It's Greek To Me!

Greek and Latin Prefixes, Roots and Suffixes used in English
This page © 1999 by Nicholas E. Miller


Basic term

Meaning

Greek
Latin
Prefix
Suffix

cephalo

head

Yes
.
Yes
.

Examples

Definition

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acephalous (5)

(adj.) - no + head . = Having no or a very small head, either in a body or in a scoiety/government.

bovine spongiform encephalopathy (3)

(noun)- bovine spongiform + in + head + suffering, disease. =A fatal cow disease affecting the nervous system, abbreviated BSE; popularly know as mad cow disease.

cephalopod (4)

(noun, adj.) head + foot . Sea animals such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses that move by expelling water from a tube under the head, have sucker-bearing arms, and usually an ink-containing sac.

electroencephalogram (EEG) (3)

(noun) amber + in + head + letter. = Tracing brain waves made by an electroencephalograph. .

electroencephalograph (EEG) (3)

(noun) amber + in + head + write. = device for detecting and recording brain waves. An electroencephalographer is a person who does this, electroencephalographic is the adjective form, and electroencephalography is the noun form relating to the science or technique.

encephalopathy (5)

(noun) a disease of the brain. = Encephalopathic is the adjective form.