is optional background for this English vocabulary activity. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §62. The Two Keys to the Latin Verb
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- §63. Latin Verbs of the First Conjugation
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- §64. Latin Verbs of the Second Conjugation
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- §65. Latin Verbs of the Third Conjugation
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- §66. Latin Verbs of the Third I-STEM and Fourth Conjugations
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- §67. Interesting Words
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Chapter 10: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Nouns
- Chapter 10: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Nouns
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- §68. How Can Verbs Become Other Parts of Speech?
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- §69. The Perfect Participle as 2nd Declension Neuter Noun
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- §70. The Perfect Participle as 4th Declension Noun
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- §71. The Perfect Participle Base + suffix -IO as Abstract Noun
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- §72. The Perfect Participle Base + suffix -URA as Abstract Noun
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- §73. The Perfect Participle Base + suffix -OR as Agent Noun
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- §74. Other Noun-forming suffixes
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- §75. Chapter 10: Exercises
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Chapter 11: Turning Latin Nouns into Latin Verbs
- Chapter 11: Turning Latin Nouns into Latin Verbs
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- §76. What is a Denominative Verb?
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- §77. Denominative Verbs in -ARE, -ATUS, and their nouns in -AT -IO
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- §78. Interesting Words
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- §79. Turning Diminutive Nouns into Verbs
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Chapter 12: Latin Present Participles and Gerundives
- Chapter 12: Latin Present Participles and Gerundives
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- §80. How to Recognize a Present Participle (Latin -NT-)
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- §81. Participial Abstract Nouns in -NTIA (> E -nce or -ncy)
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- §82. English Derivatives from Latin Present Participles
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- §83. Interesting Words
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- §84. English Spelling Irregularities
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- §85. The Latin Gerundive: the -ND- form
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- §86. Chapter 12: Exercises
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Chapter 13: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Adjectives
- Chapter 13: Turning Latin Verbs into Latin Adjectives
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- §87. The Latin suffixes -BILIS (> E -ble) and -ILIS (> E -ile)
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- §88. Adjectives from the Present Base (-AX, -UUS, -ULUS, -IDUS)
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- §89. Adjectives from the Perfect Base (-ORIUS, -IVUS)
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- §90. Interesting Words
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Chapter 14: Compound Words in Latin
- Chapter 14: Compound Words in Latin
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- §91. What is a Compound Word?
  Read the original · Recognize compound words such as sunbeam and goalkeeper and distinguish independent bases from prefixes and suffixes. Advanced Latin examples are background rather than required prior knowledge. Selected junior extension for readers comfortable with English explanatory prose, with dictionary or teacher support as needed. No prior Latin is required for this unit; the parent book remains a college introduction.
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- §92. General Principles of Latin Compounds
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- §93. Compounds Related to FACERE
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- §94. Other Verbal Compounds
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- §95. Interesting Words
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- §96. Chapter 14: Exercises
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Appendices
- Appendices
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- I. Key to Exercises (Latin)
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- II. Summary of Vocabulary Tables (Latin)
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The author and publisher remain the source of this textbook. Permission information applies to the specific files in this edition.

Author, publisher, and discovery sources

Authors: Peter L. Smith (Estate)
Publisher: University of Victoria

Discovered through Open Textbook Library: Source record · Checked 2026-10-29
Discovered through Open Textbook Library: Source record · Checked 2026-10-29

CC BY 4.0 except separately credited components

Greek and Latin Roots: Part I - Latin, Peter L. Smith (Estate), sixth edition adapted, 2016, University of Victoria. CC BY 4.0. This iReadAll reading adaptation removes only the separately noncommercial cover illustration and repairs identified internal links; all teaching text, language examples, tables and author diagrams remain. Original credits are retained. The original publisher download attribution is also repeated on each XHTML document. Original publisher download attribution is retained and repeated on every XHTML document. All original credits are preserved.

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§1. The Fascination of Words

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Contents

About this iReadAll reading edition

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Table Of Contents

Preface to 5th Edition

Foreword

Chapter 1: Introduction

§1. The Fascination of Words

§2. What is Greek and Latin Roots (GRS 250)

§3. Why Latin and Greek?

§4. The Indo-European Family of Languages

§5. The Unique Nature of English

§6. Dictionary Practice

§7. Latin Pronunciation

Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 &#038; 2)

§8. Form and Meaning

§9. What is a Noun?

§10. Latin Nouns of the First Declension

§11. Interesting Words

§12. Latin Nouns of the Second Declension

§13. Interesting Words

§14. Patterns of Change in Form

§15. Patterns of Change in Meaning

§16. The Legacy of Latin: I. Old English

§17. Chapter 2: Exercises

Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)

§18. Latin Nouns of the Third Declension

§19. Interesting Words

§20. Latin Nouns of the Fourth Declension

§21. Latin Nouns of the Fifth Declension

§22. Summary of the Five Latin Noun Declensions

§23. The Legacy of Latin: II. Middle English

§24. Chapter 3: Exercises

Chapter 4: Simple Latin Adjectives

§25. What is an Adjective?

§26. Latin Adjectives: 1st and 2nd Declension Type

§27. Latin Adjectives: 3rd Declension Type

§28. Interesting Words

§29. Comparative and Superlative Forms

§30. Latin Adverbs

§31. The Legacy of Latin: III. Modern English

§32. Chapter 4: Exercises

Chapter 5: Turning Latin Nouns into Adjectives

§33. The Process of Affixation

§34. Adjective-forming Suffixes in English

§35. The Latin suffix -ALIS (> E -al) / -ARIS (> E -ar or -ary)

§36. The Latin suffix -ILIS (> E -ile or -il)

§37. The Latin suffixes -ANUS (> E -an) and -INUS (> E -ine)

§38. The Latin suffix -ARIUS (> E -ary, -arium, -er)

§39. The Latin suffix -OSUS (> E -ous, -ose)

§40. The Latin suffix -LENTUS (> E -lent)

§41. Summary of Adjective-forming Suffixes

§42. Interesting words

§43. Word Analysis

§44. Chapter 5: Exercises

Chapter 6: Turning Latin Adjectives into Latin Nouns

§45. Noun-forming Suffixes in English

§46. The Latin suffix -ITAS (> E -ity); variant -ETAS (> E -ety)

§47. The Latin suffix -ITUDO (> E -itude)

§48. The Latin suffix -ITIA (> E -ice)

§49. Other Noun-forming Suffixes (-IA, -MONIUM)

§50. Interesting Words

§51. Chapter 6: Exercises

Chapter 7: Latin Diminutives

§52. What is a Diminutive?

§53. The Regular Latin Diminutive Suffixes -ULUS and -CULUS

§54. The Variant Latin Diminutive Suffixes -OLUS and -ELLUS

§55. Diminutive Adjective Derivatives in -ARIS

§56. Interesting Words

Chapter 8: Latin Prefixes

§57. An Introduction to Prefixes

§58. Prefixes Denoting Place

§59. A Summary of Latin Prefixes

§60. Interesting Words

Chapter 9: The Latin Verb System

§61. What is a Verb?

§62. The Two Keys to the Latin Verb

§63. Latin Verbs of the First Conjugation

Chapter 2: The Latin Noun (Declensions 1 & 2)