C
| Root | Meaning in English | Origin language | Etymology (root origin) | English examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cac- | bad | Greek | κακός (kakos) | cacophony |
| cad-, -cid-, cas- | fall | Latin | cadere, casus | accident, cadence, case |
| caed-, -cid-, caes-, -cis- | cut | Latin | caedere, caesus | caesura, incisor |
| calc- | stone | Latin and Greek | from Latin calx "lime", and from Greek χάλιξ (khalix) "pebble" "limestone" | calcite, calcium, calculus |
| call-, calli- | beautiful | Greek | from Greek κάλλος kallos "beauty" | calligraphy |
| calor- | heat | Latin | calor "heat" | calorie |
| calyp- | cover | Greek | καλύπτειν (kaluptein) | apocalypse |
| camer- | vault | Latin | camera | bicameral, camera |
| camp- | field | Latin | campus "field", "level ground" | champion, campaign |
| can- | dog | Latin | canis | canine, Canis Major |
| can-, -cin-, cant- | sing | Latin | canere | cantata, canto, cantor |
| cand- | glowing, iridescent | Latin | candere "to be white or glisten" | candela, candid, candle, candor, incandescent, incendiary, incense |
| cap-, -cip-, capt-, -cept- | hold, take | Latin | capere, captus "take or hold" (vowel changes from a to i in compounds) | capture, captive, conception, recipient |
| capit-, -cipit- | head | Latin | caput, capitis "head" | capital, decapitation, precipitation |
| capr- | goat | Latin | caper, capri | Capricorn, caprine |
| caps- | box, case | Latin | capsa | capsule |
| carbo- | coal | Latin | carbo, carbonis | carbohydrate |
| carcer- | jail | Latin | carcer, carcerare | incarceration |
| carcin- | cancer (disease) | Latin from Greek | Latin from Greek καρκίνος (karkinos) "crab" | carcinogenic, carcinoma |
| cardi- | relating to the heart | Greek | καρδιά kardia "heart" | cardiograph, cardiology |
| cardin- | hinge | Latin | cardo, cardinis | cardinal |
| carn- | flesh | Latin | caro, carnis | carnal, carnival, carnivore |
| carp- | relating to fruit | Greek | καρπός (karpos) "fruit" | carpology |
| carp- | relating to the wrist | Greek | καρπός (karpos) "wrist" | carpal, carpal tunnel syndrome |
| cast- | pure | Latin | from Latin castus "chaste" | caste, castigate, castrate |
| cata-, cat- | down | Greek | from Greek κατά (katá) "down" | catabolic, catalyst, catastrophe, catatonia, cathode, cation |
| caten- | chain | Latin | catena | catenary, concatenation |
| cathar- | pure | Greek | καθαρός (katharos) | catharsis |
| caud- | tail | Latin | cauda | caudal |
| caus-, -cus- | cause or motive | Latin | causa | causative |
| cav- | hollow | Latin | cavus "hollow" | cave, cavity, excavation |
| ced-, cess- | go | Latin | cedere, cessus | procession, recede, secede |
| celer- | quick | Latin | celer, celerare | acceleration, celerity |
| cen- | new | Greek | καινός (kainos) | Cenozoic |
| cen- | empty | Greek | κενός (kenos) | cenotaph |
| cens- | Latin | censere "to estimate" | census | |
| cent- | hundred | Latin | centum | cent, centennial, centurion |
| centen- | hundred each | Latin | centeni | centenary |
| centesim- | hundredth | Latin | centesimus | centesimal, centesimation |
| centr- | center | Greek | κέντρον (kéntron) "needle", "spur" | eccentric |
| cephal- | head | Greek | κεφαλή (kephale) | cephalic, cephalopod, encephalogram |
| ceram- | clay | Greek | κέραμος (keramos) | ceramic |
| cerat- | horn | Greek | κέρας, κέρατος (keras, keratos) "horn" | keratin |
| cern- | sift | Latin | cernere | discern, secern |
| cervic- | relating to the neck, relating to the cervix | Latin | cervix, cervicis "neck" | cervix, cervical |
| ceter- | other | Latin | ceterus | et cetera |
| chir- | of the hand or hands | Greek | χείρ (kheir) "hand" | chiral, chiropractic, chiroptera |
| chelon- | relating to a turtle | Greek | χελώνη (khelōne) "tortoise" | chelonia |
| chlor- | green | Greek | χλωρός (khlōros) "green" | chlorine, chlorophyll, chloroplast |
| chore- | relating to dance | Greek | χορεία khoreia "dancing in unison" from χορός khoros "chorus" | choreography |
| chord- | cord | Latin and Greek | chorda "rope" from χορδή (chordē) | chordata |
| chrom- | color | Greek | χρῶμα (chrōma) "color" | chromium, chromosome, monochrome |
| chron- | time | Greek | χρόνος (chronos) | chronic, chronology, chronometer |
| chrys- | gold | Greek | χρυσός (khrusos) "gold" | chrysolite |
| cili- | eyelash | Latin | cilium | cilia, supercilious |
| cine- | motion | Greek | κινέω (kineō) | cinema |
| ciner- | ash | Latin | cinis, cineris | incineration |
| cing-, cinct- | gird | Latin | cingere, cinctus | succinct |
| circ- | circle | Latin | circus | circus |
| circum- | around | Latin | circum | circumcise, circumference, circumlocution, circumnavigate |
| cirr- | orange | Greek | κιρρός (kirros) | cirrhosis |
| cirr- | curl, tentacle | Latin | cirrus | cirrus |
| civ- | citizen | Latin | civis | civility |
| clad- | branch | Greek | κλάδος (klados) | clade |
| clar- | clear | Latin | clarus, clarare | clarity, declaration |
| clast- | broken | Greek | κλαστός (klastos) | iconoclast, osteoclast |
| claud-, -clud-, claus-, -clus- | close | Latin | claudere, clausus | clause, exclusion, include |
| clav- | key | Greek | from Greek κλείς kleis "key" from κλείειν, (kleiein) "to close" | clavichord, clavicle, conclave |
| cl(e)ist- | closed | Greek | κλειστός (kleistos) | |
| cleithr- | bar, key | Greek | cleithrum | |
| clement- | mild | Latin | clemens, clementis | clemency, inclement |
| clin- | bed, lean, recline | Latin | -clinare | declination, inclined |
| cochl- | shell | Greek | κόχλος (kochlos) | cochlea |
| coel- | hollow | Greek | κοῖλος (koilos) | blastocoel, coelom, spongocoel |
| cogn- | know | Latin | cognoscere | cognitive, cognizant, recognize |
| col- | strain | Latin | colare, colum | colander |
| coll- | hill | Latin | collis | |
| coll- | neck | Latin | collum | collar |
| color- | color | Latin | color | coloration, coloratura, tricolor |
| con-, co-, col-, com-, cor- | with, together | Latin | cum | coagulate, collide, compress, connect, contain, corrode |
| con- | cone | Greek | κῶνος (kōnos) | conic, conical, conoid |
| condi- | season | Latin | condire | condiment |
| contra- | against | Latin | contra | contradiction, contrast |
| copr- | dung | Greek | κόπρος (kopros) | coprolite, coprophagia, coprophilia |
| corac- | raven | Greek | κόραξ, κόρακος (korax, korakos) | coracoid |
| cord- | heart | Latin | cor, cordis | accord, cordial |
| corn- | horn | Latin | cornu | cornea, cornucopia, unicorn |
| coron- | crown | Latin | corona, coronare | corona, coronation |
| corpor- | body | Latin | corpus, corporis | corporation, corpse, corpuscle |
| cortic- | bark | Latin | cortex, corticis | corticosteriod |
| cosm- | universe | Greek | κόσμος (kosmos) | cosmic, cosmonaut |
| cosmet- | Greek | κοσμητ- (kosmet-) | cosmetics, cosmetology | |
| cost- | rib | Latin | costa | costal |
| cotyl- | cup | Greek | κοτύλη (kotulē) | cotyledon |
| -cracy, -crat | government, rule, authority | Greek | κράτος (kratos) | democracy |
| crani- | skull | Greek | κρανίον (kranion) | cranium |
| crass- | thick | Latin | crassus | crassitude |
| cre- | make | Latin | creare, creatus | creation, creature |
| cred- | believe, trust | Latin | credere, creditus | credentials, credibility, creditor, incredible |
| crep- | boot, shoe | Greek | κρηπίς, κρηπίδος (krēpis, krēpidos) | |
| cribr- | sieve | Latin | cribrum, cribrare | cribble, cribrate |
| ring | Greek | κρίκος (krikos) | ||
| cris-, crit- | judge | Greek | κρίσις (crisis) | crisis, critic |
| crisp- | curled | Latin | crispus | crispate |
| crist- | crest | Latin | crista | cristate |
| cross- | fringe, tassel | Greek | κροσσός (krossos) | |
| cruc- | cross | Latin | crux, crucis | crucial, crucifix, crucify, excruciating |
| crur- | leg, shank | Latin | crus, cruris | crural |
| crypt- | hidden | Greek | κρυπτός (kruptos) | cryptic, cryptography |
| cten- | comb | Greek | κτείς, κτενός (kteis, ktenos) | ctenophore |
| cub- | cube | Greek | κύβος (kubos) | cubic, cuboid |
| cub- | lie | Latin | cubare | incubation, succuba |
| culin- | kitchen | Latin | culina | culinary |
| culp- | blame, fault | Latin | culpa | culpable, exculpate |
| cune- | wedge | Latin | cuneus | cuneiform |
| curr-, curs- | run | Latin | currere, cursus | concurrent, current, cursive, recursion |
| curv- | bent | Latin | curvus | curvature |
| cuspid- | lance, point | Latin | cuspis, cuspidis | bicuspid |
| cut- | skin | Latin | cutis | cuticle |
| cyan- | blue | Greek | κυανός (kuanos) | cyanide |
| cycl- | circular | Greek | κύκλος (kuklos) | bicycle, cycle, cyclone |
| cylind- | roll | Greek | κύλινδρος (kulindros) | cylinder |
| cyn- | dog | Greek | κύων, κυνός (kuōn, kunos) | cynosure |
| cyst- | capsule | Greek | κύστις (kustis) | cystic |
| cyt- | cell | Greek | κύτος (kutos) | cytoplasm, cnidocyte |
Read more about this topic: List Of Greek And Latin Roots In English